Cedar Plank Grilled Wild Sockeye Salmon with Zucchini Fries

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day -- definitely a top 10 day!  It started off great because I was able to sleep in and actually got in a little over 8 hours of sleep, which I rarely get.  t was in the mid-50s when we woke up and bright, sunny with a slight breeze. We decided to take advantage of the gorgeous cool weather and get our walk done before breakfast. We walked all over our little town and it was so pretty and because it's a holiday weekend, it was pretty quiet out as well. When we finished walking we were so rejuvenated that we started pruning shrubs out front and forgot about eating breakfast! We came in and had "brunch" since it was so late and then ran our errands in the early afternoon. We did our usual Costco run and they finally had wild salmon in again!  I was SO excited!!! We picked up some fresh produce and a few other odds and ends and then stopped at the grocery store  and ran a few other errands. I originally planned to roast brussels sprouts to go with our salmon dinner tonight, but instead decided to make Zucchini Fries. We picked up some cedar planks to cook our huge salmon fillet on. I have always wanted to try cooking salmon on one, so today we decided to try it out.  It turned out delicious, moist and tender. To make the salmon, I simply zested a lemon and squeezed the juice from it and then mixed it with about 2 tablespoons of melted Kerrygold Garlic & Herb Butter to make a "lemony-garlic-herb" butter. After we prepared the cedar plank and heated it, I sliced another lemon and placed the salmon fillet on top, then brushed it with the lemon herb butter and placed the lemon slices, alternating with fresh dill sprigs on top and covered and cooked it for about 20-25 minutes.

Before we grilled the salmon, I prepared Zucchini Fries (recipe below). I just added things together to make a seasoned "breading" for them.  In a shallow bowl, I mixed 1/4 cup golden ground flax, 1/4 cup blanched almond flour and 1/2 cup of finely shredded Parmesan. To that mixture I added 1/2 teaspoon each of: onion powder, garlic powder, paprika and then 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning and a few generous dashes of cayenne for some zip and mixed it together well. In a medium bowl, I made an egg wash by beating 2 eggs with 2 tablespoons olive oil and seasoned it with salt and pepper. I cut 2 medium-large zucchini into 2" long sticks. I added the zucchini sticks, about 1/3 at a time, to the egg wash, tossing to coat well. I lined a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and then used my right hand for handling the "wet mixture" and reserved my left hand for rolling them in the "dry seasoned mixture". I lined them on the baking sheet and baked them at 425 F for about 20-25 minutes until crisp. They turned out really good! I snapped a few photos below for you to see. Enjoy!

This is why I love Costco!  

Such a beautiful piece of salmon...

Zucchini fries ready to be popped into the oven...

Here's a closer look before going into the oven...

Salmon grilling away...

Oven Baked Zucchini Fries

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup ground golden flax

1/4 cup blanched almond flour

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Few dashes ground cayenne pepper, optional

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium to large sized zucchini

DIRECTIONS:

In a shallow bowl, mix together flax, almond flour and Parmesan. Add onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and cayenne. 

In a separate bowl, beat eggs with olive oil; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cut zucchini into 2" long sticks. Add zucchini sticks, about 1/3 at a time, to the egg wash; toss to coat well. Place on large parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 425 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.

*Note: Use right hand to handle "wet mixture" and left hand for rolling them in the "dry seasoned mixture".