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Salmon and Cedar Wood are a perfect match.  Cooking the fish in a cedar wrap infuses a delicious smoky flavour and gives you a beautifully tender flaky fish. This is such an easy and flavourful salmon recipe, and you need less than 30 minutes from fridge to plate.

The fish is rubbed with tasty spices, wrapped in a cedar paper wrap with fresh peppers added, then cooked on the grill. Thanks to the smoky and earthy flavours from the timber, and the fact that it’s packed with healthy nutrients like Omega-3 fatty acids, we call this a game-changer!

Chipotle Rubbed Salmon in Cedar Wrap – Serves 4

You’ll need:

  • 4 skinless salmon fillets
    • 4 cedar wood wraps with twine
    •          2 tsp packed light-brown sugar
    •          3/4 tsp chipotle chilli powder
    •          3/4 tsp ground cumin
    •          3/4 tsp paprika powder
    •          1/2 tsp chili powder
    •          1/2 tsp onion powder
    •          1/4 tsp garlic powder
    •          Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    •          2 tbsp olive oil
    •          2 red capsicums, deseeded and sliced into 1/2-inch strips
    •          1 lime sliced into wedges for serving
    •          Chopped fresh coriander for serving (optional)
vegetables in a grilling wrap with rice

Step 1:
Soak your cedar wraps in water for 30 minutes. Preheat the grill to 180 degrees over medium heat.

Step 2:
Crumble brown sugar into a small mixing bowl. Add chipotle chili powder, cumin, paprika, chilli powder, onion powder, garlic powder, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and whisk to combine.

Step 3:
Remove your cedar wraps from the water and spray the tops with non-stick cooking spray. Brush 1 tbsp of the olive oil along both sides of salmon fillets. Sprinkle one side of each fillet with spice rub (use about half of it for all 4), then rotate and transfer them to the cedar wraps. Sprinkle remaining spice rub over the tops of the salmon.

Step 4:
Toss the sliced capsicum with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Layer the strips over salmon, but only enough so the paper can wrap around to enclose. The remaining capsicum can be grilled halfway through cooking the salmon, just lay strips along opposite direction of grates so they don’t fall in).

Step 5:
Wrap cedar paper around salmon and peppers then tie with string provided. Grill 5 – 7 minutes per side, spraying with a water bottle as necessary to keep the wraps moist and prevent flare ups, until salmon is cooked through. Cut the strings, serve warm with lemon or lime wedges for spritzing and top with coriander, unless you hate that stuff. Parsley works well, too.

This is a fabulous idea for a fancy summer lunch, or a light dinner if you wish. If you want to enjoy it with a glass of wine, we recommend a medium-to-full-bodied buttery white wine such as Chardonnay. A dry rosé is another surprisingly good match.