Planked Wild Salmon with Nectarines, Thyme, Honey, Almonds and Ricotta

Quintessentially West Coast, planking pays homage to the First Nations peoples of this region, whose communities have been cooking salmon on wood planks since long before Europeans arrived. It’s an ingenious way to impart earthy, smoky and even floral notes to the fish, depending on the type of wood you use. Although cedar is a classic choice, alder and oak work beautifully with salmon, too. You can find grilling planks at gourmet retailers, or go the DIY route with untreated wood from the hardware store. Look for 1-inch-thick and 8-inch-wide pieces, and have them cut 8 to 12 inches long. Just be sure to give them a good sanding first to remove splinters, and allow time to soak them before using. For this recipe, you’ll need two planks: one for the fish and one for the nectarines.

1 skin- on wild salmon fillet

(about 1½ lb), cut into 4 portions Extra-virgin olive oil

Sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper 4 sprigs thyme, leaves only, plus extra for garnish 4 nectarines or apricots, halved

2 tbsp honey

Flaked sea salt

½ cup fresh whole-milk ricotta

Sliced toasted almonds, for garnish

Garden salad, to serve

Soak wood planks in water for at least 30 minutes and up to a day before using. Preheat grill to medium (about 350° F). Use paper towels to pat the fish dry. Rub all over with olive oil, and season both sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle thyme leaves over the salmon (leaving some for the nectarines and for the garnish), and press to adhere. Put planks on your grill, directly over the flames. Cover grill and allow planks to heat until starting to just smoke (about 2 minutes). Turn and repeat on the other side. Place fish skin side down on one plank. Add nectarines, cut side up. Drizzle nectarines with honey, then sprinkle with most of the remaining thyme leaves and a little salt. Cover grill and cook for 7 to 12 minutes, or until fish is almost opaque all the way through and flakes easily and the nectarines are caramelized and tender. (If a plank gets too hot and ignites, spritz with water from a spray bottle.) To serve, add a couple tablespoons of ricotta over each piece of fish, and sprinkle with the almonds. Garnish with thyme and serve with a garden salad. Serves 4.

ALTERNATE METHOD If you don’t have a plank, you can grill your salmon directly on an oiled grill grate for 3 to 4 minutes per side, and roast the nectarines in a baking dish in a 400° F oven for 12 minutes.

Perfect Pairing Before the move, Bell and Colley (showing off their cherry-spitting skills here) were fixtures in the Vancouver food scene. Now, as they walk among the grapes and cherries, they can’t imagine living anywhere else. Cocktail with Blossom Syrup. See recipe on page 122.