‘Planked’ fish

Summer

This traditional Scandinavian way of cooking involves fixing fillets of fish to a hardwood plank and settling it in the embers of a hot fire. Sometimes the foot of the board begins to smoulder and smoke, which gives the fish an incredible flavour. The process is a little mad, but it gives delicious results. There’s nothing to it, either: you just need a decent piece of hardwood. Cedar is traditional, but I’ve found that oak, beech and alder work really well, too. You’ll also need a large fillet of fresh fish (skin on), such as cod, pollack or sea trout, some nails and a hammer.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

A bunch of woody herbs (bay, fennel stalks, parsley, juniper etc.)
1 lemon, sliced
1 fish fillet, at least 500g and up to 2kg
A little olive oil, or softened butter
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

You will also need

A plank of hardwood, about 50 x 30 x 5cm (see above)

Method

Planking fish like this is particularly suited to a camp fire (i.e. an open fire on the ground) but it can be done on a conventional barbecue too. The fire needs to be hot embers and gently smoking wood; the odd flame is fine. Soak the plank in some fresh water for an hour or so; this will stop it catching in the heat of the fire. It’s good if it smoulders, but not if it erupts in flames.

Place the soaked plank on the ground and arrange the herbs and lemon slices down the centre. Lay the fish, skin side down, on top, rub it with olive oil or butter and season well with salt and pepper. Secure the fish in place with 4 or 5 steel nails.

You’re going to set the plank upright in the embers, so clear away the burning wood from a small semi-circular area, downwind of the hottest and flamiest part of the fire, so that any breeze will carry the heat and smoke towards the fish.

Using a log, carefully prop up the plank in the fire, in the cleared area. The fish should be on the upward-facing side of the plank, with the thickest part of the fillet nearest the ground. Leave it to cook gently for about 25–30 minutes. The base of the plank may start to smoulder; if it ignites, extinguish it with a splash of water.

When the fish is cooked, lift the plank out of the fire and set it directly on the table (you might want to douse the scorched base in water first). Let everyone dig in then and there. Good bread, lemon juice and mayonnaise are all you need alongside.

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