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Cedar-Plank Style Salmon with Brown Sugar Rub

Name: Cedar-Plank Style Salmon with Brown Sugar Rub
Prep time: 9 min
Total time: 12 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: salmon fillets — 680 g; light-brown sugar — 67 g; smoked paprika — 15 g; salt — 10 g; garlic — 5 g; freshly ground black pepper — 3 g; cayenne pepper — 1 g; dijon mustard — 30 g; unsalted butter — 27 g; lemon — 65 g

Cedar-Plank Style Salmon with Brown Sugar Rub reads citrus 6.4, sourness 5.9 and umami 5.6 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a American main, about 12 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 6.3 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 6.1 / 10
Sour & Bright — 8.2 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 3.6 / 10
Rich & Fat — 5.7 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 3.9 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Citrus 6.4 · Sourness 5.9 · Umami 5.6 · Richness 5.5 · Fruity 5.2 · Salinity 3.8 · Allium 3.5 · Smoke 3.3 · Sweetness 3.2 · Marine & Briny 3.1 · Heat 2.7 · Warm Spice 1.9 · Earthy 1.3 · Floral 1.3 · Funk & Ferment 0.8 · Bitterness 0.8 · Nutty 0.6 · Herbaceous 0.5

What's in it (10)

salmon fillets — 680 g
light-brown sugar — 67 g
smoked paprika — 15 g
salt — 10 g
garlic — 5 g
freshly ground black pepper — 3 g
cayenne pepper — 1 g
dijon mustard — 30 g
unsalted butter — 27 g
lemon — 65 g

Time & effort: about 12 min (9 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 122.4 kcal, 14.1 g protein, 5.9 g fat, 8.5 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, smoked paprika, kosher salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne until no lumps remain; this is your bark rub.
Pat the salmon fillets completely dry with paper towels, then brush the flesh side of each with Dijon mustard.
Press the brown sugar rub firmly onto the mustard-coated flesh side of each fillet, packing it into an even, thick layer.
Preheat the broiler to high with a rack 6 inches from the element. Line a rimmed sheet pan with foil and brush lightly with a little of the melted butter.
Set the fillets skin-side down on the prepared pan, then brush any exposed rub with the remaining melted butter.
Broil, watching closely, until the sugar crust is bubbling, deeply caramelized, and just beginning to char at the edges, 8-10 minutes for a 1-inch-thick fillet; if the crust browns faster than the fish cooks, tent loosely with foil and continue.
Check the internal temperature at the thickest point and pull the salmon at 130 F for a moist, still-rosy center — it will climb a few degrees more as it rests.
Let the salmon rest 3 minutes on the pan, then transfer to plates and serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Grilled Shrimp and Andouille Skewers — Cajun/Creole · Cajun
Cajun Blackened Grilled Shrimp Skewers — Cajun/Creole · Cajun
Kedgeree (Smoked Fish and Rice, the Colonial Descendant of Khichuri) — Indian · Anglo-Indian
Shrimp and Grits with Andouille Sausage — Southern
Cajun Shrimp and Sausage Skillet — Cajun/Creole · Cajun

Keep reading: what citrus, sourness, umami mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.