Grill Salmon Fish with Spicy Mayo Sauce

Soak the cedar plank first — minimum an hour, up to two. This part matters. You’ll hear it pop and sizzle on the grill instead of catching fire, which changes everything. The smoke gets sweet, not acrid. Salmon gets a whisper of cedar instead of char.

Why You’ll Love This Grilled Salmon Recipe

Takes 34 minutes total and most of that’s just waiting for the grill to heat and the fish to cook through. Doesn’t require you to flip anything or babysit it constantly.

Spicy salmon seasoning does the heavy lifting — cayenne, Old Bay, hot sauce all working together. The brown sugar sneaks in caramel notes. Build a glaze, not just a coating.

Cedar plank grilled salmon comes off with crispy skin. The flesh stays moist inside because the wood insulates it, steams it gently. Lemon hits at the end so it stays bright instead of cooking into bitterness.

Works for a weeknight dinner or impressing people. Same recipe either way. Nobody has to know you didn’t stress about it.

What You Need for Cedar Plank Salmon

One cedar plank. Soak it. Water, an hour minimum. Don’t rush this part — the drier it is, the faster it burns.

One and a half pounds of salmon filet, skin on. Skin side down on that plank. It’ll crisp up and hold the fish together.

Kosher salt. Coarser. It stays on the food instead of vanishing. A teaspoon and a half for the rub. White pepper — three quarters teaspoon. Cayenne pepper — three quarters teaspoon, dry rub side. Then another half teaspoon goes in the sauce because we’re building layers here.

Spicy salmon sauce: mayonnaise base (a third cup), Old Bay (a teaspoon), hot sauce (Frank’s or whatever, one teaspoon), dark brown sugar (a tablespoon). The sugar matters. Caramelizes on the grill. Gives it texture, sweetness that balances the heat.

Three lemon slices. Fresh. Goes on at the end.

How to Make Grilled Salmon on Cedar Plank

Heat the grill to medium-high. That’s around 375 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Not blazing. Hot enough that you hear the cedar start popping when it hits the grate, hear the plank sizzle underneath. That sound is the whole thing working.

Lay the salmon skin side down on the plank. Rub the top side first — kosher salt, cayenne, white pepper mixed together, pressed into the flesh. Don’t skip this resting time. Let the salt pull flavors in, firm up the texture. Give it two minutes while the grill steadies.

Set the plank directly over heat. Close the lid. You’ll smell cedar rising, that smoky-sweet thing building. Five minutes goes by. Don’t open it. Let it work.

After five minutes, crack the lid. The flesh should be starting to opaque at the edges. That’s when you slather on the spicy salmon sauce — the mayo mixture, thick. Close it again. Cook three more minutes. The sauce thickens on top, starts to brown where it hits the heat.

Open again. Sauce coat goes thicker. This builds a sticky, fiery glaze that gets almost caramelized. Close for two more minutes. The whole grill smells spicy-sweet now.

Scatter lemon slices on top of the salmon. Close the lid for another two minutes. The lemon juice steams into the fish, brightness cutting through the heat and the richness.

How to Get Grilled Salmon Fish Crispy and Perfectly Cooked

Fork test. Open the lid, take a fork, peek at the thickest part of the flesh. It should flake but still feel moist. Not translucent anymore, not dry either. Internal temp around 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Hotter than that and the salmon gets mealy and tight.

The cedar plank does half the work here. It’s insulating the bottom, keeping the heat steady, preventing hot spots that char the skin or cook the edges before the center catches up. That’s why cedar plank salmon stays moist.

The skin — leave it alone. Don’t flip, don’t move it, don’t poke it constantly. Skin side down the whole time. It’ll crisp against the plank and the heat. That crust is what holds everything together when you lift the plank off.

Lift the whole plank straight off the grill with tongs. The salmon comes with it. Skin stays crisp. Sauce is sticky and charred in spots.

Seasoning a Salmon and Common Mistakes

Don’t soak the cedar plank for less than 45 minutes. Dry wood catches fire. You’ll get burning char instead of smoke. An hour is the minimum. Two is fine. It doesn’t get “too soaked.”

If your grill runs hot, the plank chars too fast and the fish cooks unevenly. The edges get done before the middle. Adjust the burners down or move the coals around. Keep that cedar smoking slow, not flaming.

White pepper in the rub does something different than black pepper — sharper, less earthy. If you only have black, fine. It works. Won’t be exactly the same but it’ll be good.

The hot sauce in the spicy salmon sauce — Frank’s RedHot is standard but whatever you have that’s actually spicy works. Don’t use some mild stuff thinking it’ll be fine. The sauce needs heat or it’s just sweet mayo.

Leftover spicy salmon sauce keeps in the fridge. Dip for grilled vegetables. Spread on a sandwich the next day. Actually better the second day. Flavors settled.

If you don’t have a cedar plank, a soaked thick wood board works. Or foil boat with wood chips underneath. Won’t be exactly the same cedar flavor but you get smoke and the indirect heat still works.

No grill? Cedar plank salmon works in a 400-degree oven too. Same timing, same method. Not the same flavor. But it comes out moist and the sauce caramelizes.

Grill Salmon Fish with Spicy Mayo Sauce

By Emma

Prep:

12 min

Cook:

22 min

Total:

34 min

Servings:

4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cedar plank soaked 1-2 hours
• 1 1/2 pounds salmon filet skin-on
• Spicy Salmon Sauce:
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (like Frank's RedHot)
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• Salmon Rub:
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 3 lemon slices

Method

1. 1 Start by soaking cedar plank in water minimum an hour, up to two. Keeps wood smoking not burning — tickles salmon with smoke.
2. 2 Mix together spicy sauce. Mayo base, cayenne, Old Bay, hot sauce, sugar. Sugar sneaks in caramel notes, helps that caramelized crust.
3. 3 Rub dry spices over salmon skin side in, lay thick. Don’t skip resting fish with rub while warming grill. Salt draws flavors in, firmer texture.
4. 4 Heat grill to medium-high — think 375°F to 400°F. Not blazing, but hot enough to sizzle cedar and sear fish.
5. 5 Place salmon on cedar plank, skin side down. Set plank directly over heat. You’ll hear popping wood, smell rising smoky-sweet cedar.
6. 6 Close lid tight, watch smoke start curling. Five minutes first. Then open, slather on spicy sauce. Listen: fish should sizzle now.
7. 7 Shut lid, cook three more. Smells deepen, surface flakes starting to firm up.
8. 8 Slather again thickly, sauce thickens on top. Close for two more minutes. Slather seal builds a sticky, fiery glaze.
9. 9 Open again, scatter lemon slices on top. Close for another two minutes. Lemon aroma bursts, juice steams into fish.
10. 10 Check doneness by flaking with fork to peek. Flesh should be firm but still moist. Internal temp about 150°F; hotter dries out salmon.
11. 11 Lift plank straight off grill, serve immediately – skin crisps, sauce sticky, cedar infuses subtle smoke.
12. 12 If no cedar plank, soaked thick wood board or foil boat with wood chips underneath works okay. Avoid soaking less than 45 minutes, otherwise catch fire.
13. 13 Leftover spicy sauce = dip or spread next day. Bonus flavor rescue.
14. 14 If grill too hot, plank chars fast, fish cooks unevenly. Adjust coals or burners down, keep cedar smoking slow.

Nutritional information

Calories

350

Protein

32g

Carbs

5g

Fat

22g

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Frequently Asked Questions About Grilled Salmon Fish Recipe

How long do you grill salmon on a cedar plank? Twenty-two minutes total from the moment the plank hits the grill. Five minutes first phase, then three, then two more, then two with lemon. That’s the rhythm that works. Could be 20, could be 25 depending on grill temp and how thick your filet is. Fork test at the end — that’s the real timer.

Can you reuse a cedar plank? Once maybe. Second time it’s fragile, more likely to char fast. Not worth it usually. Cedar plank salmon is a one-plank meal. Buy a new one next time. They’re cheap.

What temperature should grilled salmon be cooked to? Internal temp around 150 degrees. Fork test works better though — should flake but stay moist. 155 is fine too. Past that and it gets dry. Don’t overthink it.

Do you have to use a cedar plank for grilled salmon recipes? No but it changes the outcome. Without the plank you’ll flip it or use foil and the skin gets soggy. Cedar plank keeps everything moist and the skin crisp. Worth doing if you can.

How do you know when grilled salmon is done cooking? Listen and look. The surface should firm up slightly, not translucent. Fork should flake the thickest part. No raw-looking center. If the thickest part still looks gray and opaque, give it another minute. If it flakes easy and looks cooked, it’s done.

Can you make cedar plank salmon in the oven? Yeah. 400 degrees, same timing roughly. Won’t taste like cedar smoke though. Worth trying if you don’t have a grill but it’s not the same thing.

What’s the best way to season a salmon for grilling? Salt and pepper. Cayenne if you want heat. That’s the base. The spicy salmon sauce in this recipe does more — mayo, Old Bay, hot sauce, brown sugar builds a glaze. But sometimes just salt and lemon is enough. Depends what you want.