Grill All the Things! Salmon, Pickles, Cucumbers …

I’m not sure if it’s all the how-to grilling posts we’ve been doing this summer or what, but lately I have been OBSESSED with grilling. Like, grilling everything. The evenings here in Kansas City have been hot but pretty pleasant and as long as I have this thing going, the bugs steer clear. Meaning, that pretty much every night is an invitation to grill outdoors. And, well, when you’re a fit foodie, you quickly begin to think outside of the healthy burger box when it comes to what to throw on the grill. In fact, instead of wondering: “What can I throw on the grill?” You start asking: “What can’t I throw on the grill?”
Case in point, my three recent grilling successes: Alaska salmon on cedar planks, grilled pickles and grilled cucumbers.
First up, Sockeye salmon sent to FBE from Alaska Seafood. How gorgeous is that color?

I brushed my salmon fillets with a simple mix of crushed garlic, freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, chopped fresh thyme, and sea salt and pepper. Oh, and a glass of rose wine is highly encouraged for any grilling adventure.

You simply soak some cedar planks (got mine at Target) for a few hours in water, and then put your fish on.

Then they go over a medium to hot grill until the fat (the white stuff) starts to come up to the top of the fillet.

Pull them off, let the salmon rest for a few minutes, and you get something a little like this. (If you have extra sauce left, feel free to give it another good coat.)

If it’s flaky, then you’ve grilled/smoked yours perfectly. And let me just tell you, the taste (and smell!) of this salmon grilled on a cedar plank is amazing. We started with a really high-quality piece of salmon and the smoke, wood and sauce just really brought so much deep flavor out.

In addition to restaurant-quality cedar plank salmon fillets, I’ve also gone a bit nutters for grilled pickles and cucumbers. Yes, you can grill both. And, yes, both are delicious. (Also, if you get Ryan’s shirt reference, you probably also get the headline reference, too. Which means we’d probably have a great time hanging out together. Call me.)


Ryan and I grilled Claussen pickles and some fresh cucumbers from our garden, and both turned out fantastic. The process for cooking both is about the same. Get them into spears …

Put them on a hot grill.

Turn them once a little charred. (This won’t take more than a couple minutes, depending on how hot your fire is.)

Pull them off and enjoy. The grilled pickles are like normal pickles … times 100! And the grilled cucumbers almost become like zucchini but with a firmer texture. Both are fabulous.

Okay, so what should I throw on the grill next? It may be September, but my grill is still hot! Okay, that didn’t sound right … You know what I mean! —Jenn