Cooking with Judy: How about a change of meat for Father’s Day

Sonora Smart Dodd, who with her five siblings was raised by her widowed dad, honored him by hosting the first Father's Day celebration on June 19, 1910. The idea quickly spread, but Father's Day didn't become an official federal holiday until the Nixon administration in 1972. About time!

If you’re cooking for dad this holiday, how about planked salmon for a change instead of meat?

"Long before cedar planks started turning up on American grills, 19th century chefs cooked fish on oak planks in the oven," writes grilling expert Steven Raichlen in "Man Made Meals" (Workman, $19). "Even earlier, the Indians of coastal Connecticut nailed shad fillets to boards that they stood in front of a campfire."

The plank adds an interesting flavor, he says, "somewhere between the oak in a bottle of Chardonnay and the smoke from smoldering hardwood."

While cedar is most commonly used, Raichlen also suggests maple, oak or cherry, each with its distinctive flavor.

For the best quality fish, my favorite fresh fish market is Dry Dock Fish on Commonwealth Avenue in Fullerton, started by Marc Lewis in 1989.

"My dad actually started in the garment business," son Sam told me. Born in Casablanca, Marc grew up in Marseilles. "He missed the seafood he couldn't get here and got out of the clothing business."

Today's consumer is well educated, he said. "Starting in the early ’90s you couldn't give wild salmon away. Now, with the internet, people are educated.

"We reject a lot of fish. Some people do stuff to food to extend shelf life," he said. "We are small, not fancy. We’re here in your community. We’re going to see you all the time. We see every piece of fish one by one. We think of each piece of fish as somebody's dinner."

Buying fresh fish can be so confusing.

"Know your fishmonger on a personal level," Sam advised. Fish has a short shelf life so the pressure is on. "It's two to three days’ shelf life from here. If you cook it the day you buy it, even better. You pay a premium for logistics, getting it where it needs to be."

A common mistake is overcooking, but Sam says that may not always be the case.

"A customer will say, ‘I bought fish in the supermarket and I overcooked it.’ Fish in the supermarket is marked "refreshed," which is their fancy way of saying frozen and defrosted. Then when you cook it, it's dry."

Fullerton's Judy Bart Kancigor is the author of "Cooking Jewish" and "The Perfect Passover Cookbook." Her website is cookingjewish.com.

From "Man Made Meals" by Steven Raichle

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Soak plank in cold water in large pots, sink, or on rimmed baking sheet 30 minutes (keep submerged by placing pot on top). Drain; wipe plank dry.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees or set up grill for indirect grilling; preheat to medium-high.

3.. Run your fingers over salmon feeling for pin bones. Remove any you find with needle-nose pliers or kitchen tweezers.

4. Generously season salmon on both sides with salt and pepper. Arrange it, skin side down, on damp plank.

5. Place mayonnaise, mustard, and lemon zest in mixing bowl and whisk to mix. Using a rubber spatula, spread glaze over top and sides of salmon.

6. To bake salmon, place fish on its plank on baking sheet or piece of aluminum foil in oven. Bake salmon until glaze is puffed, bubbling, and browned and fish is cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes. To grill salmon, place fish on its plank in center of grill away from heat. Close lid and grill salmon until cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes. (To check for doneness, insert an instant–read thermometer in wide end of fish for 15 seconds. When salmon is done thermometer will register 145 degrees. Or insert thin metal skewer into fish and leave it there about 15 seconds; when salmon is done skewer will come out hot to the touch.)

7. Transfer fish on its plank to heat-proof platter and serve right off plank.

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