Salmon really comes into its own on a plancha. The direct heat creates a crispy outside while keeping the fish juicy inside. Especially with a thick side of salmon or fresh salmon fillets, a plancha gives you more control than a traditional grill grate. It helps prevent the skin from sticking and the fish from falling apart when you turn it.
When cooking outdoors, salmon is mainly about timing and temperature. A plancha responds quickly, retains heat evenly and makes it easy to prepare several ingredients at the same time. Think vegetables, lemon or a light butter sauce cooking directly alongside the fish.
For anyone who regularly cooks over a wood fire, a good plancha BBQ is a natural choice. Especially when preparing fish, you'll quickly notice the difference in even heat distribution and ease of use.
Why salmon works so well on a plancha
Salmon naturally contains plenty of fat. This means it doesn't dry out as quickly as lean white fish. On a hot plancha, the natural fats help the outside caramelise, creating extra flavour and texture.
Another advantage is the large cooking surface. You don't have to work carefully around grill grates and can easily prepare larger pieces of salmon without damaging them. Salmon with the skin on in particular keeps its structure beautifully intact.
A wood-fired plancha also adds a subtle smoky flavour without overpowering the fish. This works particularly well with salmon, especially when paired with simple flavours such as lemon, dill, pepper or garlic butter.
The right temperature for salmon on a plancha
Medium-high to high heat works best for salmon. The plancha should be hot enough to sear the fish immediately, but not so hot that the natural fats start to burn.
On a plancha BBQ, the centre of the cooking surface is often hotter than the outer edge. Use this difference to your advantage. Start the salmon closer to the centre to create a crispy crust, then move it to a slightly cooler zone to finish cooking if necessary.
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Thin fillets: short cooking time over direct heat
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Thick salmon fillets: sear first, then finish over gentler heat
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Side of salmon: use more indirect heat towards the outer edge of the plancha
A common mistake is turning the salmon too soon. Let the fish cook undisturbed until it naturally releases from the cooking surface.
Cooking salmon with the skin on
Skin-on salmon works particularly well on a plancha. The skin protects the flesh from direct heat while becoming beautifully crispy at the same time.
Pat the skin dry beforehand and apply a thin layer of oil to the plancha itself rather than directly to the fish. Place the salmon skin-side down first and give it enough time to cook. In many cases, most of the cooking can be done on this side.
Only turn the salmon briefly towards the end to add some colour to the top. Especially with thick fillets, this helps prevent the centre from overcooking.
Which types of wood work well with salmon?
When cooking over a wood fire, your choice of wood can influence the final flavour. Milder woods usually work better with salmon than strong, heavy smoke flavours.
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Beech provides gentle, rounded heat
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Oak adds a slightly stronger aroma
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Fruit wood adds a subtle sweet note
Avoid highly resinous woods, as their flavour can quickly overpower delicate fish.
Cooking vegetables with salmon on the plancha
A plancha makes it easy to prepare a complete dish on a single cooking surface. While the salmon cooks, vegetables can be prepared alongside it.
Courgette, green asparagus, fennel and small tomatoes pair particularly well with the richness of salmon. Cooking the ingredients next to each other allows the flavours to subtly complement one another without making everything taste the same.
If you regularly prepare complete meals over a wood fire, a larger cooking surface or one of the GrillRing BBQ sets gives you more room to work with several temperature zones at the same time.
Common mistakes when cooking salmon on a plancha
Most problems come down to impatience or using the wrong temperature.
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Turning the salmon too soon, causing it to break
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Cooking on a cold plancha
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Using too much oil
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Cooking the salmon straight from the fridge
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Overcooking the fish
Let the salmon come up in temperature slightly before placing it on the plancha. This helps it cook more evenly and gives you a more consistent result.
Plancha or fire bowl for cooking fish?
For fish dishes, many people deliberately choose a flat cooking surface. Especially with salmon, this gives you more control than a traditional grill grate over an open fire.
If you enjoy direct wood-fire cooking and preparing several dishes at the same time, combining a plancha with a fire bowl BBQ works particularly well. It provides plenty of heat and cooking space for fish, vegetables and smaller side dishes without constantly having to move ingredients between different cooking zones.
🔥 Explore our fire bowls, GrillRings and plancha BBQ accessories.
🔥 Looking for more tips on cooking over fire? Discover our other blogs.
