Planked Shad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Prepare a 3-inch thick, 2-foot long, and 1.5-foot wide plank made of well-seasoned hickory or oak.
Scale, split, clean, and wash the shad, then wipe it dry.
Dredge the shad with coarse sea salt and black pepper.
Heat the plank over a clear fire until very hot.
Cook
Nail the shad, skin side down, to the hot plank using four large-headed tacks.
Place the plank before the fire with the large end down.
Turn the plank every few minutes until the fish is done; it is done when the flesh is flaky.
Spread the shad with drippings.
Serve
Serve on the plank, or carefully slide it onto a hot dish after removing the tacks.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Shad
- Forms the main body of the dish, cooking into flaky, tender flesh as the heat sets it.
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the fish directly and draws out some surface moisture before cooking.
- Drippings
- Adds richness and flavour to the cooked fish when spread over it.
The step that matters
Turning the plank until the fish is flaky. Plank heat is uneven and the fish can dry out or scorch if it is left in one spot. Turning the plank regularly spreads the heat, and flaky flesh shows the protein has set without overcooking.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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