Aldi Has Cedar Plank Salmon for $10 (and We’ll Be Buying It All Summer Long)

Whenever I wander the aisles at my local Aldi, some sort of fish or seafood usually ends up in my cart. Sometimes it’s shrimp; in February, it’s often lobster, when they have it as a special; and once in a while, it’s flounder or tilapia. But more often than not, it’s salmon. I’ll buy the big-as-my-arm fresh salmon, grab the already-seasoned kind for a quick and easy meal, or stock up on the frozen fillets.

Although I enjoy salmon year-round, it seems especially succulent in the summer. And come summer, really, the only way to cook salmon, hands-down (or hands in the air, clapping), is grilled, on cedar planks. That’s why I almost ended up dancing in front of the seafood shelves at Aldi, where you can now find Cedar Plank Salmon for just $9.99 for per pound.

You see, a few years back, the grocer sold cedar planks sans salmon, which I used to grill just about every weekend. The tricky part with those planks was they required a 30-minute soak in water prior to grilling. So, unfortunately, impromptu grilled fish was not on the menu that summer.

But this year, Aldi is selling ready-to-grill, cedar plank salmon. The planks are already soaked with the salmon on top, so you can just add some seasoning and throw it on the grill (after unwrapping it, of course).

If you’ve never had grilled salmon on a cedar plank, it is one of the absolute best ways to make salmon. The plank keeps the salmon juicy and moist, yet also imparts this cedar note to the fish, which gives it even more depth. Because you’re grilling it on the plank, grill cleanup is easy after too!

It’s also easy to prep: Season it with a little salt and pepper, then brush it with a little olive oil and lemon juice or add just dab of barbecue sauce, and you’re ready to grill. The salmon tastes almost like candy, and it melts in your mouth. Seriously, it is just so, so good. 

Related: How to Grill Salmon on a Cedar Plank

And it’s a good deal too. A single plank weighs about a pound, more or less, and it can feed three to four salmon eaters, about two salmon-lovers, or just one, very hungry teenager.

Do you have a favorite way to make grilled fish? Tell us in the comments below.