George Hirsch’s Cedar Plank Salmon

George Hirsch July 6, 2025

I've introduced the age-old art of hot smoking on wood planks for over twenty-five years in my TV shows and cookbooks. It's foolproof and quite impressive for entertaining, and as I say at the end of my show.."If I can do it, you can do it!"

However, this technique of cooking on planks is far from new. The Indians in the Pacific Northwest cooked on cedar and alder, a tradition done for many centuries, as all cooking was done on an open fire. Once you try it yourself, you'll see why.

Chef George’s Cedar Plank Salmon

Makes four servings

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*1 cedar plank

One 1 1/2-pound salmon fillet

Juice of one fresh lemon

1 teaspoon each: thyme, rosemary, paprika, black pepper

3 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1 lemon, sliced

Soak plank in water to cover for 2 hours; drain.

Preheat the Grill to high.

Rub the plank with one tablespoon of olive oil.

Place fillets on the plank; season with thyme, rosemary, paprika, black pepper, dill, and lemon juice. Top with remaining olive oil.

Grill for 10-14 minutes on a covered grill for optimum smoke or until the fish is cooked. The thickness of the fillets will determine the final cooking time.

Before serving, top with fresh dill butter and serve with extra fresh lemon slices, or grill lemon slices along with salmon.

Tips:

Planked Salmon as seen on George Hirsch Lifestyle TV Series — Planked Salmon as seen on *George Hirsch Lifestyle* TV Series

*Soak planks for at least 2 hours or more in cold water before you fire up the grill.

Make sure the grill is good and hot; this is key! Grilled cedar-planked fish takes on a wonderful smoky flavor. The plank will be charred, but the fish will be perfectly cooked. When opening the grill, if the planks do not fit up, spray the plank with water to douse the flame and immediately close the grill cover to reduce oxygen.

Note: Cedar plank should be untreated non-resin wood, no thicker than 1 inch.

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Strawberry Cornbread Shortcake

George Hirsch July 2, 2025

This Southern strawberry shortcake is baked in a black iron skillet, giving it a crunchy crust—the perfect foil for berries and sweetened whipped cream. Using cake flour will give the shortcake a lighter, more tender texture. If you have any strawberries left over, you may want to try my Rosé Sangria from George Hirsch Lifestyle.

Strawberry Cornbread Shortcake

Makes 6 - 8 servings

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For the Cornbread:

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup cake flour or all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

2 eggs. lightly beaten

1/4 cup sweet butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the whipped cream:

1 cup heavy cream

2 Tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

2 pints mixed fresh strawberries and optional blueberries

1/2 pint fresh blueberries

Granulated sugar, if necessary

Strawberry Shortcake

Preheat oven or grill to medium temperature or 375 degrees F.

Combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix the milk, eggs, butter, vanilla, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until no particles of the dry ingredients remain. Do not over-mix.

Spoon the mixture into a well-greased, 8-inch, black iron skillet or cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool the cornbread for 5 minutes in the pan; remove and cool completely on a rack.

Beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the confectioners’ sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Wash the strawberries and pat them dry gently with a paper towel. Cut half of the strawberries into slices and leave the rest whole. If the berries are not sweet, toss with a small amount of granulated sugar.

Slice the cornbread in half horizontally. Spread the lower half with half the whipped cream and sliced strawberries and blueberries. Replace the top half and cover with the remaining whipped cream and berries.

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Summer Flavor Winter Wonder

georgehirsch June 30, 2025

You can make magic with a simple eggplant, squash, and tomato. Layers of flavor come together to create this meatless wonder. And the gratin only tastes better the next day.

Eggplant Squash Gratin

Makes 4 - 6 servings

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Slice the peeled eggplant and squash lengthwise. Coat lightly in flour. Sear in olive oil with a few whole garlic cloves. Turn the eggplant and squash when they are light brown, and remove. Cool. Slice tomatoes thickly. Layer vegetables in an ovenproof casserole, lightly oil, and layer eggplant, squash, and tomato; repeat using up the remaining vegetables—optional parmesan can be added between layers. Place whole sautéed garlic on top of the layered vegetables, sprinkle with fresh, ground breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, basil sprigs, and chopped parsley, and drizzle with olive oil on top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

Note: For another perfect do-ahead meal or picnic addition, you can watch the OVEN-FRIED CHICKEN VIDEO recipe below.

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Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake

George Hirsch June 29, 2025

A pound cake is a type of cake traditionally made with a pound of each of four ingredients: flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. The addition of ricotta makes this cake moist, while the lemon gives a hint of freshness.

***Wrapped loaves of pound cakes as a special gift.***

If you're looking for the best pound cake, this is it—full Stop. If you are planning a special cake to gift or happen to be entertaining family or friends, the lemon ricotta pound cake is an outstanding dessert with broad appeal. It's perfect for finishing a special dinner or for an afternoon tea. I created this recipe knowing it would be one of those cakes that improves with age, meaning it tastes even better the day after it’s baked.

Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake

It makes one large loaf or three demi-loaves

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1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup sweet butter, softened

1 1/2 cups (15 oz container) fresh whole-milk ricotta, drained

1 1/2 cups Turbino or granulated sugar

3 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350°F degrees. Grease and flour 9-inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth and light. Fold in ricotta in three parts. Scrape the bowl well with a spatula. Mix dry ingredients- flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to butter and sugar and mix just until flour is absorbed with eggs one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add lemon juice and vanilla.

Scrape the downsides of the bowl, and mix on low speed for 30 seconds just until the batter is completely mixed. Do not over-mix. Over-mixing will toughen the cake and produce air pockets. Pour the batter into greased pan and smooth on top. Once the pan is filled with batter, tap the pan against a table or counter to remove air pockets.

Bake for 45-55 minutes. After 40 minutes, lower to 325 degrees until done. Allow cake to cool in pan for 5-10 minutes. Remove from pan; finish cooling on wire rack. Top with confectioner’s sugar before serving.

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George Hirsch Lifestyle Apple Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Summer Lobster Boil

George Hirsch June 26, 2025

Boils are also known as a Steam, Bake, Fish Fry, Potluck, Planks, or Seafood Barbecue. Here are a few kinds of boils I’ve either been privileged to attend in my travels or have had the pleasure of creating myself.

George Hirsch's Lobster Boil

New England - lobster steamed with beer, corn, sausage, and new potatoes
Montauk - mussels, clams, lobster, striped bass, duck quarters, LI Yukons, corn
Maryland or Chesapeake - blue crab, oysters, and clams steamed with beer, vinegar, and Old Bay cooked in a steamer basket, served with crackers, corn, and slaw
Cajun & Creole Boil - shrimp, crab, crawfish, andouille sausage or kielbasa, small red new potatoes
Low Country or Frogmore Stew - usually just shrimp with smoked sausage & corn
Texan - crawfish, oysters, and good old Texan smoked brisket
Monterey - Dungeness crabs, shrimp, and artichokes when in season
Seattle - planked salmon & oysters

Types of seafood commonly used for a boil are typically shellfish, with shrimp being the most popular ingredient. Local availability, taste preferences, and imagination can rule your boil. You may consider Dungeness and blue claw crabs, shrimp, oysters, calamari, hard-shell and razor clams, mussels, crawfish, Pacific salmon, or striped bass for your boil. Equipment: a large outdoor gas grill, cooker, or large pit with charcoal, as well as a large pot (size depends on the amount of seafood and the number of guests). 20-gallon stockpot, large paddle to stir, large wire strainer or skimmer to scoop, tongs, mallets, crackers, picks, picnic tables, No utensils––eat with your hands.

Summer Boil

Flavoring ingredients: onions, split heads of garlic, salt, lemons, beer, bay leaves, crab boil seasoning, cayenne pepper, hot sauce

George Hirsch's Lobster Boil

Serve: Remove the seafood from the pot, drain it well, and place it on picnic tables covered with newspaper, brown paper, or butcher paper. Serve with bowls of lemon wedges, melted butter, bottles of hot sauce, and good-quality pieces of bread. Beverages: Iced tubs of tall necks or keg beer (keep it local to your boil theme), tall necks of root beer, chilled rosé, iced tea, or lemonade.

George Hirsch's Lobster Boil

Preparing George’s East Coast Seafood Boil Recipe

My boil is a combination of New England, Maryland & Montauk and is easily prepared on the side burner of a gas grill. Change seafood according to your own taste and availability. Add snow peas for additional color and crunch.

Non-seafood additions to boil with cook times:

1 link per person smoked or Italian sausage, grilled & add to the boil at the end
3 small red new potatoes per person, 15 minutes
1 ear of corn per person, 10 minutes
1/4 cup snow peas, 2-3 minutes
2 Tablespoons melted butter per person for dipping
Serve hot sauce on the side

To prepare Seafood Boil:

Add 2 cups of water, 2 bottles of beer, 1 head of fresh chopped garlic, 4 bay leaves, several sprigs of fresh parsley, 1 Tablespoon of black peppercorns, 1 Tablespoon of powdered garlic, 1 Tablespoon thyme, and 1/4 cup of paprika. If you like it spicy, add dried hot pepper flakes or chopped jalapeño. Bring the liquid to a boil.

Add seafood in stages for different cooking times:

Lobster 7 minutes for a 1-pound lobster + 1 minute for each additional 4 ounces
Blue Claw Crabs 5-7 minutes
Steamers or Littlenecks- 5-7 minutes or until opened
Shrimp (shell on) 4-5 minutes
Mussels 3-4 minutes or until opened

Separately, to boil lobsters:

Fill a large pot three-quarters full of cold water and cover.
A good rule of thumb is to allow 2 1/2 quarts of water for each lobster. Two or more lobsters will cook at the same time, provided the pot is large enough. When in doubt, use two pots.
Bring the water to a rapid boil.
Lobsters should be alive with the safety bands left on the claws. Drop the live lobsters one at a time head first, let the water boil again, and cover the pot. Now you will begin to time the cooking.
Allow 7 minutes for a one-pound lobster, and add 1 minute for every 4 ounces. A 1 1/2-pound lobster will cook in 9 minutes.
Lobsters will turn a bright red when cooked. Remove lobsters from the pot with a pair of tongs.
Allow at least 2- 1 pound lobsters per person since a 1-pound lobster offers only 4 ounces of meat.

George Hirsch's Lobster Boil

To Grill Lobsters:

Lobsters are split and cleaned
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons seafood seasoning
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 pound clarified or drawn butter
3 lemons, cut into wedges

Preheat grill to medium-high

Combine the olive oil, seafood seasoning, and garlic in a small bowl. Place the lobster on its back and brush it with some of the oil mixture. Place the lobster on the grill, split side down, for 3 minutes. Brush with olive oil, turn, and cook for 5 to 6 minutes longer, until done. A 1 1/2-pound lobster should cook in 9 minutes: 7 minutes for the first pound and 1 minute for each additional 4 ounces.

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