The summer grill party is one of the most beloved of summer gastronomic experiences. We fire up the grill, people gather round impatiently, and on go the burgers, the hot dogs, the spareribs, the chicken breasts, the steaks. But why not take your grilling game up a notch this year?
Taking on a challenge can mean grilling something you don’t usually try, working with a theme, or grilling something big that needs attention and then to be carved, such as a whole half turkey breast on the bone with its skin. There’s an amazing taste if you’ve never tried. It comes off the grill and you slice it like a big ham. One could go the non-simple direction, such as stuffed roll-ups of veal scallopini or spit-roasted meat.
For a themed meal, grill something from a particular cuisine, or paired foods, or something historical, or foods of the same color or cut, or mixed grills. In the recipes below the theme is three kinds of fish steaks and three kinds of fresh herbs. Choose three kinds of firm fleshed fish steak and pair them with a fresh herb for grilling. Here are three that work.
Taking on a challenge can mean grilling something you don’t usually try, working with a theme, or grilling something big that needs attention and then to be carved, such as a whole half turkey breast on the bone with its skin. There’s an amazing taste if you’ve never tried. It comes off the grill and you slice it like a big ham. One could go the non-simple direction, such as stuffed roll-ups of veal scallopini or spit-roasted meat.
For a themed meal, grill something from a particular cuisine, or paired foods, or something historical, or foods of the same color or cut, or mixed grills. In the recipes below the theme is three kinds of fish steaks and three kinds of fresh herbs. Choose three kinds of firm fleshed fish steak and pair them with a fresh herb for grilling. Here are three that work.
Grilled fish with oregano, chile and olive oil
If there is one thing I miss since I moved to California, it’s bluefish, which we can’t get here. Bluefish is a dark-fleshed Atlantic fish when raw that is excellent grilled over a hot fire for a few minutes. When the “blues are running” as they say in New England or Long Island, grills come out and people make all kinds of things with bluefish: bluefish balls, bluefish fritters, bluefish pate, bluefish grill. If you’re elsewhere in the country, then you’ll want to use mackerel, bonito, yellowtail, mahimahi, or angelshark. Note in the recipe that you are using fillets, not steaks, and the fillet needs its skin on.
Prep and cooking time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste in a mortar
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano leaves
1 dried red chile, crumbled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 ½ pounds bluefish or bonito fillets (about ¾ inch thick)
Directions
1. Prepare a hot charcoal fire or preheat the gas grill on high for 15 minutes.
2. Lightly brush the grill with some olive oil. Stir together the remaining olive oil, garlic, oregano, chile, salt and pepper. Coat the bluefish with this mixture and lay skin side down on the grill.
3. Grill for 5 to 6 minutes while basting occasionally. Carefully flip the fish with a spatula and grill another 5 to 6 minutes, basting some more. Remove to a platter and serve.
If there is one thing I miss since I moved to California, it’s bluefish, which we can’t get here. Bluefish is a dark-fleshed Atlantic fish when raw that is excellent grilled over a hot fire for a few minutes. When the “blues are running” as they say in New England or Long Island, grills come out and people make all kinds of things with bluefish: bluefish balls, bluefish fritters, bluefish pate, bluefish grill. If you’re elsewhere in the country, then you’ll want to use mackerel, bonito, yellowtail, mahimahi, or angelshark. Note in the recipe that you are using fillets, not steaks, and the fillet needs its skin on.
Prep and cooking time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste in a mortar
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano leaves
1 dried red chile, crumbled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 ½ pounds bluefish or bonito fillets (about ¾ inch thick)
Directions
1. Prepare a hot charcoal fire or preheat the gas grill on high for 15 minutes.
2. Lightly brush the grill with some olive oil. Stir together the remaining olive oil, garlic, oregano, chile, salt and pepper. Coat the bluefish with this mixture and lay skin side down on the grill.
3. Grill for 5 to 6 minutes while basting occasionally. Carefully flip the fish with a spatula and grill another 5 to 6 minutes, basting some more. Remove to a platter and serve.
Grilled salmon with tomato relish and mint
The grilled salmon gets a treatment of salsa cruda, a raw sauce made of tomato, garlic and mint that can be made quickly in a food processor, which whips it into a froth very quickly. Serve the sauce on the side or spooned on top of the salmon.
Prep and cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
6 ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and drained of water
½ cup loosely-packed fresh mint leaves
2 garlic cloves
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 ½ pounds salmon fillet, in 4 pieces
Directions
1. Preheat a gas grill on high for 20 minutes or preheat a broiler or prepare a charcoal fire.
2. Place the tomatoes, mint leaves, garlic, and olive oil in the food processor and run until the salsa is frothy, 30 to 45 seconds. Season with salt and pepper and stir.
3. Season the salmon with oil, salt, and pepper on both sides and place skin side down on the grill. After 4 to 5 minutes, flip with a spatula and grill for another 3 to 5 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish. Serve immediately with the salsa.
The grilled salmon gets a treatment of salsa cruda, a raw sauce made of tomato, garlic and mint that can be made quickly in a food processor, which whips it into a froth very quickly. Serve the sauce on the side or spooned on top of the salmon.
Prep and cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
6 ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and drained of water
½ cup loosely-packed fresh mint leaves
2 garlic cloves
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 ½ pounds salmon fillet, in 4 pieces
Directions
1. Preheat a gas grill on high for 20 minutes or preheat a broiler or prepare a charcoal fire.
2. Place the tomatoes, mint leaves, garlic, and olive oil in the food processor and run until the salsa is frothy, 30 to 45 seconds. Season with salt and pepper and stir.
3. Season the salmon with oil, salt, and pepper on both sides and place skin side down on the grill. After 4 to 5 minutes, flip with a spatula and grill for another 3 to 5 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish. Serve immediately with the salsa.
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Grilled sword fish with fresh orange juice and fresh thyme
This preparation is inspired by the way they would cook swordfish in Sicily. Swordfish is very popular in Sicily as they are found in the Straits of Messina and elsewhere around Sicily. The firm flesh of swordfish is perfect for grilling.
Prep and cooking time: 1 ¼ hours
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 2 oranges
1 bay leaf, crumbled
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Two 5-ounce swordfish steaks, ¾ inch thick
3 tablespoons fresh thyme and thyme sprigs for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions
1. Prepare a hot charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill on high for 20 minutes.
2. In a ceramic or glass baking pan, swish the olive oil, orange juice, bay leaf, and garlic until mixed. Place the swordfish steaks in the marinade and coat with the thyme and salt and pepper and leave for 1 to 2 hours.
3. Grill the swordfish on the hottest part of the grill and grill until almost springy to the touch, 6 to 8 minutes in all, basting with the leftover marinade and turning carefully only once. Remove from the grill and serve.
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