Don’t mention the Barbecue word!!

There is no real need for decorations when throwing a barbecue party - let the summer garden, in all its vibrant and luscious splendour, speak for itself.

Pippa Middleton

So, the weekend is here (\0/) and the barometer is firmly fixed to fair, in fact the weather forecast is fabulous right through the weekend which means the menu this weekend is simple, BBQ, (but don’t say it out loud, you know you’ll jinx it and it will pee down!)! In fairness, this isn’t the first BBQ of the year, thank goodness, we’ve had a couple of nice weekends recently so the BBQ has already had a bit of an outing. This weekend though I really fancy grilled fish so, I thought I’d share a couple of my fav BBQ fish recipes!

Grilled Swordfish Salmoriglio

More years than I care to remember I found a wonderful little restaurant in Northern Sicily called Salmoriglio, an absolutely delightful sea food restaurant with a simple but totally delicious menu, I had a tuna dish with a sauce that was so damned fantastic I begged the waiter for the recipe! Turns out the restaurant was named after the sauce – Salmoriglio

This sauce lends itself to any fish to be fair however, I love it with grilled swordfish. Salmoriglio is basically made up of lemon, olive oil, oregano, garlic and sometimes Parsley. You can find variations on this dish where the lemon is replaced with white wine. Either way, it produces a fresh dressing perfect for a sunny BBQ meal. Once a rarity in the UK, if you have a word with your local fishmonger, they can usually get it in for you with a few days’ notice, in fact you can even order it frozen on line now!

Ingredients – serves four

4 Swordfish Steaks
4 Lemons (Zest and Juice Separated)
6 Plump Garlic Cloves (minced)
250mls Olive Oil (extra virgin)
2 tsp Oregano
2 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
4 tbsp Parsley (chopped)
4 tsp Butter

Instructions

Mix together the lemon zest, olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper in a bowl. Separate out half of the liquid into a separate bowl and then add the Swordfish. Allow them to marinate for around 1 hour. If it’s not too warm, leave the fish to marinade at room temperature on the side in the kitchen rather than putting the Swordfish back into the fridge.
With the other half of the liquid add the parsley and lemon juice and mix well. It actually looks very much like a salsa verde.
Leave the fish to marinade for at least an hour then place the Swordfish on the grill. Cook for two minutes then flip and cook for a further two minutes. Now flip again and if you like you can rotate ninety degrees to obtain a crosshatch pattern on your Swordfish, just makes it look a little more chefy! Flip again and cook for another two minutes and you’re done! This cooking time gives your fish quite an al dente texture, if you like your fish a little firmer, just leave it on the BBQ a little longer.
Remove it from the grill and allow it to rest for a couple of minutes. Then add a teaspoon of butter to each and spread it around a little and then pour over the dressing.
I usually serve this with a lovely refreshing Orange Salad which goes brilliantly with the citrusy Swordfish Salmoriglio.

Wasabi & Lime Salmon

I LOVE this recipe and it’s dead simple! The salmon has a hint of smokiness, and the Wasabi and Lime Rub add a really nice flavour. First time I tried this I was worried the rub would have a huge a kick which would dominate the dish and take away the subtle flavour of the fish however, it is really well balanced and doesn’t overpower the taste of the salmon.

Ingredients – serves four

4 Salmon Fillets
2 tbsp Japanese Wasabi and Lime Rub, (you can get this from most good supermarkets, it’s in the herbs and spices section
White Asparagus, (Green goes just as well!)
Two large carrots
A small bag of Mange Tout
A small bunch of spring onions
A handful of flaked almonds
1 tablespoon of groundnut oil

Instructions

Rub the Wasabi and Lime Rub into the salmon and leave to marinade for a couple of hours, again if it’s not too warm, leave it on the side in the kitchen rather than put it back in the fridge.
If you did need to put it in the fridge, take it out about half an hour before you cook it. I like to cook this on a wooden plank, you can get these on the interwebs or any good BBQ outlet. You need to soak your plank for at least a couple of hours I usually put it to soak just after I’ve finished marinating the salmon.
For the Asparagus just drizzle some olive oil over them and season with a little salt. Prepare a salad of julienne carrots and mange tout, slice some spring onions in diagonal strips and add to the other salad ingredients. Finally, drizzle over some groundnut oil and add some flaked almonds and mix well. Put to one side until you are ready to serve.
Place the salmon to the soaked plank. Place on the indirect area of the BBQ and cook for about twenty minutes, with the lid on. Turn the plank 180 degrees once, halfway through cooking, to ensure the salmon is evenly cooked.
With ten minutes to go until the salmon is cooked, add the Asparagus to the indirect area of the grill. Replace the lid and then after five minutes turn the Asparagus. After ten minutes, move the Asparagus to the direct area of the grill to add a little char. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Remove the Salmon and Asparagus from the BBQ and plate up with the salad. You’re done!

Sardines

There is nothing quite so simple or quite so delicious on the BBQ than sardines! In Portugal, where the sardine is king, you can find fishing boat owners grilling their sardine lunches over aluminium buckets holding hot coals and the smell… YUMMY. In this recipe, I’ve jazzed it up a little but not too much!

Ingredients – serves four

16 Super Fresh Sardines (Cornish if you’re in the UK)
1 tbsp Olive Oil (extra virgin)
1 tbsp Paprika
2 tbsp Salt
2 Garlic Cloves (crushed)
1 Zest of a Lemon
1/2 Juice of a Lemon

Instructions

Mix all the ingredients together with the exception of the salt. Add the sardines to your marinade and ensure they are covered well. Place back into the fridge until ready to cook. For this cook, they need marinating for about four hours.
When you’re ready to cook, remove the sardines from the fridge and place them on a baking tray, sprinkle the sardines with salt.
Stick them on BBQ and cook for no more than one and a half minutes per side, I actually only do them for a minute. And you’re done, simples!!

Maybe I’ll do some more recipes later in the summer but before I do I want to tell you a little secret those naughty Americans have been keeping to themselves! A couple of years ago, one of the best friends you could ever ask for, the lovely Alex told me about a ready sauce/marinade made by a company called Sweet Baby Ray’s. She made it sound delicious so, I went in search. Could I find it, no chance! But then I stumbled across a recipe in a UK based magazine, there was no reference to where to find it so I emailed the magazine and happily they emailed me back and pointed me in the direction of a wholesaler in the north of the country. I had to buy it in blocks of five but thought, what the hell! I am so glad I did, wow, best BBQ sauce ever!! Fast forward a few years and the good news is, it’s now relatively easy to find, I get mine from Amazon! The other bit of good news is, they do a ton of different flavours including, Sweet and Spicy, Maple, Honey Chipotle, honestly, the list goes on! My fav still though, and the place I’d recommend you start is the original Sauce! Go buy it now, you won’t be sorry!

What’s on this week?