While I am a chef and restaurant manager by trade, at the core of it all, I just love food and cooking, pure and simple. It is a passion that drives me insane at times. And there is no season that ignites and inspires my passion for grilled food like summer.
I've been seeing a lot of great recipes for summer grilling, tried a few, and liked most of them, but I found (as I figured I would), that the simplest recipes were the ones that were best. It's no secret, and I say it all the time: Use the freshest ingredients you can find, prepare them simply keeping their integrity, and you'll have a great tasting meal!
What do I mean when I say keep the "integrity" of the food? Say for example I go to my local seafood market, and the boats just brought in some grouper. It's so fresh it has no oder at all except for the faint smell of the sea. There's no better way to prepare it then simply rubbing it with some good olive oil, a dash of Kosher salt and cracked black pepper, gently grilling it to perfection, and finishing it with a bright splash of fresh lemon juice. No need to mask it with a sauce.
Here's another one I tried a couple of days ago. A really nice couple came into the restaurant and were commenting on the great meal they had. The gentleman was telling me about a salmon recipe he had with brandied peaches. Sounded wonderful, so I took that idea, and brought it home to my grill. Again, you really have to go, "O.K. Summer: fresh, bright, crisp and clean flavors." The peaches got quartered, drizzled with a little oil, and grilled for just a few minutes. The salmon I grilled as well, and made a really nice barbecue sauce with a little added chipotle pepper, peaches, and the brandy. I always strive to have a good balance of flavors, and the heat of the chipotle barbecue sauce worked really well with the fresh, sweet peaches.
Vegetables too. Zucchini and yellow squash may sound redundant and like something straight out of the eightie's, but damn if it's not tasty grilled and drizzled with some extra virgin olive oil!
We've been doing sautee'd julienned squash and zucchini at South Beach Grill for years, and still get compliments from our guests on how good our vegetables are, and asked what we do to them. Well my friends, it's not hard, we use fresh veggies, and saute them to order just till there cooked through, and finish them with olive oil. That's it! No butter, no excess seasoning, just a nice quick saute in a really hot pan.
As tempting as it is, especially for us guys, not everything needs to be grilled. Roasting in the oven is a great way to bring out the flavor of vegetables and some fruits as well. At the restaurant, we serve an Iceburg wedge salad with oven roasted Roma tomatoes. The salad is served with a peppery feta dressing, and roasting the tomatoes brings out their sweetness which is a nice balance (there's that word "balance" again) and contrast to the dressing.
Summer is here. And with it comes a bounty of wonderful produce. So wheather you're grilling some fresh picked rhubarb, or roasting tomatoes, remember to keep things simple, and let the freshness of the product your using be your guide.
Grilled Salmon and Peaches With Chipotle Peach Barbecue Sauce
4 each salmon filets
2 each fresh peaches
2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced small
1-15.25 oz can peach halves in syrup
3 each chipotle peppers (packed in adobo sauce)
2 tbs. sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brandy
2 tbs. molasses
Pre-heat a gas or charcoal grill.
Slice fresh peaches in half, and remove the pit. Cut into quarters. Brush the salmon filets with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and season lightly with Kosher salt and ground black pepper.
While grill is heating, make the sauce. In a medium saucepan, saute the onions in 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. When onions have softened, add sugar, brandy, vinegar, and molasses. Bring sauce to a simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer sauce to a blender, and add the canned peaches and chipotle peppers. Blend until smooth.
Brush grill with vegetable oil, and grill salmon to desired doneness, basting with the barbecue sauce just before removing. Grill peach quarters for about two minutes per side.
Plate the salmon, top with the peaches, and serve remaining barbecue sauce on the side.
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