Hibachi-Style Tuna

Last Year's Post: Spring Green Pasta
Two Years Ago:   Labneh

This is a recipe from the famous grill master Steve Raichlen, who was inspired in turn by the equally famous Hawaiian chef Roy Yamaguchi.  That's enough for me!  Top-quality tuna steaks are marinated in a soy/ginger garlic mixture, then seared and served over an onion/cucumber/sprout mixture with lemony sauce over the top.  Very healthy, and bursting with big flavors.

The small amount of sugar in the marinade caramelizes on the grill, creating beautiful bronzed grill marks and great flavor.  Just be sure not to overcook the tuna - it's best served with a very pink or even red center.  While the tuna marinates for an hour, you can make the sauce and prep the onions, cucumber and sprouts.  It's also a good time to make some white rice to serve on the side and to preheat the grill. You can see below that the tuna picks up a lot of color even from just one hour of marinating.

I found multi-colored radish sprouts at my local store - if you can't find them at your store, try a natural foods store or substitute whatever other sprouts you find.

After the hour is up, all you have to do is a quick sear on the grill, plate and serve.  Note that if it's cold outside or you don't have a grill, you could also sear the tuna in a very hot nonstick pan or on a indoor grill pan and the results will be just as good.

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Hibachi-Style Tuna

Serves 4

4 top-quality tuna steaks, each about 1” thick and 6 ounces

For the marinade:

½ cup soy sauce

¼ cup sugar

4 green onions, white and green parts thinly sliced

1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger

1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic

For the sauce:

1 cup mirin

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon grated lemon zest

½ to 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

For the slaw:

½ red onion, thinly sliced

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into matchstick slivers

1 package (2 ounces) radish sprouts*

Trim any skin or dark or bloody spots off the tuna steaks.  Rinse under cold running water, then blot dry with paper towels.   Place in a large zip-top plastic bag.

To make the marinade, combine the soy sauce, ginger, green onions, ginger and garlic in a medium mixing bowl and whisk until the sugar dissolves.  Pour this mixture over the tuna, seal the bag and let it marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator, turning the bag several times.

To make the sauce, place the mirin in a heavy nonreactive saucepan over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, and let boil until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 5 minutes.  Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the soy sauce, lemon juice, lemon zest, and hot red pepper flakes.  Set aside.

To make the slaw, combine the onion, cucumber, and sprouts in a bowl and toss.  Set aside.

Set up a grill for direct grilling and preheat to high.

When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate.  Drain the marinade from the tuna and discard the marinade.  Place the tuna on the hot grate and grill until charred on the outside but still quite rare on the inside, 1-2 minutes per side.

To serve, place the slaw on plates and top with the grilled tuna.  Spoon the sauce over all and serve at once.

* If you can’t find radish sprouts, you can substitute alfalfa or sunflower sprouts.

Teriyaki Citrus Chicken Salad

Last Year's Post: Cabbage and Spring Onion Tart
Two Years Ago:  Lemon Chicken Teriyaki Rice Bowl

Did you know that there's a citrus industry in Arizona?  Neither did I until I moved here.  Granted, it's not anywhere near as big as in Florida, but it's wonderful to enjoy fresh lemons, oranges, tangerines and grapefruit for several months each year.  I had the luxury of making this salad using fresh tangerines, but you can make it year-round using readily-available oranges from your local store.  You could probably even get by using fresh orange juice out of a carton, but if you go that route I might suggest starting with a little extra juice and concentrating it down to the same half cup to compensate for the lack of zest strips in the marinade.

Anyway, back to the beginning.  This is a slight twist on your normal teriyaki chicken because it includes citrus flavors in the marinade (orange or tangerine), the salad dressing (lemon), and the salad itself (mandarin oranges).  It's light, refreshing and healthy. Although the chicken needs to marinate for a few hours before cooking, that part can be done in advance or even the day or two before you plan to serve the salad.  You can also make the salad dressing in advance, so meal-time prep becomes a matter of slicing and assembly which makes for a quick weekday dinner.

The soy and honey in the marinade give the chicken a beautiful bronze color after it's cooked.

The sesame seeds and toasted almonds add crunch and the mandarin oranges add sweetness to the salad while a little leftover sauce brings a big pop of flavor.  I think fresh pineapple chunks and/or cucumber slices would also be good and might add them the next time around.  True confession:  I forgot to add the almonds to the salad before I took the picture up top.  The salad was good without them but they added extra crunch so try not to leave them out.

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Teriyaki Citrus Chicken Salad

Serves 4

Note: the chicken can be marinated and grilled in advance, then refrigerated.  The salad dressing may also be made in advance, so it will take just a few minutes to slice the chicken and assemble the salads.

For the marinade:

1 cup fresh orange or tangerine juice

½ cup low-sodium soy sauce

1/3 cup honey

4 strips orange or tangerine zest (each about 1 ½ by ½ inch)

2 cloves garlic, peeled and gently crushed with the side of a knife

2 green onions, trimmed, white parts gently crushed

2 slices fresh ginger (each ¼ inch thick), peeled and gently crushed

1 cinnamon stick

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

For the salad dressing:

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ teaspoon salt

For the salad:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

8-10 cups mixed baby lettuces, washed and dried

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

1 (10.5 oz) can mandarin oranges in natural juice, drained

½ cup sliced almonds, toasted

2 green onions, trimmed and sliced

To make the marinade:  place the orange or tangerine juice in a nonreactive saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil.  Let boil until reduced by half.  Add the soy sauce, honey, zest strips, garlic, green onion whites, ginger, cinnamon stick and sesame oil.  Stir, then let boil until slightly thickened, about 6-8 minutes.  Remove the saucepan from the heat and let cool, then remove the solids from the pan using a slotted spoon. 

Remove any excess fat or sinews from the chicken breasts and discard.  Rinse and blot dry.  Gently pound the breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap until they’re an even thickness.  Place in a zip-top bag and pour half of the marinade into the bag, reserving the remaining marinade to use later.  Close the bag and massage the contents to evenly distribute the marinade, then place in the refrigerator for at least one hour and up to 4 hours, turning occasionally.

Meanwhile, make the salad dressing:  combine the lemon juice, olive oil and salt in a small screw-top jar and shake to combine.  Set aside.

To cook the chicken, preheat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to medium-high.  Remove the chicken from the bag and discard the marinade.  Arrange the chicken pieces at an angle on the grill grates and cook for 4 minutes.  The outside of the chicken should turn a deep brown in spots from the caramelizing of the sugars in the marinade but shouldn’t burn.  Flip the chicken and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165d, basting each side with some of the marinade (that was reserved earlier) during the last few minutes.  Total cooking time should be roughly 10 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken.  Remove the chicken and let come to room temperature, then thinly slice at an angle.

To assemble the salads, toss the lettuces lightly with enough salad dressing to just barely coat.  Divide among four plates.  Sprinkle with the sliced green onions, mandarin oranges, and toasted almonds.  Divide the chicken slices between the salads, arranging decoratively on top of the greens.  Spoon some of the leftover marinade on top of the chicken, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve. 

Halibut with Cucumbers and Ginger

Last Year's Post: Chicken Schnitzel Sandwiches
Two Years Ago:  Chicken and Caramelized Broccoli Ramen

Halibut is a very mild white fish that's perfectly suited for clean eating.  This recipe pairs the halibut with a refreshing and crunchy cucumber, red onion and pickled ginger salad that provides both flavor and textural contrast to the mild and tender fish.  The meal is very flavorful while still very light and healthy, plus it's very quick and easy to make.  Although optional, thinly sliced green onions and sesame seeds elevate it to something special.

Another option would be to add some thinly sliced jalapeno or Fresno chiles to the cucumber salad if you want some heat.

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Halibut with Cucumbers and Ginger

Serves 4

1 English cucumber, thinly sliced

½ cup thinly sliced red onion

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons chopped pickled ginger

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon canola oil, plus more for oiling the fish and grill

4 (5-6 oz) pieces of halibut

Salt and pepper

Thinly sliced green onions, for garnish

Black and/or toasted white sesame seeds, for garnish

Hot cooked rice

  

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct grilling over high heat, or use a stovetop grill pan.

In a bowl, combine the cucumbers and onion and ½ teaspoon salt.  Let stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the ginger, vinegar and 1 tablespoon canola oil.  Set aside.

Lightly brush the fish on both sides with oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Oil the grill rack.  Place the fish, skin side down, on the grill and cook, turning once, until just opaque throughout, about 8 minutes total. 

 To serve, top each fish piece with green onions and sesame seeds.  Plate with hot rice and cucumber salad on the side.

Ravioli with Fresh Corn

Last Year's Post:  Tomato, Watermelon and Basil Skewers
Two Years Ago:   Grilled Salmon with Lemon Salsa

The inspiration for this dish was a recent meal at Culinary Dropout, a popular restaurant in Phoenix.  The dish was called "corn cannelloni" but was actually more like a corn ravioli, topped with grilled corn, asparagus, shallots, tomatoes and the best sauce ever - pure butter.  You could put that on cardboard and it would taste good.  I wanted to re-create the dish but with a better (healthier) butter sauce.

Although the result wasn't quite the same as pure butter, I felt much better about eating it particularly since I've been reading about the nutritional habits of the world's healthiest people in "The Blue Zones Solution" by Dan Buettner.  The remake actually fits the formula pretty well because it's vegetarian and contains lots of veggies.  But the most important thing is that it was delicious.  And easy - it takes a few minutes on the grill and a few minutes for the ravioli to cook, and you're pretty much ready.  It would make a great weekday summer meal.

Tip of the day - here's a great way to cut corn off the cob without making a giant mess:

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Ravioli with Fresh Corn

Serves 2-3

One ear fresh corn, shucked

10-12 ounces fresh asparagus

2 medium shallots, peeled and left whole

2-3 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

One 9-oz package cheese ravioli

½ cup of white wine

¼ cup of fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons butter

1-2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, chives, or a mix)

 Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Shaved or shredded parmesan as garnish

Fresh sprouts or micro-greens as a garnish, optional

Over medium heat on a grill or grill pan, grill the corn, asparagus and shallot until nicely grill-marked, turning occasionally.  Let cool.  Remove corn kernels from the cob, coarsely chop the shallots, and cut the asparagus into bite-sized pieces.  Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the ravioli according to package directions. 

Meanwhile, make the sauce:  in a small saucepan, add the white wine, lemon juice and shallots on medium heat and cook until reduced by about half. Add the butter, one piece at a time, stirring constantly. Add herbs at the end and salt and pepper to taste.

Drain the ravioli and place in shallow bowls.  Divide the sauce between bowls, then add the corn, asparagus, shallots and sun-dried tomatoes.  Garnish with pine nuts, Parmesan and sprouts and serve immediately.

Grilled Lobster Cobb Salad

Last Year's Post: Lemon Polenta Cake

Two Years Ago:  Hoisin Burgers with Wasabi Slaw

It's definitely salad time of the year, and this salad is an interesting twist on the usual Cobb salad that has chunks of chicken; it substitutes lobster meat instead, and grilled lobster at that.  The cooking technique in itself is interesting - remove the lobster meat from the shell and par-boil for a minute, then place on the grill for a minute per side while basting with butter to give the meat a nice smoky taste.  If you really wanted to give the salad a pronounced grill character you could also grill the tomatoes (using something larger than cherry tomatoes) and zucchini as well.  Grilled lobster meat, yum.

I found some beautiful baby Romaine leaves at the store, but you could always used chopped regular Romaine instead.  You can use whatever cheese you prefer and can always substitute other vegetables to suit your choice in addition to using shrimp or crab in place of the lobster.

Other than the lobster, the only other cooked ingredients are hard-boiled eggs (cook in advance) and a little chopped bacon (can also be cooked in advance).  After that, it's really just a matter of whisking the dressing, prepping the other ingredients, and assembly.  Easy, delicious, healthy, and kind of special......a perfect summer dinner.

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Grilled Lobster Cobb Salad

Serves 2

Dressing:

1/2 shallot, finely chopped

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 ½ teaspoons sherry vinegar

2 ½ tablespoons walnut oil

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

2 (5-6 oz) lobster tails, thawed if frozen

2 tablespoons butter, melted

3 strips bacon, chopped

½ small zucchini, chopped

1 ripe avocado

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 heart baby romaine, trimmed and leaves separated

2 hard-boiled eggs, chilled and sliced

1/4 pound red grape tomatoes, halved

2 ounces your favorite cheese, crumbled or diced

Salt

Dressing:

Combine shallot, Dijon, and vinegars in a large bowl and whisk well. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the oils until incorporated into the dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Salad:

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Preheat grill to high or preheat the broiler.  Remove the lobster meat from tail and parboil for 1 minute or until no longer translucent. Place lobster meat on the grill basting with butter just long enough to get a little grill flavor (about 1 minute per side). If cooking indoors, broil until lightly golden.  Remove lobster from the grill and cut into cubes.

Cook the bacon until crisp. Drain on a paper towel lined plate and set aside.

Halve the avocado, discard the seed, score the flesh into chunks and scoop out into a small bowl. Toss with lemon juice.

 Arrange half of the romaine leaves on each serving plate and drizzle with some of the dressing.  Add the toppings in strips on top, starting on one end with the bacon, egg, tomato, lobster, zucchini, cheese, and avocado. Drizzle the remaining dressing on top.

Coconut Lime Grilled Shrimp with Pineapple Rice

Last Year's Post: Jewels of Spring: Asparagus Soup and Chicken with Rhubarb Sauce
Two Years Ago:  Special Brunch - Egg Strudel

The weather is finally warmer and it's time to switch to lighter, healthier foods and start grilling!  This recipe couldn't be any more fresh and tropical with the slightly spicy shrimp balanced by the soothing pineapple flavor of the rice.  Serve it with your favorite tropical drink (complete with little umbrella, of course) and you have a party in the making.

I love that this meal is healthy and relatively low-calorie in addition to delicious.  It's extremely easy to make and very fast, once you've marinated the shrimp.  Be sure to notice the marinating time of two hours -  I wouldn't marinate it any longer (like, say, from breakfast to dinner much less overnight) or the lime juice will toughen the shrimp.  So, plan on about 2 1/2 hours from start to finish but only about 30 minutes of active time.  It would perfect for a weekend where you start marinating the shrimp, then work on your garden for an hour or two before focusing on dinner (or a two-hour happy hour, who's to say?).  If you're having a party you could always do a huge platter of just the shrimp for an appetizer and it would be fabulous.

As I mentioned, the shrimp are very slightly warm from the jalapeno.  If you like spicy food I'd leave the jalapeno seeds in when preparing the marinade, or add another jalapeno.  Either way, this is a great change from the same-old burgers, brats and chicken on the grill.

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Coconut Lime Grilled Shrimp with Pineapple Rice

Serves 4

Notes:  Requires 2 hours marinating time.  Dried pineapple is more intense than fresh; don’t substitute if possible.  Also, several ingredients are common to both recipes – lime zest, juice and cilantro – and may be prepped one time and divided according to the recipes to save time.

For the shrimp:

2 jalapenos, seeded

1 lime, zested and juiced

2 garlic cloves

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup soy sauce

1 lb uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Wooden skewers, soaked in water at least 30 minutes

For the pineapple rice:

2 cups water

1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice

½ cup chopped dried pineapple

1 tablespoon butter

½ teaspoon grated lime zest

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon chopped green onions

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

To prepare the shrimp:  in a food processor, combine the jalapeno, lime zest, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, coconut, olive oil and soy sauce; blend until smooth.  Place the shrimp in a large zip-top bag and pour the sauce over.  Seal and toss to coat.  Refrigerate for 2 hours to marinate.

Preheat a grill to medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.  Thread the shrimp onto pre-soaked skewers and reserve the marinade.

While the grill is preheating, make the rice:  bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan and add rice and next 4 ingredients (through salt).  Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes until liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat; stir in cilantro, onions and juice.

To grill the shrimp:  place skewers on the preheated grill, turning and basting with the reserved marinade, 2-3 minutes per side, until cooked through.

Serve shrimp skewers over rice.

Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Last Year's Post:  Turkey and Gruyere French Dip
Two Years Ago:   Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Do you ever have the feeling that the cosmos is trying to tell you something?  Last Wednesday my friend Robin sent me a recipe for Grilled Sweet Potatoes and raved about the taste.  Then on Thursday I found this little tidbit in the newspaper: 

"The National Turkey Federation estimates that 46 million turkeys will be served on Thanksgiving, but what’s surprising is that more than half — 53 percent — will be cooked outdoors on grills, barbecues or smokers, according to a survey by the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association. In addition, one in five hosts intend to cook their vegetables outdoors, and more than one in 10 will prepare their appetizers in the open air. Wishful research? Perhaps, given the association’s vested interest. But snow no longer warrants shutting down home grills." (The italics are mine.)

Finally on Friday I read another article that said people are looking for new twists on traditional side dishes for Thanksgiving.  OK, I get it!  No more hints are needed.  I therefore immediately headed into the kitchen and then to the grill, so I could pacify the cosmos by posting this recipe as a new grilled twist on Thanksgiving sweet potatoes.

I should mention that sweet potatoes, for me, are one of those foods that were ruined in childhood by their preparation method.  (Peaches and wax beans are two other foods I remember with particular horror - I can't eat either to this day.)  In the case of sweet potatoes, they were baked into mush, then mixed up with about a ton of brown sugar and topped with mini-marshmallows.  The whole thing reminded me of overly sweet baby food with gooey white lumps.  Luckily, that particular memory faded with time and distance so I was willing to try sweet potatoes (sans sugar in any form) a few years ago and to my surprise, I really like them when prepared in a savory way.  Score one for conquering our childhood phobias!

I particularly like this recipe because it's fresher and lighter than your typical Thanksgiving sweet potato concoction, and it can be served either warm or at room temperature.  My friend Jon in Phoenix just got a brand new smoker and is planning to smoke his Thanksgiving turkey - I think this would be the perfect side dish.  It would also pair beautifully with pork, duck or chicken in addition to turkey.  You could alter the dish by adding other vegetables or nuts or using different herbs - add cilantro for a southwest twist, add walnuts and tarragon for a french feel, or add a sprinkling of zatar seasoning for a middle eastern variation. During the summer, mix in a little barbecue seasoning and this would be a great side for grilled ribs.  But I tend to like simpler recipes for Thanksgiving side dishes - there are so many different competing flavors already on the plate that making complex side dishes seems like overkill.

Finally, I should also mention that sweet potatoes are a very healthy food - low in sodium, and very low in saturated fat and cholesterol. The heart-healthy olive oil in this recipe actually helps the absorption of the vitamins. Sweet potatoes a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B6 and potassium, and a very good source of vitamin A, vitamin C and manganese.  That's more than you can say about most Thanksgiving dishes!   I hope you enjoy it - and thank you, Robin!

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Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Serves 6

Note:  for a southwest version, add 1 teaspoon ground cumin and use cilantro as the herb.

2 ½ pounds sweet potatoes

¼ cup olive oil

1 ½ teaspoons salt

2 green onions, cut into small pieces at a diagonal

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Lime wedges

¼ cup fresh herbs of choice – cilantro or thyme are good

  

In a large saucepan cover potatoes with salted cold water by 1 inch and bring to a simmer.  Cover and simmer for approximately 15 minutes (depending on the size of the potatoes) or until a thin skewer may be inserted but the potatoes are not yet tender.  Drain the potatoes in a colander and rinse under cold water to cool.  When cool enough to handle, peel potatoes using a peeler or sharp knife and cut crosswise into ½” thick slices.

In a small bowl whisk together oil, salt, and cumin (if using) and brush some onto both sides of potato slices, reserving the remaining oil.

Prepare a grill for medium heat.  Grill potatoes on an oiled rack until golden and grill-marked, about 90 seconds per side.  Transfer to a bowl.  Whisk lime juice into remaining oil with salt and pepper to taste and drizzle over potatoes; toss gently.  Transfer to a platter or shallow bowl and sprinkle with green onions and fresh herbs.

Pinchos Morunos

Last Year's Post: Gazpacho
Two Years Ago:  Pork with Thai Peanut Sauce

Color is Important
I grew up in an era where mothers regarded cooking as a necessity and their primary goal was to get food on the table that their family would eat.  Much of that food was beige.  Presentation and garnish were not concepts most moms thought about.  But times have changed, and cooking is now a conscious choice rather than a necessity since there are so many prepared foods and casual restaurants that are available.  There are many reasons to make the choice to cook - including good health, nutrition, dietary needs, or just plain fun - but as long as you made the effort to cook your food, why not make it look pretty?

Color plays a big part in making food pretty, which is why I chose multi-colored mini-peppers for this dish.  I could have used one big red pepper which would have added some color, but the multi-colored peppers are even better.

I've posted recipes in the past that were relatively colorless (Italian Sausage and Wild Mushroom Risotto ) because they are just that good, but it's a lot more impressive when they have all kinds of vibrant colors ( Seafood Cobb Salad ).  In particular, meat tends to be fairly brown so think about livening it up with a colorful sauce, relish, or accompanying vegetables.  Even a fresh parsley garnish on top of soup or rice helps to add color.  I once read about a chef who said he garnishes every meal he makes even if it's just for himself alone, because he felt it made that much difference to the overall eating experience.

Pinchos Morunos is Spanish in origin and is commonly found in tapas bars.  This particular recipe version converts it into a main dish by adding onion and peppers, but the pork by itself on small skewers would be a classic addition to a tapas party served with just a drizzle of lemon olive oil.  What makes it Spanish is the combination of spices on the pork, in particular the saffron.  I love the distinctive taste of saffron.  The pork is spiced but not very spicy in terms of heat, and it's what makes this dish special.  The spice mix colors the pork as it marinates before grilling.

I decided to halve the small peppers so they would fit better on the skewers plus it made them easier to seed, but I decided to leave the stems on for presentation and color.

I think I've mentioned somewhere previously that it's a good idea to separate your meats and vegetables on different skewers because they have different cook times.  If you alternate everything on each skewer your cook times become a compromise between ingredients, although for some reason that's the way skewers are most often shown.  In this case the meat was going to cook faster than the vegetables but the peppers and onions needed about the same amount of time.

One last note - although the recipe calls for marinating the meat for a few hours, it's very flexible.  I've grilled it without any marinating time at all, or you could let it marinate overnight so don't let that stop you from using this as a weeknight meal.  Served with rice or couscous, it's a fast, delicious and very healthy meal.

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Pinchos Morunos

Serves 4

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon saffron threads, crushed

¼ teaspoon ground red pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (1 pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1” cubes

1 red onion, cut into 6 wedges

8 multi-colored mini-peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeded

8 (12”) wooden skewers

Cooking spray

Combine the first 10 ingredients in a zip top bag and toss to distribute spices.  Add the pork tenderloin cubes and toss to coat evenly.  Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Soak skewers in a water for 30 minutes prior to grilling to prevent burning.

Prepare a grill for direct cooking over medium heat. 

Separate each onion wedge into two pieces.  Thread meat pieces on four skewers; alternate onion and pepper pieces on the other four.

Grill over medium heat for 5 minutes per side for the meat, and 6 minutes per side for the vegetables, flipping once.

Grilled Shrimp and Corn Salad

Last Year's Post: The Best Salsa Ever
Two Years Ago:  Roasted Tomatoes (Preserving)

Ahhh, summer corn season.  Fresh corn is only available for a few short weeks, so we tend to eat it as often as possible in every way possible.  This salad is a great way to enjoy fresh corn in a light, healthy and delicious summer salad that also includes tender grilled shrimp, grilled red pepper and creamy avocado.  Add a glass of chilled dry rose wine and you have the perfect summer dinner.

Our luxury in the Midwest is that we can buy corn at the local farm stand that had been picked just that morning, so it's unbelievably fresh.  The very first corn of the season is always the best - the most tender and sweet, with tiny kernels.  People wait all year for that corn and then just devour it.

When I was growing up, we always had fresh corn one way only - shucked, boiled and served with butter and salt.  I am perfectly happy with that method to this day, but have learned the joys of grilled corn as well. There are two ways to grill corn, and they result in distinctly different tastes, textures and appearance.  The first is to leave the husk on and soak the corn in water for an hour or so, then grill over medium-high heat for eight minutes, turning on all sides.  After grilling the husk and corn silk very easily come off all at the same time and the corn is very tender because it basically steams in its husk.  The husk and silk give it a slightly different taste than boiling that I would almost call grassy (in a good way).  The second way is to shuck the corn first, then grill it directly over the same medium-high heat for the same eight minutes (two minutes per side) until browned and tender.  This method give the corn more of a grilled flavor and fire-roasted appearance.  Grill the pepper at the same time and let it get some of that same fire-roasted look - it greatly adds to the flavor and visual appeal of the salad.

I tend to using the husk-on method of grilling corn if we plan to eat it directly from the whole cob, and the naked grilling method if I plan to cut the kernels off to use in other dishes because they're so pretty.  Here's a tip that I learned a few years ago regarding how to cut the kernels off a cob of corn without having them fly all over the place - stand the cob upright in a shallow bowl (make sure the bottom of the cob is relatively flat) and as you cut them, the kernels fall neatly into the bowl.

Here's another tip regarding grilling shrimp - thread them on two parallel skewers (soaked in water for 30 minutes so they don't burn up) and they won't spin around when you turn them.

The smoky grilled shrimp, corn and red pepper are complemented by a light vinaigrette and the cool, creamy avocado for an irresistible, healthy, fast and easy meal.  What more could you ask for a perfect summer dinner?

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Grilled Shrimp and Corn Salad

Serves 4

About 12 bamboo skewers

4 ears fresh corn, shucked

1 large red bell pepper, stemmed and seeded

1 pound medium peeled and deveined shrimp, thawed if frozen (31-40 per pound)

¼ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

½ large shallot, minced

¼ cup parsley, chopped

Red leaf lettuce for garnish

1 lemon cut in quarters, plus the juice of half a lemon

1 avocado

Soak skewers in water for 30 minutes.  Prepare a grill for medium-high heat.  Holding 2 skewers parallel and slightly apart, thread shrimp onto both skewers at the same time (this makes them easier to turn on the grill).

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar and shallot and set aside. Cut the avocado into slices and toss with the juice of half a lemon to prevent browning.

Cut the red pepper into quarters.  Lightly brush the shrimp, corn and red pepper pieces with olive oil on all sides.  Grill the corn directly over the heat for 2 minutes per side, until browned and tender.  Grill the red pepper 2 minutes per side, until softened somewhat and browned on the edges.  Grill the shrimp for 90 seconds per side.

Cut the kernels from the cobs and place into a large bowl.  Chop the red pepper into ½” pieces and add to the bowl.  Add the shrimp, parsley, vinaigrette and salt and pepper to taste and toss to combine.

Arrange lettuce leaves on plates and top with the corn mixture.  Place several avocado slices on the side and serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over the salad.

Grilled Salmon with Lemon Salsa

Last Year's Post:  Grilled Chicken, Mushroom and Bok Choy Kebabs

I'm always looking for new salmon recipes because it's so good for you, it's readily available, reasonably inexpensive, and we really like it.  I ran across two very similar recipes lately for grilled anchovies with lemon salsa.  We're not great anchovies fans but I reasoned that the lemon salsa, which sounded very intriguing, would go with any fish with a relatively high oil content.  (I don't know, maybe anchovies don't have a high oil content when they're fresh.  They certainly do by the time they hit the can.)  Anyway, I immediately thought of salmon, although I think this salsa would also complement swordfish or tuna.

The fresh lemon salsa has very bright and tart flavors that balance the rich meaty fish beautifully, especially when the salmon is grilled so it has that extra smoky edge.  In addition to lemon, the salsa contains red onion, red chile, mint and cilantro - totally different from your more typical tomato salsa or even the relatively common mango salsa.

This recipe is very simple, quick and easy - perfect for a spring or summer evening of grilling.  Use mint and cilantro from your garden or from the farmers market if you can - it's fresher and cheaper than the herbs in the grocery store.  By the way, have you ever thought of growing mint?  My only caution is not to plant it directly in your garden - plant it in a pot instead, then you can bury the pot in the garden if you want.  The reason is that mint is incredibly aggressive and will be all over everywhere in short order at which point it's very hard to get rid of.  (Another one of those life lessons learned along the way.)  In a salsa filled with big flavors, mint will be the biggest so use it sparingly.

The only part of the recipe you may not be familiar with is how to supreme the lemons. "To supreme" lemons or any other citrus simply means removing the rind and cutting the segments away from the membranes as opposed to pulling apart the segments with membranes intact.  Here's a step by step visual.  Start with a lemon (or other citrus).

Cut the rind (including all the pith) off with a sharp knife.  Try not to cut away too much of the inside of the lemon at the same time.

Then hold the lemon in your hand over a bowl, and carefully cut between the membranes, making v-shaped cuts to release the segments into the bowl.  (I say "carefully" because remember that it's your hand that's involved, after all.)

When you're done cutting the segments, squeeze any remaining juice into the bowl and discard the pulp.  Pick the seeds out of the segments. Many recipes use the whole segments but I preferred to cut them in half for this salsa.

You can prep the salsa ingredients in advance (except I wouldn't chop the herbs until right before serving) but don't combine the salsa until shortly before serving or the lemon dulls the red onion and red pepper too much.

Prep the salmon by brushing with a little olive oil and sprinkling with your favorite seafood seasoning blend - I like Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic.

Grill the salmon indoors or outdoors, toss the salsa together, and serve with your favorite accompaniments for a perfectly delicious, light and healthy dinner.  Enjoy!

printable recipe

Grilled Salmon with Lemon Salsa

Serves 4

3 lemons

2/3 cup red onion, finely diced

1 fresh red chile, seeded and finely diced

1/8 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Pinch of sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil (plus more for brushing the salmon)

Salt and pepper

4 (5-6 ounce) salmon fillets

Seafood seasoning blend (your favorite)

Supreme the lemons: with a sharp knife, cut the rind off including the white pith.  Holding the lemon in your hand over a bowl, carefully cut each segment free by making a v-shaped cut between the membranes and letting the segments and juice fall into the bowl. Pick out the seeds and cut the segments into smaller pieces if desired. Add the red onion, chile, mint and cilantro.  Add a pinch of sugar and some salt and pepper.  Add the olive oil and mix well.  Note: do not combine the salsa in too far advance or the lemon will dull the onion and chile flavors too much.  Each ingredient may be prepped in advance, but combine everything shortly before serving.

Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.  Brush the salmon with olive oil and sprinkle with the seasoning blend.  Grill for approximately 10 minutes, turning over halfway through cooking, until the salmon flakes easily.  Serve topped with the lemon salsa.