Who doesn't love a great steak, barbecued chicken or burgers and dogs on the 4th of July? It would seem almost un-American to argue the point, but for those of us whose culinary horizons or desire to break from the ordinary have gone beyond the traditional backyard wienie roast we have cooked up some simple recipe's that leave you enough time to enjoy the day and not slave over a hot barbecue taking orders from your guests and family on how they want their meat cooked. Let's call it "lazy grilling" and with a little planning and using ingredients that cook fast so you don't have to constantly check for "doneness" you can set the table and eat within minutes of deciding to sit down at the table. Heck, the host at the barbecue can even sit down at the same time as the guests ! The key to an enjoyable day is planning and preparation. Here is a simple guide.
1.) Plan your menu several days in advance. Pick the menu items (including beverages) and make a shopping list. It helps to pick a "theme" and design your menu's flavor profile around that idea. You can even mix a "signature" beverage up for all to enjoy like
2.) DO the bulk of your shopping several days in advance and leave the "fresh" items like corn or fish for the day before. Make sure to unpack, un-wrap and organize your ingredients for use when needed.
3.) Plan your table including any decor. If possible, set your table the day before or the morning of your gathering to leave you time to focus on "assembling" or "cooking" the food when it is time to sit down. Fill water pitchers, put salt & pepper, condiments, butter on the table, etc.
4.) Make any menu element that will hold in advance to save time. For example, wash the lettuce or chop the cabbage for cole slaw the day before the event and hold in zip-lock bags for "assembly" at the last minute. You can even grill vegetables, peel corn or make salsa in advance.
5.) Use the grill as a cooking source as well as a "heat" source to warm-up any last minute items to eliminate the need for extra trips back to the kitchen stove or oven. If you are lucky enough to have one of those fancy backyard "kitchens" complete with stove-top burners you know how much of a time saver this can be !
Check out the featured recipes and grilling tips as seen on the KTLA Morning show here!
If you want to put an end to dry fish, I have good news. Testing fish for doneness is really quite easy – dig in with a fork and look inside.
The most important thing to remember is that the fish will continue to cook after it is off the heat, so you have to remove it before it is done to your liking. Here are some guidelines on how well to cook your fish and when to check it for doneness.
Step 1: Eye ball your fish to figure out how thick it is. No, you don’t need a ruler -- I just used it for the picture.
Step 2: Decide how well done you want your fish. Most fish taste best when they flake and are opaque. Two exceptions to this rule are tuna and the salmon family (salmon, steelhead trout and arctic char). They taste better on the rare side, when the center is still translucent.
Step 3: Estimate cooking time. Here is a rough guideline for well done fish. For translucent center, cook fish a few minutes shorter.
| High heat (Broiling, grilling, steaming, pan frying) | Moderate heat (Baking at 425, poaching) | |
| Fillets | 8 min. per inch of thickness | 10 min. per inch of thickness |
| Steaks | 10 min. per inch of thickness | 12 min. per inch of thickness |
| Small whole fish (1 Lb) |
10 min. | 14 min. |
| Medium whole fish (2.5 Lb) |
14-17 min. | 20-25 min. |
Step 4: Cook the fish 2 minutes less than your estimated time, then check for doneness. You can always pop it back on the grill, but you can’t turn the clock back if you overcooked it.
Step 5: Check the fish for doneness by separating its flakes with a fork. Remember that the fish will continue to cook for another 5 minutes once it’s off the heat, so you want it to be slightly underdone when you take it off the heat.
Step 6: Turn on or "fire-up" the charcoal at high temperature for 20 minutes in advance to heat the grill grates and then clean the grill grates with a stiff wire brush to remove any built-up carbon (causes all food to "stick" to the grill). Just prior to placing food on grill grates, oil the grill with a towel soaked in cooking oil (vegetable, olive, etc). Turn down temperature to medium (or adjust coals to reduce heat from high).
Step 7: Now it's time to cook...the table is set, the cold side dishes are on the table, the platters for the hot food are next to the grill, you are sipping on a nice Mojito or Fresh lemonade
Place food on the grill and plan to "flip-over" only one time. Fish is delicate and the less handling the better. For you advanced grillers you can place the food on the grill, let cook for 1/4 of the total time estimate and turn the filets 90 degrees (without flipping over) to make "cross-hatch" grill marks that you usually only see in fancy cooking magazines or in a restaurant. For example if the total estimated cook time for a 1" thick piece of fish is 8 minutes, place fish on grill for 2 minutes, shift 90 degrees for 2 more minutes, then flip for four more minutes and then, using a fork, test for doneness. If done, remove from grill, place cooked fish on the platter, garnish and serve !
This recipe adapts a classic outdoor clambake for the stovetop. The ingredients are steamed together in mesh bags that fit easily into a large lobster pot. Although the beauty and drama of unveiling an outdoor clambake cannot be duplicated, this method produces a mingling of flavors that's nearly indistinguishable from the original. Clambakes vary up and down the New England coast. In Maine you might find hotdogs, on Cape Cod a bluefish, in other places crabs. Servings: Makes 4 servings.
2 pounds medium new potatoes, red or white
4 ears corn, husked
2 pounds soft-shelled steamer clams (available at the Redondo Beach Pier Seafood Market) or Manila Clams, scrubbed
1 1/2 pounds mussels, scrubbed and beards removed
1 pound Spanish-style chorizo or linguiça, cut crosswise into 4 pieces (andouille or smoked kielbasa sausage can be substituted)
4 (1 to 1 1/4 pound) live lobsters
5 large eggs
For Cooking
4 large mesh bags (such as onions or citrus fruit come in) or 4 pouches made from several wide layers cheesecloth
Kitchen twine
Large pot (5 or more gallons) with tightly-fitting lid
Rockweed or steamer rack
Place potatoes in large saucepan; cover with cold water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook just until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well. Cool completely, then cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
Into each bag or cheesecloth pouch, put: 2 potatoes, l ear corn, 1/4 lb. of clams, 1/4 lb. of mussels, 1 piece sausage, 1 lobster, and 1 egg. Gather bags or pouches together and tie closed with kitchen twine.
Fill 5-gallon pot with 1 inch of water and add 1 tablespoon salt. Add steamer rack or enough rockweed to keep clambakes elevated. Cover and bring to rolling boil.
Gently layer bags in pot. Nestle extra egg in a central position where it's easily retrievable. Cover tightly and steam 15 minutes, maintaining water at full rolling boil. Uncover pot, set aside extra egg, and gently rearrange bags from top to bottom to promote even cooking. Replace egg and re-cover pot.
Steam additional 5 minutes, then retrieve extra egg and crack open. If it's hard-cooked, clambakes are done. If egg is not yet cooked, steam bags an additional 5 to 10 minutes. (If you're unsure, untie one bag and test with another egg). When done, lobsters will be completely red. Transfer each bag to large plate and serve immediately.
To serve, divide melted butter among 4 small cups and season to taste with salt. Ladle some broth from pot into 4 small bowls. Cut open bags. Discard any steamers or mussels that have not opened and loosely arrange food on plates. Sprinkle with Old Bay seasoning. Place one cup of butter, one dish of broth, and one lemon wedge on each plate. Have bowls for shells and plenty of napkins at the ready.
Chef's Notes:
• For an outdoor clambake, the food is layered from the longest cooking time (on the bottom) to the shortest. In the indoor version, all ingredients must cook in the same time, so the potatoes are boiled in advance.
• Rockweed is a seaweed that grows along the shores of the North Atlantic. In traditional clambakes, it's layered over and under the ingredients — its seawater-filled pockets burst during cooking, adding moisture and the flavor of the sea. In this version, White uses rockweed to line the pot. If you live near New England, ask your fishmonger to sell you some — it's used to pack shellfish, and so is often abundant at seafood markets. If rockweed is unavailable, feel free to use a regular steamer rack instead.
• Use lobsters that weigh 1 to 1 1/4 pounds each to avoid overcooking the clams and mussels (this is the size sold in most grocery stores)
• Growing up spending my summers in Northeast Harbor Maine, my first job was at Abel's Lobster Pound on Somes Sound. The restaurant was closed on Monday to give owners David & Carol Beal a day off so what did we do on Mondays? We took out David's beautiful wooden launch "Dark Skinned Girl" and headed off to Baker Island for a Clambake ! David showed me the trick of using an egg to tell when the "clambake" is done.
(Recipe adapted from Epicurios.com)
All of our fresh fish entrees are designed for easy grilling and can be served with our Barbecued Summer Vegetables, Easy Cole Slaw, Barbecued Basil Corn or any favorite dish you like. We add a little seasoning and an easy "topper" to add more flavor and interest to the fish.
Fruit Salsa (Use what is available-pre cut is OK !)
Season Swordfish with Cajun Spice (Available in the spice section of any food market - we like Paul Prudhomme's "Cajun Magic" the best) and grill 1" steaks (approximately 8 minutes), place on platter, garnish with salsa and serve.
Marinate Ahi Steaks with Low Sodium Soy sauce for 10 minutes and "Sear" on grill for 1-2 minutes per side. Cooked exterior, raw center. Slice filet on bias, place on top of grilled Summer vegetables, drizzle white bean hummus and serve.
Brown Butter (In sautee pan)
For the Sage Brown Butter, in a large saute pan, melt the butter with the sage and a pinch of salt until it foams and becomes light brown. Reserve.
Brush trout with some Sage butter, Grill Trout, skin side up first for 2 minutes. (Rotate and make grill marks after one minute). Finsh skin side down for two more minutes.
Place cooked trout on platter, pour sage butter and leaves on top, garnish with lemons and a bunch of uncooked sage and serve.
Flavor Baste for Fish & Veggies
Brush fish filet with marinade
Combine in a bowl (finely chopped to 1/8th inch cubes or smaller)
Grill fish until done and garnish with a spoon of Kalamata & Tomato Relish. Serve with grilled summer vegetables and red potatoes.
Cooking on cedar planks originated with the indigenous native Americans in the Pacific Northwest. These natives have long been praised for the technique of roasting fish on aromatic cedar planks. This grilling method easily imparts a tantalizing smoky flavor to wild King Salmon. The following cooking instructions were adapted from the classic recipe passed down through generations.
Soak planks overnight in water to add moisture to the wood which helps resist burning and when the water converts to steam, the steam cooks the fish and imparts a smoky, cedar flavor to the delicate salmon.
Barbecue temperature should be 400 degrees
Place plank on grill until it starts to warp and crackle. Flip over and when plank starts to crackle, place salmon on plank with skin down.. Cook with lid covered for 7-10 minutes depending on barbecue temperature. If plank starts to burn, extinguish with a spray bottle of water and move to a cooler part of grill. Serve on wood plank.
Citrus Beurre Blanc
Combine all ingredients in bowl. Serve a dollop on top of fish with a fresh mint sprig
Shrimp (We recommend 4 ounces per person as an add-on to an entree or 8 ounces per person as an entree itself. Skewer on bamboo skewers soaked in water and brush with Flavor Baste and sprinkle with Smoked Paprika from any specialty food section at the better markets. Cooks in four to five minutes.
Take a walk through the produce section and pick the best looking selection or use the vegetables from your garden to make a great side dish that can be made in advance !
Squash, Zuchinni, Japanese Eggplant sliced in long strips, not "wheels" Brocolli (Blanched) Carrots (Blanched) cut in long strips Tomato (Roma) Cut in halves.
Season with flavor baste and grill on barbecue until soft but not "mushy". Chill and have ready to re-heat and serve.
Corn (husked) can be cooked on the barbecue in six minutes or less and served with butter. We love the "corn" shaped dishes that are a little tray to hold the melted butter and facilitate rolling.
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