Growing up in Miami, most of the grilling we did was done by my dear uncle Salo, who worked his tongs like a true magician. For me personally, the thought of tending to a blazingly hot grill in the heavy, subtropical humidity of Florida doesn’t have as much appeal as, say, cooking in an air-conditioned kitchen.
And then I moved to New York City, to Manhattan, where I had no backyard in which to grill. Summertime cooking in the city meant preparing everything indoors then carrying the meal up the stairs to a rooftop or to a small table on a small balcony. The scrappy setup had a certain charm amid an intensely urban backdrop, but sometimes I’d prefer to pack up a picnic to bring to a park, where on the weekends I would recognize the smoky aromas of food being cooked on communal grills, friends and families gathered nearby with folding chairs and coolers, myself a vicarious participant in someone else’s cookout.
When I set roots In Homer, Alaska, I found that our friends and neighbors were partial to enjoying summer cookouts on the beach. The stone gray beaches of Homer set against the lingering summer sunsets drew us from the tables in our backyards to the epic table set by Mother Nature. Driftwood and planks became our furnishings, and the sound of the waves was the soundtrack. A bonfire made the experience feel more like camping than grilling, with a few folks tending to the fire over the course of a few glorious hours.
I’m still learning my way around the grill — it’s not second nature to me yet — but I wanted to share a handful of recipes that have given me a bit more confidence. Note that all of the following recipes can be cooked indoors as well, though they’ll usually need a little extra time to cook.
- Simple Lemon-Herb Fish Grill Packet: Cooking fish in a packet of foil is a great way to gather your bearings around the open flame, since there’s no need to flip halfway through. You can also opt to bake this one at 400F in a conventional oven, using either a foil or parchment packet.
- Grilled Halibut With Ginger-Sesame Marinade: Pacific halibut is my go-to white fish for grilling, because its hearty texture holds up so well. I’ve never had a halibut fillet fall apart on the grates. (Bone-in Pacific halibut steaks, one of our current member specials, are especially good for grilling.) This recipe includes a delicious marinade that ensures that the fish will stay juicy and tender as it cooks. If you’re cooking indoors, you can broil the fish under high heat instead. It should take about 5 or 6 minutes for the fish to cook through to a flaky medium doneness.
- Grilled Salmon With Charred Citrus Relish: This recipe for grilled salmon feels so elevated. Slices of orange and lemon go straight onto the grill, where they’ll caramelize and develop complex flavors that you blend into a beautiful relish for serving. Having a sauce or topping is clutch if you end up slightly overcooking the fish. As an indoor alternative, I would suggest preparing this one on a cast-iron grill pan, which will allow the citrus to char properly.
- Lemon-Herb Grilled Shrimp Skewers: These lemon-herb shrimp skewers sound quite basic, but when made with sidestriped shrimp, they become the most amazing shrimp skewers you’ve ever had. The direct heat of the grill highlights the sweetness of sidestriped shrimp and turns its natural sugars into toasty caramel flavors. The recipe includes directions for how to pan-fry these indoors, off the skewers. It’s a super simple way to cook them to serve over something like couscous.
If you’re new to grilling seafood, check our blog post with top tips for grilling seafood — it’s a great starting point to orient you.
Live Wild!
Monica
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Pictured above: Two perfectly grilled fillets of salmon on a platter, topped with a charred citrus relish and delicate mint leaves.
