seafood
Balinese inspired Wild Whole Sea Bass with Chilli Sauce
Santorini Style Chargrilled Octopus with Lemon and Oregano
Balinese inspired Wild Whole Sea Bass with Chilli Sauce
Tangy, spicy and delicious, this delicately spiced sea bass is infused with a divine cocktail of fresh, aromatic flavours.
Total barbecue time - 20 mins
Difficulty - 🔥🔥🔥
Serves - 2
Chilli, Lemon & Coriander Prawns
Santorini Style Chargrilled Octopus with Lemon and Oregano
Balinese inspired Wild Whole Sea Bass with Chilli Sauce
These succulent prawns are super and will impress any guests.
Total barbecue time - 10 mins
Difficulty - 🔥
Serves - 2
Santorini Style Chargrilled Octopus with Lemon and Oregano
Santorini Style Chargrilled Octopus with Lemon and Oregano
Santorini Style Chargrilled Octopus with Lemon and Oregano
This is one of my favourite dishes and well worth the wait. The recipe cooks the octopus slowly to make it really tender and the bbq grilling just gives it that je ne sais quoi or δεν ξέρω τι (in Greek) !
Total barbecue time - 5 mins
Difficulty - 🔥
Serves - 2
Squid with Mexican Street Corn Crema Salad
Cedar Planked Salmon with a Horseradish and Apple Glaze
Santorini Style Chargrilled Octopus with Lemon and Oregano
Mexicans love affair with corn goes back thousands of years to the indigenous tribes in the highlands of southern Mexico. This recipe is my homage to this beautiful country as well as this universal ingredient.
I hope the taste transports you to one of the corn street stalls in Mexico City.
Total barbecue time - 5 mins
Difficulty - 🔥
Serves - 2
Fish Tacos with Chilli Lime Mayonnaise
Cedar Planked Salmon with a Horseradish and Apple Glaze
Cedar Planked Salmon with a Horseradish and Apple Glaze
Nice hot weather, crank up the barbecue and BBC 6 Radio, fish tacos and Mexican beer...what else do you need?
Total barbecue time - 6 mins
Difficulty - 🔥
Serves - 2
Cedar Planked Salmon with a Horseradish and Apple Glaze
Cedar Planked Salmon with a Horseradish and Apple Glaze
Cedar Planked Salmon with a Horseradish and Apple Glaze
This smoky, rich, and flaky, hot cedar smoked salmon will have your friends asking for the recipe.
Total barbecue time - 30 mins
Difficulty - 🔥🔥
Serves - 4
Sumac and Pistachio Dukkah Prawns with Tahini Sauce
Sumac and Pistachio Dukkah Prawns with Tahini Sauce
Sumac and Pistachio Dukkah Prawns with Tahini Sauce
This is one of the easiest recipes you will find on my website, so why not give it a go? These prawns capture the exotic flavours of the Eastern Mediterranean.
Total barbecue time - 4 mins
Difficulty - 🔥
Serves - 4
Chargrilled Lobster with Garlic Parsley Butter
Sumac and Pistachio Dukkah Prawns with Tahini Sauce
Sumac and Pistachio Dukkah Prawns with Tahini Sauce
Grilling whole lobster is a surprisingly easy way to cook this crustacean.
Total barbecue time - 5 mins
Difficulty - 🔥
Serves - 4
Korean Mackerel
Sumac and Pistachio Dukkah Prawns with Tahini Sauce
Korean Mackerel
An easy and quick mid week dish and very healthy.
Total barbecue time - 8 mins
Difficulty - 🔥
Serves - 2
Thai Fishcakes
Thai Fishcakes
Korean Mackerel
A real crowd pleaser and very authentic tasting.
Total barbecue time - 5 - 8 mins
Difficulty - 🔥
Serves - 2
balinese inspired Wild whole sea bass with chilli sauce
What you will need:
My local fishmonger was really helpful in sourcing this fish for me. I telephoned my fishmonger earlier in the week and requested a Sea Bass for Friday, he said he will see what he could do. On Friday he managed to source a fresh wild Sea Bass that was line caught in Brighton only a day earlier.
1 whole sea bass
For the marinade:
25 g shallots
1 clove garlic
1 red birdseye chilli
15 g fresh ginger
8 g galangal
10 g fresh turmeric (use powder if you can't get it)
2 tbs vegetable oil
For the chilli sauce:
2 cloves garlic
2 Thai red chillies
2 tbs vegetable oil
2 tbs dark brown sugar
3 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs water
1 tbs rice wine vinegar
2 tbs squeezed lemon juice
25 g shallots
15 g fresh ginger
1. Gut and scale the sea bass or get your fishmonger to do it. Slash the flesh about 4-6 times (depending on the size of the fish) down both sides of the body.
2. For the marinade combine all ingredients in a blender and blitz to a smooth paste.
3. Rub marinade over both sides of the fish and leave for 10-20 minutes in the refrigerator and cover fish with clingfilm.
4. While the fish is marinating in the refrigerator, place all chilli sauce ingredients in a blender and blitz and place in a serving bowl, season to taste.
5. Cook the fish for 6-7 minutes on each side, the fish is cooked when the flesh comes easily away from the bone.
BBQ - The fish will need to be cooked over a medium direct heat. Try to keep the lid closed as much as possible. Only turn fish once and remember to use the leftover marinade to baste.
Cook's Note - Make sure the grill is super clean when cooking fish as it can easily stick on a dirty grill.
Make sure you don't turn the fish more than once when cooking.
When you do need to turn the fish over I use a spatula and a carving fork to do so. The carving fork can get under the fish and in between the grill bars to give you more leverage to turn over.
Serve with a green salad and white sticky rice.
Wine Pairing
Please click below to see which varietals and/or wine choices I have recommended for this dish.
Chilli, LEMON & Coriander PRAWNS
What you will need:
20 - 25 raw unpeeled prawns
bamboo skewers
For the marinade:
3 tbs squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp sriracha sauce
1 tbs fresh ginger
1 clove garlic
2 tbs fresh coriander
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs runny honey
1. Add all marinade ingredients into a blender and blitz to a smooth paste.
2. Combine marinade and prawns in a dish and mix well and place in the refrigerator covered up with clingfilm for up to 2 hours.
3. Thread prawns on the soaked bamboo skewers, You should thread 4/5 prawns on to parallel skewers and repeat with remaining prawns.
BBQ - Cook over medium direct heat until the shells are pink and the flesh is opaque, Roughly 3 minutes each side.
Cook's Note - Serve with a green salad.
Wine Pairing
Please click below to see which varietals and/or wine choices I have recommended for this dish.
Santorini Style Chargrilled octopus with lemon and oregano
What will you need:
2 small octopus
For the tenderising:
2 bay leaves
1 onion (quartered)
1 celery stick (roughly chopped)
1 carrot (roughly chopped)
1 tbs black peppercorns
For the marinade:
125 ml olive oil
60 ml white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove (finely chopped)
2 tsp dried oregano
1 lemon (squeezed juice)
pinch of sea salt
1. Wash octopus in running cold water and place in a saucepan with tenderizing ingredients.
2. Fill saucepan with cold water until octopus is covered. Place lid 3/4 over saucepan and bring to boil, and simmer for 75 minutes. Check after 60 minutes by testing one of the tentacles with a sharp knife. It should go through easily and without much resistance.
3. Once tenderized, remove from the heat and allow to cool completely in the liquid.
4. Drain the octopus and place in bag or large bowl. Whisk all the marinade ingredients and place in the same bag/bowl as octopus and leave to marinade in the fridge for at least 120 minutes or even overnight.
5. Heat barbecue and drain the octopus from the marinade. Once cooked transfer to chopping board and cut into bite-site pieces. Transfer to a serving plate/dish and squeeze over lemon and a pinch of oregano.
BBQ - Cook the octopus directly over a medium heat for 3 minutes until heated through and starting to char.
Cook's Note - Serve with Hummus with Coal Roasted Garlic and a Greek Salad.
Wine Pairing
Please click below to see which varietals and/or wine choices I have recommended for this dish.
Squid with mexican street corn crema salad
What you will need:
350 g large squid tubes, cleaned
olive oil
wedges of lime
wood skewers (soaked in water)
For the corn crema salad:
4 ears fresh sweetcorn
125 ml crumbled Cotija cheese (Feta is a good substitute for Cotija)
2 tbs freshly chopped coriander
1 red onion (diced)
1 red pepper (diced)
1 large red or green chilli (finely chopped - seeds in or out depending how hot you like it)
2 tsp chipotle sauce
1 clove garlic (crushed)
250 ml sour cream
1 tsp ancho chilli paste or half ancho chilli (finely chopped)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cumin
½ smoked paprika
2 tbs lime juice
pepper, to taste
1. Cook corn in unsalted boiling water for 2 minutes. Refresh in cold water. Brush with olive oil and place on grill for between 5-7 minutes on direct medium-hot heat with lid down turning every 2 minutes. Take corn off barbecue and leave to cool.
2. In a blender add chilli, chipotle sauce, garlic, sour cream, ancho paste, salt, cumin, paprika and lime juice and pulse (using the pulse button or pulse method).
3. In a salad bowl add the red onion, red pepper and then the mixture from the blender and stir thoroughly.
4. Cut the corn off the cob by standing the corn cob on one end and running a knife down the edge.
5. Add the corn kernels, cheese and fresh coriander to the bowl and stir well. Taste to see if you need to add additional salt, pepper or lime. It is ready to serve.
6. With a sharp knife slit down one side of the tube and spread flat. Score inner side with parallel lines about 1cm apart to form hash tags. Cut squid into 8cm pieces.
7. Toss squid in oil and thread on soaked skewers. [When using skewers you will need to thread the strips across parallel skewers i.e. double skewer method keeping the squid flat while cooking]
8. Grill squid for 2 minutes each side or until just opaque. Take off barbecue and cut into strips. Combine squid strips with salad and serve straight away.
BBQ – Corn: Grill directly over medium-hot coals (5-7 minutes). Squid: Grill directly over medium-hot coals (2 minutes each side).
Wine Pairing
Please click below to see which varietals and/or wine choices I have recommended for this dish.
fish tacos with chilli lime mayonnaise
What you will need:
4 fish fillets of your choice (Haddock, Gilthead Bream, Ocean Perch or Trout)
4 - 6 flour or corn tortillas
For the rub:
1 tbs lime juice
1 tsp chilli flakes
½ tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika (smoked if you have it)
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp cumin powder
2 tbs olive oil
salt & pepper
For the chilli lime mayonnaise:
I am not making my own mayonnaise instead pimping up a ready-made brand:
1 green chilli (seeds in or out depending on how hot you like it)
1 tbs freshly chopped coriander
1 tbs lime juice
5 drops of Tabasco sauce
For the taco finishers:
3 tbs fresh coriander (roughly cut)
1 avocado (diced)
1 tbs pickled jalapeno (optional)
1. Place all rub ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
2. Brush rub over fish fillets and cover and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
3. Grill fillets skin side down for 3 minutes and then turn and grill until opaque throughout (2-3 minutes). Season.
4. Warm tortillas directly over coals for about 30 seconds each side.
5. Cut fish in cubes and divide between the tortillas.
6. Add chilli lime mayonnaise, some diced avocado and freshly chopped coriander. If you like it really hot add some pickled jalapenos (optional).
7. Fold in half and eat while hot.
BBQ – Cook fillets directly over coals at a medium heat.
Cook’s Note – Must be drunk with a Mexican beer !
Wine pairing
Please click below to see which varietals and/or wine choices I have recommended for this dish.
Cedar planked salmon with horseradish and apple glaze
What you will need:
Cedar Plank (soaked in water for an hour)
Side of Salmon (leave skin on – making sure your fishmonger or yourself have removed the pin bones)
1 tbs fresh tarragon (finely chopped)
1 tbs spring onion (finely chopped)
Rub
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp chilli flakes
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried tarragon
2 tbs brown sugar
Mop
160 ml apple juice
1 tbs horseradish cream
1. Place the apple juice in a saucepan and bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add horseradish cream and thoroughly mix in. Pour mop into a bowl and leave to cool.
2. Place all rub ingredients into a separate bowl and stir.
3. Take the salmon and cut the salmon into 4 equal parts by running your knife long ways down the salmon and then once across ways so you have 4 individual portions. [NB – It is very important that when you cut the salmon that you only cut the flesh and not the skin, you should be able to easily run the blade of the knife down the salmon without penetrating the skin].
4. Sprinkle the tarragon, spring onions and add the rub and massage the salmon and leave to sit for half an hour for best results.
5. Cook between 15-20 minutes for medium rare.
6. Slide a spatula between the flesh and skin of the salmon and serve.
BBQ – You will want your barbecue at medium heat between 180-220°C .
1. If you are cooking over gas or charcoal please make sure that the grill is super clean as you don’t want other flavours or flare ups during the cook.
2. Place the soaked plank (with no salmon on it) on the grill or if you want to be move adventurous directly on the coals.
3. After 8-12 minutes when the plank starts to smoke and the ends start to char place the salmon on the plank and cook with the lid on.
4. After 10 minutes brush the salmon with the mop and cook for a further 5-10 minutes. I would take the salmon off the barbecue at an internal temperature of 60°C as the salmon as it continues to cook when resting.
5. Before removing salmon from plank brush it one final time with the mop before serving.
Cook’s Note – Serve with Coal Roasted Beetroot and Ricotta Salad, the recipe can be found in the other section of this website.
Wine Pairing
Please click below to see which varietals and/or wine choices I have recommended for this dish.
Sumac and pistachio dukkah prawns with tahini sauce
What you will need:
12 king prawns
olive oil for the prawns
For the Dukkah
3 tbs pistachios (out of shells)
1 tbs hazelnuts
½ tbs sesame seeds
½ tbs fennel seeds
1 tsp sumac
1 tsp oregano (dried)
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp sea salt
For the tahini sauce
4 medium cloves garlic (minced)
3 tbs lemon juice
6 tbs tahini
½ tsp fine sea salt
½ tsp ground cumin
6 tbs ice water, more if needed
1. Peel and de-vein your prawns and brush with olive oil.
2. Dukkah - Preheat oven to 160°C. Place the pistachios, hazelnuts, fennel seeds, cumin seeds and sesame seeds on an oven tray with parchment paper, and toast in the oven for 10 minutes or until fragrant and golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Place all the ingredients including salt and oregano into a pestle and mortar and bash to a crumb.
3. Tahini Sauce - In a pestle and mortar add the garlic and lemon juice and pulverize into a thin paste. In a bowl transfer the garlic paste and add the tahini, salt and cumin to the bowl. Whisk until the mixture is thoroughly blended. Add water 2 tablespoons at a time, whisking after each addition until smooth. After about 6 tablespoons, you will have a perfect tahini sauce.
4. On the grill cook the prawns for 3-4 minutes on a medium direct heat, until lightly golden.
5. Remove from barbecue place on a plate and drizzle with the sauce and sprinkle with the dukkah.
Wine Pairing
Please click below to see which varietals and/or wine choices I have recommended for this dish.
chargrilled lobster with garlic parsley butter
What you will need:
4 medium cooked lobsters
125 g garlic parsley butter (see "other" section for recipe)
lemon wedges
1. Cut lobster in half with a sharp knife and scoop out the head sac and discard.
2. Grill shell side down over medium-hot charcoal, frequently brushing flesh with butter.
3. Grill for 5-6 minutes.
4. Serve warm with lemon wedges and remaining butter drizzled over.
Wine Pairing
Please click below to see which varietals and/or wine choices I have recommended for this dish.
korean mackerel
What you will need:
2 mackerel (gutted)
Marinade
3 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp gochujang
1tbs doenjang paste
½ clove garlic (crushed)
3 tsp white balsamic vinegar
4 spring onions (finely sliced)
½ tsp chilli powder
2 tsp sesame seeds (toasted)
1. Pat mackerel dry with paper towel.
2. In a bowl add all marinade ingredients (half of the spring onions) and mix well. Place mackerel in bowl and baste well and then cover with cling film and refrigerate for up to 120 minutes.
3. Grill for 5-8 minutes until the skin is bubbling and charred. Rest for 1 minute before serving with the remaining spring onions.
BBQ - The fish will need to be cooked over a medium direct heat. Try to keep the lid closed as much as possible. Only turn fish once. Make sure the grill is super clean when cooking fish as it can easily stick on a dirty grill.
Cook's Note - I would suggest serving with an Asian slaw or kimchi.
Wine Pairing
Please click below to see which varietals and/or wine choices I have recommended for this dish.
thai fishcakes
What you will need:
250 g boneless, skinless firm white fish (chopped)
1 ½ tbs red curry paste
½ tsp white sugar
3 kaffir lime leaves
1 tbs fish sauce
8-10 green beans (thinly sliced)
2 tbs olive oil
1. Place fish in small blender and blitz until smooth. Add the curry paste, sugar, fish sauce and lime leaves and pulse all together.
2. Add finely sliced green beans and fish mixture into a bowl and mix well with your hands. Make sure your hands are wet when mixing. Take a handful of the mixture and throw against the side of the bowl to firm up the proteins, repeating until the mixture is noticeably firmer.
3. With wet hands form the mixture into a number of small shaped discs or instead make 4 larger discs, place on baking tray with nonstick baking paper and refrigerate until you are ready to cook. This can be done 24 hours in advance.
4. Heat oil in frying pan over direct medium heat of the BBQ and fry in batches until browned and cooked through.
BBQ – You do not want the fire too hot but instead medium heat. This will be a direct cook with the lid off the BBQ. Make sure you wear fire resistant gloves or use a tea towel as the handle of the frying pan can get extremely hot. Leave the fishcakes initially on each side for at least a minute or two so they do not stick when you turn them.
Wine Pairing
Please click below to see which varietals and/or wine choices I have recommended for this dish.