Forget boring burgers and bog-standard bangers. Sophie Farrah rounds up some tasty recipes that are great for grilling...
1. BEER-INSPIRED BBQ-ING
The Red Lion, 2 Castelnau, Barnes, SW13 9RU
Recipe: Beer Brined Chicken with Pearl Barley, Pea, Bacon & Baby Gem Salad and Smoked Paprika Aioli
Barbecues at The Red Lion in Barnes are legendary, thanks to managers Angus McKean and Claire Morgan.
“The key to a good BBQ is preparation, so do as much as possible before you get stuck behind the grill,” suggests Angus.
“This recipe for Beer Brined Chicken with Pearl Barley, Pea, Bacon & Baby Gem Salad and Smoked Paprika Aioli comes from our love of beer, and of maximising and complementing flavours. Brewed in Chiswick, ESB has an undercurrent of orange and malty, Christmas fruit flavours which round off the chicken perfectly.”
For the brined chicken
•4 chicken breasts •500ml Fuller’s ESB •pinch chopped tarragon •pinch chopped rosemary •3g chopped garlic •13g salt2g ground ginger •2g ground nutmeg
1. Bring the beer to a quick boil in a saucepan, instantly remove from heat and add all ingredients. Mix well; leave to cool.
2. Then pour over the chicken breasts, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 24 hours.
3. Remove breasts from the brine, lightly oil, season and BBQ on medium heat until cooked. Serve with the salad and a good dollop of smoked paprika aioli.
For the Red Lion’s salad and aioli recipe click here.
2. GO VEGGIE
Urban Pantry, 15 Devonshire Rd, Chiswick, W4 2EU
Recipe: Avocado Smash and Halloumi Bap with Chilli Jam
If you want to delight veggies and meat-eaters alike, try Urban Pantry’s recipe...
“This is one of our best-selling dishes and the perfect veggie alternative to a BBQ burger,” says owner Kate Frobisher. “The saltiness of the halloumi matches perfectly with the avocado, and you get a little kick from the chilli jam.”
For the avocado smash: (makes enough for 4 baps)
•2 avocados •small handful finely chopped coriander •50g feta cheese •olive oil •lemon juice.
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and top with the lemon juice to stop mix from browning. The mix can be kept for 1-2 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
To make the bap:
•2 slices of halloumi •1 heaped tablespoon avocado smash •1 brioche bun •1 teaspoon Urban Pantry chilli jam.
1. Grill the halloumi on the BBQ until charred on the outside but soft inside.
2. Slice the buns in half and toast on the BBQ.
3. Spread the chilli jam on the bun, put a spoonful of the avocado smash on the bun and then 2 slices of halloumi.
4. Finally, top with the bun itself. Enjoy with a lovely salad and a cold beer.
For Urban Pantry’s tasty chilli jam recipe click here.
3. FABULOUS FISH
Susan Bell
Recipe: Vietnamese BBQ Salmon
Local chef Jo Pratt’s latest cookbook, The Flexible Pescatarian, includes this superb recipe for Vietnamese BBQ Salmon.
“If you have a crowd to cook for, a dish with minimal preparation and the maximum flavour is always a bonus,” says Jo. “This recipe results in juicy, aromatic fish and it’s guaranteed to impress your guests.”
For the salmon:
•2kg whole salmon (scaled and gutted) •sunflower oil •3 thinly sliced limes •100g peeled and •thinly sliced ginger •2 finely sliced stalks lemongrass •2 deseeded and sliced red chillies •4 peeled and sliced banana shallots •bunch of mint •bunch of coriander •bunch of Thai or standard basil •flaked sea salt •1 large newspaper and kitchen string for tying
1. Heat the barbecue until lovely and hot. Rub the salmon all over with the oil, including inside.
2. Season with salt and stuff some lime slices, ginger, lemongrass, chillies, shallots and herbs inside the cavity.
3. Open out the newspaper and place the salmon in the middle. Put the rest of the lime slices, ginger, lemongrass, chillies, shallots and herbs on top of, and beneath, the salmon. Then wrap the paper all around it, so that it’s totally covered.
4. Tie securely with string.
5. Soak newspaper with lots of cold water and then lay the parcel on the barbecue to cook for 20–25 mins on each side. If coals are too hot, the paper will burn, so watch it. To check it’s cooked through, gently push the fish away from the backbone. If it comes away easily, it is done; if not, continue cooking.
Once cooked, the salmon will stay hot for at least 30 mins before you unwrap it. Now serve pieces of it with some cooking juices spooned over.
The Flexible Pescatarian (£20), White Lion Publishing, is out now; jo-pratt.com
4. GREAT FLAVOURS
30 Brewhouse Ln, Putney, London SW15 2JX
Recipe: Whiskey and Lemongrass Pork Chops
Down by the river in Putney, Bistro Vadouvan is a prime destination on warm evenings, thanks to its alfresco terrace and a brand new BBQ menu that reflects its French-meets-spice ethos. Read our four-star restaurant review here.
Enjoy halibut, BBQ short rib and celeriac straight from the grill. Or for something different at home this summer, chef patron Durga Misra suggests his recipe for Whiskey and Lemongrass Pork Chops.
“I love to serve the chops with mash potato and grilled sweetheart cabbage drizzled with some olive oil and lemon juice,” he says.
For the pork chops:
•6 pork chops (200g each) •100ml bourbon whiskey •125ml fish sauce •150g light muscovado sugar •12g fresh ginger•4 cloves of garlic •90g lemongrass (chop with a serrated knife) •20g red chilli with seeds
1. Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend to make a wet marinade.
2. Marinate chops overnight, or at least for 4 hours.
3. Light the BBQ and cook until nicely charred. Initially, place chops on the hot side of the BBQ for 1 min on each side.
4. Once beautifully charred, move to the cold side for 6-7 mins, leave to rest for 5 mins... and enjoy!
5. SOMETHING FISHY
Photographer: Toby Keane
Recipe: Barbecued Nam Jim Sea Bass
From seafood experts, Wright Brothers, in Circus West Village, comes this mouth-watering recipe for home grillers: Barbecued Nam Jim Sea Bass created by Battersea head chef, Gjergj Krrashi.
For the sea bass(serves 10):
•25 red chillies (deseeded) •10 bird’s eye chillies •1 bunch of coriander root •1 large piece of ginger •7 cloves of garlic •5 palm sugar swirls •10 lime wedges •50ml fish sauce •1 pint of lime juice (all for the nam jim marinade) •10 whole organic sea bass
1. A couple of days before your BBQ, prepare the nam jim marinade by blending all the ingredients except the palm sugar. Add the mixture to a pestle and mortar and work to a paste, then add the palm sugar and mix into the paste.
2. Next, add the lime juice and fish sauce and mix together.
3. On the day of your BBQ, score your whole sea bass on both sides (around 1cm deep, not to the bone), apply the nam jim liberally and allow to marinade for 20 minutes.
4. Wrap the fish in parchment paper or banana leaf, and then in tin foil and tie at the ends. Place these parcels onto the medium temperature side of the BBQ and cook for 20 minutes.
5. Carefully unwrap the fish (the foil will be hot!) and serve with a wedge of lime.
