The Barbecue. Alex Hamilton
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your barbecue is good and hot (see here), lay the skewers on the grill and cook for 6–7 minutes, covered if your barbecue can be covered. Turn the skewers over and give them another 6–7 minutes or so. The meat should be well charred on the outside, and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the flesh (don’t hit the metal skewer, or the reading will be off) should show at least 70°C.
Let them rest on a plate for 3–4 minutes, then serve with your choice of dipping sauce (see here).
WHAT TYPE?
Use big salmon fillets that you can cut into even, 4cm chunks. (You need to have decent-sized chunks, as the fish is very quick to cook.)
HOW MUCH?
Allow 100–120g of salmon per person as a generous starter. You can make up the salmon skewers by themselves, or pick a variety of vegetables to flesh them out – I like to use red and yellow peppers or cherry tomatoes for colour.
Pick a marinade from the suggestions on the following pages, omitting any lime or lemon juice, as this will ‘cook’ the salmon too early.
Thread the salmon and any vegetables on to the skewers, then cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours to overnight.
Barbecue
Once your barbecue is good and hot (see here), gently brush the grill with olive oil. This is important, as the fish will want to stick. Lay the salmon skewers on the grill and cook for 5 minutes, covered if your barbecue can be covered. Turn the skewers over and give them another 4–5 minutes or so. The fish should be well charred on the outside, and a thermometer inserted into the flesh (don’t hit the metal skewer, or the reading will be off) should show at least 65°C.
Serve immediately, with your choice of dipping sauce (see here).
WHAT TYPE?
Ideally, use whole, shell-on prawns, or my favourite, the headless type with half a shell and a tail on, readily available in supermarkets; the shell will protect the delicate flesh from the heat of the barbecue. You can also use shelled prawns, but they’ll cook much quicker.
HOW MUCH?
Allow 80–90g of prawns per person as a starter (a bit more if they’re fully shell-on with heads, etc.). You can make up the prawn skewers by themselves, or add in your choice of vegetables from the vegetable section overleaf.
Pick a marinade from the suggestions on the following pages, omitting any lime or lemon juice, as this will ‘cook’ the prawns too early. If you’re going to make my favourite pepper, salt and lime prawns, don’t marinate them before cooking – just toss the raw prawns with a little olive oil.
Thread the prawns on to the skewers, then cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours to overnight. (Unless you’re just doing them with olive oil, in which case you’re ready to cook straight away.)
Barbecue
Once your barbecue is good and hot (see here), gently lay the prawn skewers on the grill and cook for 2–3 minutes, covered if your barbecue can be covered. Turn the skewers over, using a pair of tongs, and give them another 2–3 minutes. They are ready when they’re bright pink on the outside, and the shells should be a little charred.
Serve immediately, with your choice of dipping sauce (see here).
Marinated vegetables work beautifully on skewers. Use the combination below, or add halloumi, paneer or tofu. I like a good mixture of colours and texture on skewers, and would usually go for the following:
WHAT TYPE?
150g whole baby chestnut mushrooms
200g baby courgettes, cut into 1.5cm squares
1 red pepper, cut into 1.5cm squares
1 yellow pepper, cut into 1.5cm squares
300g whole cherry tomatoes
1 red onion, cut into small wedges
1 aubergine, cut into 1.5cm cubes
HOW MUCH?
The quantity of vegetables above will make up at least 15–20 skewers without any further additions, so they’re a generous veggie starter for a crowd.
Pick a marinade from the suggestions on the following pages, make it up in a large shallow bowl (rectangular glass Pyrex dishes are good for this), then stir through the vegetables.
Thread the veg on to the skewers, then cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours to overnight.
Barbecue
Once your barbecue is good and hot (see here), lay the skewers on the grill and cook for about 6–7 minutes, covered if your barbecue can be covered. Turn the skewers over and give them another 6–7 minutes or so. The vegetables should be cooked through, and nicely charred in places – flip them and give them another 3–4 minutes if in doubt.
Serve immediately, with your choice of dip (see here).
Halloumi, paneer and tofu all barbecue really well, and a good marinade will add flavour and texture from the interesting charred bits.
WHAT TYPE?
HALLOUMI: pick the nicest one you can, as it makes a real difference to the flavour and texture.
PANEER: you can buy this packaged in blocks (a bit like feta cheese) in many supermarkets – it works beautifully on the barbecue.
TOFU: you definitely want a block of firm tofu for this (silken will fall apart). My favourite brand is Tofoo – the smoked one is particularly good.
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