Keeping seafood from drying out on the grill requires a strategy.
Shrimp? Leave their shells intact, marinate for a few hours in something delicious, then skewer and cook quickly over a medium-hot flame. Let your guests have fun cracking open the shells with their fingers to get at the still-moist meat inside. A simple cucumber-tomato salsa is a perfect partner for the shrimp.
Salmon grilled inside a packet made of any sort of large, edible leaf vegetable – chard, romaine lettuce, beet greens – stays juicy and becomes infused with the lemon and herbs wrapped up with it. Served with a chive and dill-flecked mustard sauce and a bowl of grilled beets, it’s as pretty as it is delicious.
1 pound large shrimp still in their shells
oil for grill
Shrimp Marinade (below)
Cucumber and Cherry Tomato Salsa (below)
slices of lime and sriracha sauce
Place the shrimp in a colander and rinse under cold running water. Shake to dry a bit, then place the shrimp, still in their shells, in a bowl. Toss with the marinade, cover and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour – longer is fine.
Remove the shrimp from the marinade and brush off any large pieces of garlic, etc., back into the bowl of marinade. Set the marinade aside while skewering the shrimp. Place the shrimp on metal skewers, dividing them evenly between four or five skewers. Lay them out on a sheet tray.
Press the marinade through a sieve, reserving the liquid and discarding the solids. Brush the shrimp with some of the marinade, reserving the rest.
Grill over a medium fire on a well-oiled grill, about three minutes each side (this will take more or less time depending on the size of the shrimp.) Brush them once more with marinade before turning them over. They will be done when the shells turn pink and are easy to remove and the flesh is opaque, but still juicy.
Serve immediately with a side of Cucumber and Cherry Tomato Salsa, wedges of lime and sriracha.
2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 large lime’s worth)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon hot pepper paste, such as sriracha
4 soft dates (Medjools work well), pitted and mashed
juice and finely grated rind of 2 clementines or 1 orange
2 cloves minced or grated garlic
1 tablespoon fresh minced or grated ginger
water as needed
Combine all the ingredients and mix well to incorporate the dates. Add a little water if necessary. Use to marinate shrimp as directed above.
1 cucumber, preferably a thin-skinned variety
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
2 or 3 scallions, green and white parts, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
juice of 1 lime
Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper to taste
If the cucumber has thick skin, peel it. If not, leave the skin on. Cut it into matchstick sized pieces and place in a bowl. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add to the cucumbers. Add the remaining ingredients and toss well. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve immediately.
1 pound thick salmon fillets, skin-on, cut into 4 pieces
2 lemons sliced into thin rounds
1 small bunch chives
1 small bunch dill
capers
large, sturdy, edible leaves, such as beet, swiss chard or romaine lettuce, or a combination
salt and pepper
cooking twine
oil for the grill
Mustard Herb Sauce (recipe below)
Wash and dry your leaves, leaving them whole, though to make them easier to roll, you may thin out central ribs with a knife or vegetable peeler. Arrange two leaves overlapping on your work surface in a squarish shape large enough to wrap around the fish.
Place some of the lemon slices, some whole pieces of chives, and a few stalks of dill on the leaves. Center one of the pieces of salmon on the herbs and lemon slices. Salt and pepper the fish and sprinkle a few capers over it.
Wrap the leaves around the fish – you may need to place one or two additional leaves on top of the fish before rolling to get complete coverage. Fold the ends of the leaves in so the fish is completely wrapped. Tie the package together with twine. Don’t worry if it’s not terribly neat. Repeat with the remaining fish.
Brush the packets with oil and heat the grill to medium. Cook the packets, flipping them over once, until the fish registers 125 degrees on an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest spot. How long this takes will depend on how thick the fish is.
Place each packet on a plate before cutting away the string. Serve with the Mustard Herb Sauce and a side of beets, grilled with kalamata olives and clementines (recipe below).
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup Dijon mustard
the juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons minced chives
2 tablespoons minced dill
salt and pepper
Combine all the ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Serve with the grilled salmon.
1 bunch of beets (if bought with the leaves on, you may use them to wrap the fish), washed, peeled and sliced into ½-inch thick pieces
2 clementines, washed and cut into eighths
1 cup olive oil packed Kalamata olives (you can leave the pits in, but warn diners)
several sprigs fresh thyme
freshly ground black pepper
tinfoil
Lay a large piece of tinfoil on your work surface. Arrange the beets in the center of the foil, leaving a wide edge on all sides. Scatter the olives, clementines and thyme over the beets. Drizzle some of the oil from the olives over all, then grind some black pepper on top. Fold up the packet tightly, so the juices and oil don’t leak out.
Grill the packet over medium heat for about 20 minutes, flipping it once. The beets are done when a knife tip slides into them easily. Be careful of steam when opening the packet. Pour into a bowl and serve immediately with the grilled salmon.