Eye for a Recipe

Grilled pickerel is a delicious and we make it whenever we can find this fresh water fish. For this meal, I used a recipe from Canadian Living’s The Barbecue Collection that tops the grilled pickerel with charmoulah—a Moroccan sauce. It’s very easy to make—just combine parsley, coriander, scallions, oil, lemon juice and spices—and it also goes well with grilled meats and vegetables. Threading the fish fillets crosswise onto two skewers make the fish easier to handle on the grill.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Be sure to use fresh lemon juice, as the concentrates are bitter and contain sodium benzoate. Check the cumin, paprika and cayenne to make sure they are free of artificial colour and anti-caking agents.

Combine herbs, scallions, oil, lemon juice and spices for the charmoulah

The fillets are easier to handle on the grill if they are threaded crosswise on skewers

Serve the charmoulah on top of the grilled fish

Ingredients:

1-1/2 lb (680 g) pickerel fillets or perch, or other freshwater fish fillets, skin on

¼ tsp (1 mL) salt

¼ tsp (1 mL) pepper

Charmoulah

½ cup (125 mL) chopped fresh parsley

½ cup (125 mL) coriander

2 green onions, finely chopped

¼ cup (60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil

3 tbsp (45 mL) lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp (5 mL) ground cumin

1 tsp (5 mL) paprika

¼ tsp (1 mL) cayenne pepper

¼ tsp (1 mL) salt

¼ tsp (1 mL) pepper

Preparation:

In bowl, mix together parsley, coriander, green onions, oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Divide fish into 4 servings. Skewer each crosswise on pair of skewers; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place skewers, skin side down, on greased grill over medium-high heat. Close lid and grill, turning once, until fish flakes easily when tested, about 5 minutes per 1/2-inch (1 cm) thickness. Serve topped with Charmoulah. Serves 4.

From Canadian Living’s The Barbecue Collection

We are back in our house for the summer, which means I can once again fire up my beloved charcoal and gas grills. I was also anxious to start using the herbs in the garden, so I decided to make this Grilled Spatchcocked Chicken recipe from the June 2012 issue of Martha Stewart Living. Puree onion, garlic, fresh herbs, oil and lemon zest in the food processor, spread the paste under the skin and on the surface of a spatchcocked chicken, and refrigerate for 6-8 hours. To spatchcock the chicken, just cut along both sides of the backbone with shears and remove it. Place the chicken breast side up and press down on it to flatten it. A spatchcocked chicken cooks more quickly and evenly on the barbecue.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

This recipe uses all-natural ingredients – enjoy!

Puree onion, garlic, fresh herbs, oil and lemon zest

Spread puree under skin of chicken and on surface

Grill chicken over indirect heat, flipping twice

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half

1 large garlic clove, peeled

1/3 cup packed fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, parsley, and sage leaves

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ lemon, zest removed in strips with a peeler

1 chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds), spatchcocked

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

Puree onion, garlic, herbs, oil, and zest in a food processor. Rub some puree under skin of chicken breasts and legs. Rub remaining puree over rest of bird. Refrigerate at least 6 hours and up to 8 hours. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Wipe off most of rub; season with salt and pepper.

Heat grill to medium-high, or set up for indirect heat. Grill chicken, breast side down, covered with vent open, until nicely charred, 10 to 15 minutes. Flip; cook 30 minutes more. Flip again; grill until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees in thickest part of breast, 5 minutes more. Let rest 10 minutes.

From the June 2012 issue of Martha Stewart Living

This pork stir-fry from Epicurious.com is ready in about 45 minutes. Pork strips are marinated quickly in sherry, cornstarch and soy sauce. Meanwhile, stir fry ginger, garlic, red pepper, snow peas and cashews. Remove the vegetables and cashews and then stir fry the pork, add the vegetables back in and mix with soy-sugar sauce. I blanched the snow peas before stir frying them, so they would cook more quickly. I didn’t have roasted cashews, so I toasted raw ones for a few minutes in a skillet.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Soy sauce, sesame oil and cashews may contain additives. Use tamari sauce instead of soy, because it is preserved with alcohol instead of sodium benzoate. Eden Organic brand toasted sesame oil contains only sesame oil. Look for cashews with no preservatives added.

Get ingredients ready before starting to cook

Marinate pork in Sherry, soy sauce and cornstarch

Stir fry peppers with garlic and ginger

Add snow peas and cashews

Mix everything together with soy sauce sweetened with sugar

Serve with steamed rice

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon medium-dry Sherry

2 teaspoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

¾ lb boneless pork loin, thinly sliced, then cut into 2- by ¼ -inch strips

1 teaspoon sugar

3 tablespoons peanut oil

2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

2 teaspoons minced garlic

½ teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes

1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips

½ lb snow peas, trimmed

1 cup salted roasted cashews

Preparation:

Stir together Sherry, cornstarch, and 1 tbsp soy sauce, then stir in sesame oil. Add pork, stirring to coat well, and let stand 10 minutes.

Stir together sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce.

Heat a wok or large nonstick skillet over high heat until a bead of water dropped on cooking surface evaporates immediately. Add 1 ½ tablespoons peanut oil, swirling wok to coat evenly, then stir-fry 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon garlic, and ¼ teaspoon pepper flakes until fragrant, about 5 seconds. Add bell pepper and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add snow peas and cashews and stir-fry until snow peas are crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer vegetables to a bowl.

Heat remaining 1 ½ tablespoons peanut oil in wok until just smoking, then stir-fry remaining ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes until fragrant, about 5 seconds. Add pork and stir-fry, separating strips, until browned and barely cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Add vegetables and sweetened soy sauce, then stir-fry until vegetables are just heated through, about 1 minute more. Serves 4.

From Epicurious.com