’Tis The Season To Barbecue

Hamburgers, hotdogs, and sausages are the most common. They are served with the ubiquitous “macaroni or potato salad”, and sometimes baked beans. There are so many options for the grill from chicken on the bone to steaks. Living next to the water we in South Florida do a lot of seafood also.

How do vary your menu? When choosing a fish for the grill you want to pick a firm fleshed fish like tuna, mahi mahi, whole snapper (fillets tend to fall apart) or swordfish. Vegetables are transformed to a new level on the grill. Even your dessert can be grilled. The fruit’s natural sugars caramelise to enhance the flavours. Below you will find an entire meal from entree to dessert.

We have chosen tuna (blackfin) as it is one that prefers our warm coastal waters, but can be replaced with cobia or mahi or one of the other above mentioned fish. The crowning glory are the glazed bananas. Substitute turkey or vegan versions of the bacon if that is your liking.

Citrus Marinated Tuna with Grilled Tomatoes and Onions
Serves 4
4 5 ounce/145 g tuna fillets
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lime zested and juiced
1 orange, zested and juiced
1/4 cup/60 ml olive oil
1/2 teaspoon/2 ml sea salt
1/2 teaspoon/2 ml ground black pepper
3 branches rosemary, leaves removed from stems and minced
4 plum tomatoes, cut in half
2 red onions, cut in quarters.

Heat a grill to medium high heat. Combine the garlic, 1/2 the zest and juice of the lime and orange, olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Place the tuna, tomatoes and onions in a large pan. Pour the marinade over the fish and vegetables. Let Marinate while the grill is heating. Place the tomatoes and onion on the grill at least 5 minutes before the fish. Turning over once. Place the fish on the grill. Cook for 2-3 minutes on one side then turn over and cook another 2-3 minutes for medium rare. Remove the food from the grill, sprinkle with the remaining zest and serve.

Glazed Bacon Wrapped Bananas

Servers 4

4 peeled bananas, cut into quarters

4 slices of bacon

1/4 cup/60 ml balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup/60 ml honey
1 teaspoon/5 ml dry English mustard
1/2 teaspoon dry chili flakes

Mix the balsamic, honey, dry mustard and chili flakes in a small bowl. Wrap bananas with bacon securing with a toothpick. Place wrapped bananas on the warm grill and shut the cover. Open the grill and turn over the bananas. Brush them with the glaze. Cook for 3-4 minutes more. The bacon should be crispy, not burned. Turn over and brush other side. Remove from grill. Serve with extra marinade on the side or drizzled on top. This is GREAT with plain vanilla ice cream.

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