Grilled fish with my secret green sauce

Tags

BBQ, braai, capers, cornichons, fish, green sauce, grilling, herbs, swordfish

Well, it was my “special, secret”sauce until now but I guess that by sharing it with you all out there, I can no longer call it that. It is such a tasty sauce that every time, I serve it, all my guests want the recipe and seeing as I have given it out so many times over the years, it is now time to share it with all my blog readers. And, you will love it, I am sure of it, and it can become your “secret” sauce.

Any nice, firm, white fish can be used for this dish. My favourite fish to use is swordfish, but unfortunately my fishmonger did not have any and he suggested a beautiful piece of halibut instead, which worked very well.  The special thing about this recipe is of course my “secret green sauce” as my daughter used to call it. The sauce that I make has the most wonderful earthy and piquant flavours that derive from the capers and cornichons and tastes of the South of France and the Mediterranean. Do use small french cornichons as they have a great punch and good quality capers. It has such a fresh and zesty taste and works well with chicken breasts as well as fish but I especially love it with grilled fish. I served the fish with a fresh spinach and potato salad dressed with a light tzaziki dressing.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

marinade
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon, preferably organic
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

sauce
1/2 cup very finely chopped fresh parsley
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
Zest of 1 lemon, preferably organic
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon capers, chopped
About 8 small cornichons, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

4 swordfish steaks or halibut fillets or other firm, white fish

Preparation:
Marinade: In a small bowl, mix the garlic, shallots, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt
and pepper
Slowly add the olive oil and whisk until well blended
Place the fish fillets in a dish or ziplock bag
Pour the marinade over the fish and ensure evenly coated
Refrigerate for at least 2 but no more than 4 hours
Sauce: in a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients until well combined, set aside
Prepare your barbecue for medium heat grilling
Remove the fish from the marinade and grill it, turning only once for about 5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of your fish
Transfer the fish to a platter or plates and serve with a heaped tablespoon of the “secret, green” sauce
Enjoy!

note: the sauce can be prepared several hours in advance and kept covered at room temperature. It can also be refrigerated for 2 days but bring to room temperature before serving.

I realise there are lots of almost identical pics but I could not decide on my favourite so I am sharing them all with you.

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Tex-mex pork chops

Tags

BBQ, braai, chops, Pork, tex-mex

Tex-Mex (from Texan and Mexican) is a term describing a fusion of United States cuisine and Mexican cuisine, deriving from the culinary creations of Tejanos. It has spread from border states such as Texas and others in the Southwestern United States to the rest of the country as well as Canada. Tex-Mex is most popular in the state of Texas. Some ingredients are common in Mexican cuisine, but other ingredients not typically used in Mexico are often added. Tex-Mex cuisine is characterized by its heavy use of shredded cheese, meat (particularly beef and pork), beans, and spices, in addition to Mexican-style tortillas. Dishes such as Texas-style chili con carne, nachos, and fajitas are all Tex-Mex inventions. Moreover, Tex-Mex has imported flavors from other spicy cuisines, such as the use of cumin, introduced by Spanish immigrants to Texas from the Canary Islands and used in Berber cuisine, but used in only a few central Mexican recipes.

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 bone-in, end cut pork chops
Juice of 2 limes
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons peanut oil
3 to 4 drops Tabasco
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Place all the ingredients except the pork chops in a bowl and mix well
Add the pork chops and toss to ensure well coated (I like to place all in a zip lock bag and massage the marinade into the meat)
Place in the refrigerator and leave to marinade for 2 to 6 hours, turning a few times
Prepare your BBQ
Cook the chops for about 8 minutes (depends on thickness), turning them once halfway
Season with salt and pepper
Serve with grilled veggies
Enjoy!

 

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Magret de canard / grilled duck breast

Tags

BBQ, braai, Duck, duck breast, magret

This must be the recipe with the least amount of ingredients, yet it is simply – melt in the mouth – delicious. Duck is the most popular meat in the Dordogne as we are the “duck farm” of France. There are way more ducks than people here, way more. Often duck is served covered in rich sauces but to really appreciate the true deliciousness, (is there such a word?), the best way to eat it is as simple as possible, salt and pepper, no butter or oil even, and ideally to grill the breasts for the final few minutes on a BBQ.

This is the perfect way to cook a duck breast. It involves a 2 stage cooking, firstly in a skillet on the stove top then on the BBQ grill, gas or coals. This way ensures that most of the fat is rendered in the pan and you can then reserve it for another use, such as pommes de terre sarladaise – yum! And you avoid being suffocated by smoke and dealing with sky high fire flare ups that would occur if you cook it 100% on the BBQ.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 large duck breasts (magrets de canard) about 350 g / 12 oz each
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Place the duck breasts fat side up on a board or plate
With a very sharp knife, score the fat in a crisscross pattern, do not cut into the meat
Season the duck on both sides, rubbing the coarse salt nicely into the cuts
Heat the BBQ grill to medium high heat
Place the duck breasts, skin side down in a large, cold skillet
Switch the heat to medium low and cook for 5 minutes, uncovered
Every now and then, drain off the fat into a bowl
Turn and cook meat side down for 1 minute
Reserve the duck fat
Transfer the duck breasts to the grill and cook, uncovered, for 5 to 7 minutes per side for medium rare or about 7 to 8 for medium
Allow to rest for 5 minutes before cutting
Slice the duck breasts into 1 cm / 1/2 inch thick slices and divide between the plates
Enjoy!

 

 

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