Food writer, author and stylist Valerie Aikman-Smith shows us how fish and seafood on the BBQ should be done...
Cedar Plank Salmon with Sake
Serves: 4
Prepare: 24 hours
Cook: about 20 minutes
450g salmon, skin on
125ml sake
60 ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 tbsp wasabi powder
10 shishito peppers, thinly sliced
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
Lemon wedges, to serve
Cedar plank, 18 x 38 cm
1. Soak the cedar plank in cold water for a minimum of 3 hours, up to a maximum of 24 hours.
2. Rinse the salmon under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place in a ceramic baking dish. In a small bowl, whisk together the sake, olive oil, wasabi powder and a pinch of sea salt. Pour over the salmon and marinate for 20 minutes.
3. Heat the barbecue to medium-high. Place the wet plank on the grill and leave it there for 6-8 minutes until the wood is charred on one side. Turn the plank over.
4. Remove the salmon from the marinade and place on top of the charred side of the plank. Sprinkle with the sliced shishito peppers and some cracked black pepper.
5. Close the lid of the grill and cook for 15-20 minutes until the salmon is cooked. Times may differ depending on the thickness of the fish, so check for doneness by inserting a sharp knife into the fish – the flesh should be opaque in the middle. Serve on the plank with lemon wedges and an extra drizzle of olive oil.
Vine Leaf Wrapped Sardines
Serves: 4
Prepare: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
12 sardines, gutted and cleaned 12 brined vine leaves 1 quantity Black Olive Stuffing (see below) 2 lemons, cut into thick slices Olive oil, for drizzling Sea salt and cracked black pepper
For the black olive stuffing:
80 g toasted breadcrumbs 60 g pitted black olives, chopped Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped Small bunch of oregano 120ml olive oil
1. To make the olive stuffing, put the breadcrumbs, olives, parsley, and oregano in a bowl. Pour in the olive oil, a little at a time (you may not need it all) and stir until the stuffing begins to bind together. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Next, with a sharp knife, cut along the bottom of the sardines where they have been gutted. Rinse them under cold water and pat them dry with paper towels.
