Grilling tips Recipes with Helen Austin |
© 2009 Helen Austin. All rights reserved.
Helen Austin was food editor at the Arkansas Democrat for six years and has since been a
contributor to Active Years and the Arkansas Times. She is also writing for Arkansas Newsixty, a
quarterly publication of the Arkansas Times. Having no formal education in either journalism or
home economics, she credits any expertise in these fields to a lifelong interest in food and writing.
Helen's food philosophy consists of getting the best, freshest ingredients available, then cooking
them in the simplest manner possible. She and her husband, Jerry, prepare most of their meals at
home.
contributor to Active Years and the Arkansas Times. She is also writing for Arkansas Newsixty, a
quarterly publication of the Arkansas Times. Having no formal education in either journalism or
home economics, she credits any expertise in these fields to a lifelong interest in food and writing.
Helen's food philosophy consists of getting the best, freshest ingredients available, then cooking
them in the simplest manner possible. She and her husband, Jerry, prepare most of their meals at
home.
Summertime and the cookin' is easy, especially if you're a lady with a husband who likes to cook out. I'm one of
those fortunate people, and I'm even more fortunate that Jerry Austin doesn't just incinerate steaks and
hamburgers, but has learned to grill several types of fish and vegetables. These days he hardly ever fires up
the grill without throwing a few slices of onion, squash or bell pepper, etc., on it with whatever meat he's
cooking.
One of his earliest experiments was with whole catfish. Since catfish are farm-raised, they're usually fresh,
affordable, and easily obtainable. The Little Rock supermarkets frequently sell them whole, two to a package,
which is ideal for a family of two.
The other fish Jerry most frequently cooks out is salmon. Once available only from Alaska or the Pacific
Northwest, much of the salmon we get now comes from Chile, of all places. Jerry has figured out that salmon
fillets with the skin left on one side are easiest to grill because they're less likely to stick or fall apart and you
can grill them skin-side-down, without turning.
Try to select fillets that are even in thickness. This is easier said than done, since most will be thicker in the
middle than on the sides. But do try to avoid the tail-shaped ones that are thicker at one end than the other.
Always clean and oil the grill before using. An all-purpose cooking oil smeared on a cloth could be used, but
we prefer a spray, usually Canola. We also use a spray, usually olive oil, to coat the fish and veggies we grill.
Most grilling is a result of trial and error, no matter how sophisticated the grill (or the cook!), so exact
instructions are hard to give. If you have the instruction booklet that came with the grill, refer to that. Generally,
for a gas grill, set the cooking temperature on about medium. Charcoal briquettes should be spread evenly in
a single layer and burned white before cooking.
comes off the grill undercooked, a quick zap in the microwave will fix it.
those fortunate people, and I'm even more fortunate that Jerry Austin doesn't just incinerate steaks and
hamburgers, but has learned to grill several types of fish and vegetables. These days he hardly ever fires up
the grill without throwing a few slices of onion, squash or bell pepper, etc., on it with whatever meat he's
cooking.
One of his earliest experiments was with whole catfish. Since catfish are farm-raised, they're usually fresh,
affordable, and easily obtainable. The Little Rock supermarkets frequently sell them whole, two to a package,
which is ideal for a family of two.
The other fish Jerry most frequently cooks out is salmon. Once available only from Alaska or the Pacific
Northwest, much of the salmon we get now comes from Chile, of all places. Jerry has figured out that salmon
fillets with the skin left on one side are easiest to grill because they're less likely to stick or fall apart and you
can grill them skin-side-down, without turning.
Try to select fillets that are even in thickness. This is easier said than done, since most will be thicker in the
middle than on the sides. But do try to avoid the tail-shaped ones that are thicker at one end than the other.
Always clean and oil the grill before using. An all-purpose cooking oil smeared on a cloth could be used, but
we prefer a spray, usually Canola. We also use a spray, usually olive oil, to coat the fish and veggies we grill.
Most grilling is a result of trial and error, no matter how sophisticated the grill (or the cook!), so exact
instructions are hard to give. If you have the instruction booklet that came with the grill, refer to that. Generally,
for a gas grill, set the cooking temperature on about medium. Charcoal briquettes should be spread evenly in
a single layer and burned white before cooking.
- To grill salmon fillets: Coat both sides with cooking spray, then season to taste (on the flesh side
only, if they have the skin on). Place on the grill skin-side-down. If the grill has a cover, pull it down.
Check fish frequently; it will be done when most of the surface you can see looks opaque. If the fillets
have the skin on, there's no need to turn them.
- Now about the veggies: Our favorites are onion, squash (both yellow crookneck and zucchini), and
bell peppers. I also like Japanese eggplants (those are the long, narrow ones). Here are some tips for
grilling:
- Onions: First cut off the root, then slice the onion crosswise into about 3 or 4 slices. Use
toothpicks to hold the slices together, inserting one into each side of the onion slice. Coat with
cooking spray and season to taste. Grill on each side, turning once, when outer edges look like
they're getting soft. Onions are cooked when mostly transparent, but the outer rings will be more
thoroughly cooked than the centers.
- Squash, zucchini, Japanese eggplants: After cutting off stem, cut each vegetable in half
crosswise, then slice the halves lengthwise. Coat with cooking spray and season to taste. Grill
slices peel-side-down first, then turn, when edges start to soften.
- Bell peppers: Cut off the stem end, then slice the pepper in half lengthwise, then in quarters. (If
the pepper is very long, you might like to slice each quarter crosswise.) Coat with cooking spray
and season pepper slices in cavity. Grill on the outside only, without turning. Peppers will lose a
little color and the edges will start to curl up when they're done. We like the red and yellow
peppers best for their sweetness, but the green ones are fine. Cooking time may be gauged by
the thickness of the skins; thicker-skinned peppers will take longer. Be careful; it's easy to
overcook.
comes off the grill undercooked, a quick zap in the microwave will fix it.
