Stokes Sauces: Fish Friday

Fabulous fish on the barbie

http://www.stokessauces.co.uk/page/sauces/ketchup-and-sauces

Barbecues have a distinctive smell.

You know what's going on in the neighbourhood from the moment the lighting bricks meet their first match and the charcoal begins to smoulder.

Then a marinated piece of meat hits the red hot grill to brand it criss and cross, releasing seared goodness into the air.

But there's nothing more provocative than the smell of grilling fish and seafood. Prepare yourselves for one or two unexpected inquisitive guests as you try these delicious gilly grills.

Your neighbours will be wondering why their own barbecues don't smell as exciting as yours.

Gilly grilling

A couple of tips to get us going

The simplest fish to BBQ are oily fish, cooked whole and indelicately eaten by pulling the flesh off the bone and devouring it with a good slice of bread. Sardines, herring and mackerel are perfect examples.

If you are cooking fillets directly on the grill, choose fish where the skin and flesh is fairly robust and can stand up to the heat - perhaps salmon, halibut or monkfish. Generously oil the skin and season it with salt - this helps to prevent it sticking and gives the skin a wonderfully crisp, tasty finish.

A good way of cooking more delicate fillets, such as sea bass or plaice, is to wrap them in foil with a splash of wine and a handful of herbs. This helps to protect the flesh and lightly steams the fish during cooking, ensuring you have wonderfully moist flesh.

Salmon Kebabs

Bathed in a light marinade, these salmon cubes grill quickly and deliciously on a BBQ that is now past its hottest. Be gentle. Enjoy.

You'll need:

3 or 4 thick, middle cut salmon fillets
2 lemons, sliced thinly
1 tbsp of parsley
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 tbsp of Stokes Dijon Mustard
2 tbsp of lemon juice

http://www.stokessauces.co.uk/page/sauces/traditional-condiments

Here's how:

Mix the ingredients for the marinade together in a large bowl and season with a little sea salt.

Cut the salmon steaks into 2 or 3 cm cubes and soak them in the light, lemon marinade.

On pre-soaked bamboo skewers, thread a cube of salmon, a slice of lemon, another salmon cube etc using two skewers per set. This holds the salmon firmly in place making it easier to turn them on the grill.

Oil the grill and gently BBQ your delicious salmon.

Grilled Prawns with Mojito Salsa Pittas

You'll need:

400 g of raw king prawns, peeled
3 garlic cloves, grated
1 lime, zest and juice
1 tbsp of Stokes Hot & Spicy BBQ Sauce

For the salsa:

150 g of cucumber, chopped
150 g of tomatoes, chopped
150 g of avocado, ditto
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp of Stokes Chilli Jam (more if you like it hotter)
Lots of fresh chopped mint
2 tbsp of white rum

http://www.stokessauces.co.uk/page/sauces/mayo-range

Here's how:

Mix the garlic, lime and BBQ sauce together in a bowl and add the prawns. Make sure the prawns are covered well and sit them to one side for half an hour or so.

Chop and combine your salsa ingredients, seasoning well to taste. Slice open and fill your pittas with salsa (adding a dollop of Stokes Garlic Mayonnaise gives it a real boost).

Thread the prawns on pre-soaked skewers and grill them for a couple of minutes each side until they turn pink.

Now just pop them in the pittas and enjoy the taste experience.

BBQ Mackerel & Bacon

Saving the best until last - this is a real treat.

Here's how:

Using 4 mackerel fillets, cut each in half lengthways to make 8 strips. Roll each strip and pin them together with a tooth pick just to hold them in little rolls.

Spread a little Stokes Brown Sauce onto 8 rashers of streaky bacon (smoked) and wrap each rasher tightly round a piece of banana (yes, banana) that's the same size (length) as the mackerel roll. Roll it with the brown sauce side in to the banana.

Skewer the mackerel and bacon-wrapped banana ready for grilling. Then onto the BBQ (or grill indoors) to cook gently for 5 or 6 minutes until the bacon is done, the mackerel skin is charred and the centre of each mackerel roll is juicy and opaque.