Grilling outdoors is a delicious way to assemble friends, enjoy fellowship and engage in great conversation. Add a cooler of brews, cocktails you have pre-mixed and a few bottles of wine to your backyard deck right next to your barbecue and ask everyone to bring their favorite dish. It doesn’t have to be elaborate and sometimes the best get-togethers are spur of the moment.
Each Wednesday, our fabulous wine contributor Jack Chase, gives wonderful advice on wine and food pairings. You can find his latest piece here. The tantalizing pairing that caught my eye this week is Pinot Noir and Grilled Salmon. So I went searching for the perfect recipe for a back yard grill and found it. Jane Evans Bonacci of The Heritage Cook has the most delicious cuisine on her site and she has so graciously agreed to work with us on this post. Please take some time and poke around her site. You are going to love it there.
Grilled Salmon with Green Onions and Basil by The Heritage Cook
What I love about recipes like this, is the colors are beautiful, they are full of flavor, my two favorite things, and I also really appreciate that the ingredients list is very basic. You more than likely already have these items in your pantry, so the shopping list is very small, which is key to an impromptu gathering. Ingredients; garlic, salt, shallot, mayonnaise, soy sauce, salmon fillets, fresh basil, onion, lemon and ground pepper. Full recipe on The Heritage Cook.
In her post, Jane gives tips and tricks on barbecuing. Since I use a gas grill I am not familiar with a charcoal chimney. I miss the flavor that only charcoal can bring to foods, so I am reconsidering how I will purchase my next grill.
If you are still using lighter fluid with your charcoal you need to buy a charcoal chimney. Lighter fluid leaves a greasy unpleasant taste on your foods and is a contaminant to the environment. The chimney is a simple design that works like a champ. Crumple up a little newspaper and stuff it in the bottom, place the chimney in your barbecue and fill the top with coals. Use a stick lighter to light the paper and within about 15 minutes your coals are starting to get ashy and are ready to pour out into the barbecue and cook over. Just make sure you use heavy leather gloves or oven mitts to protect your hands. – jane evans bonacci
Pairing? I am definitely following the advice of our resident wine guru, Jack Chase and going with a great Pinot Noir, Archery Summit Premier Cuvee from the Willamette Valley.
If you have questions about wines or wine and food pairings, Jack is here to assist!
Please enjoy the gallery of photos Jane has sent to us, following her creation of the delicious Grilled Salmon, step by step. Then head over to her page for the full recipe, grilling tips and ideas.
