When I acquired my barbecue chops, salad just wasn’t something you grilled. Today, chefs routinely grill the lettuce for Caesar and other salads. Grilled vegetables often double as salads, and more and more of us are roasting those veggies in the embers to give them a smoke flavor you simply can’t achieve by conventional grilling. In the following pages, you’ll find a grilled wedge salad (complete with smoked blue cheese dressing) and a BLT sandwich deconstructed and reconstructed as salad. Beets go caveman (grilled in the embers) to create a smoky twist on a traditional Russian zakuski. You’ll learn how to make Spain’s beloved escalivada (an ember-roasted vegetable salad) and a Vietnamese-inspired grilled shrimp and pineapple salad. And four quintessential summer foods shine as salads: grilled watermelon and queso fresco salad, a Peruvian Potato Salad, and grilled asparagus and corn salad. Salads have always been served at a barbecue. They’re about to become barbecue itself.
with Smoked Blue Cheese Dressing
Yield: Serves 4
Method: Direct grilling
Prep time: 15 minutes
Grilling time: About 4 minutes
Grill/Gear: Can be grilled over charcoal, wood, or gas. You also need a food processor for the dressing (optional); 2 hardwood chunks or 1½ cups unsoaked wood chips (optional).
Shop: You’ll need only one special ingredient for this salad: Rogue Creamery Smokey Blue Cheese. Look for it at a store with a good cheese department or order it online from roguecreamery.com. (In a pinch, you could use Roquefort or Gorgonzola plus a drop of liquid smoke.)
Insider tip: Wedge salads are often served with crisped bacon, and you can certainly add that if you want to. I’ve kept this one meatless for our vegetarian friends out there.
The wedge salad is an American steakhouse classic. We’re about to give it the Project Fire treatment by—you guessed it—grilling the lettuce. The trick is to work over a very hot fire (ideally a wood or wood-enhanced fire), so you char the exterior and put some wood smoke between the leaves while leaving the heart of the lettuce raw and crunchy. The dressing gets smoked, too, thanks to an amazing smoked blue cheese made in Central Point, Oregon, by the historic Rogue Creamery.
Ingredients
For the Dressing
3 ounces blue cheese, preferably Rogue Creamery Smokey Blue Cheese, at room temperature
¼ cup mayonnaise, preferably Hellmann’s or Best Foods
¼ cup heavy (whipping) cream or half-and-half
1 tablespoon rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
For the Salad
Vegetable oil for oiling the grill grate
1 head of iceberg lettuce (ideally organic), cut into quarters through the stem end
Extra virgin olive oil
3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
½ cup toasted walnut pieces (optional; see Box)
¼ cup chopped fresh chives
1. Make the dressing: Place the 3 ounces of room temperature blue cheese in the bottom of a mixing bowl. Mash it to a paste with the back of a fork. Mash in the mayonnaise, then stir in the cream, rice vinegar, and pepper. (Alternatively, make the dressing in a food processor.) Add more vinegar or pepper to taste: The dressing should be highly seasoned. You can make it several hours ahead; cover and refrigerate.
2. Just before serving, set up your grill for direct grilling and heat to high. Brush or scrape the grill grate clean and oil it well. Add hardwood chunks to your charcoal fire or place them under the grate over the metal heat diffuser in your gas grill (see instructions), if using.
3. Lightly brush the cut sides of the lettuce with olive oil. Arrange the wedges on the grill grate, cut sides down, running diagonal to the bars of the grate. Grill until lightly browned on the bottom, about 2 minutes, giving each wedge a quarter turn after 1 minute to lay on a crosshatch of grill marks. Grill the other cut side the same way. Work quickly so the lettuce remains raw and crunchy in the center.
4. Transfer the lettuce wedges to a platter or plates. Spoon the dressing over them and sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese, walnuts (if using), and chives.
Escalivada
Yield: Serves 4
Method: Caveman grilling (roasting in the embers) or direct grilling
Prep time: 15 minutes
Grilling time: 10 minutes
Grill/Gear: Can be grilled over charcoal, wood, or gas. You also need long-handled tongs.
Shop: Sherry vinegar—made from sherry wine—has a nutty sweetness you won’t find in other wine vinegars. Look for it in Spanish food markets, Whole Foods, or online. If unavailable, use red wine vinegar, adding a few drops of cream sherry.
Insider tip: Tradition (not to mention the recipe name’s etymology) calls for the vegetables to be roasted in the embers. If you have a gas grill, char them over high heat or roast them on a plancha.
The name says it all. Escalivar is the Spanish verb for “to roast in the embers.” This sweet-smoky ember-roasted or grilled vegetable salad turns up across Spain, where it’s served as a salad, a side dish, or even spooned atop toast to make tapas. True, these days most escalivada comes grilled or sautéed, but nothing beats the haunting smoke flavor of onions, eggplants, and peppers roasted directly on the embers. A simple escalivada would contain those three vegetables only; a more elaborate version might also include celery, leeks, and scallions. Hazelnuts aren’t strictly traditional, but I like the nutty flavor they bring to the salad.
Ingredients
2 medium-size onions
2 long slender eggplants (about 1 pound total)
2 red bell peppers, or 1 red pepper and 1 yellow pepper
2 ribs celery (optional)
1 bunch scallions, trimmed
2 tablespoons sherry or wine vinegar, or to taste
Coarse salt (sea or kosher) and freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, preferably Spanish, or to taste
¼ cup chopped toasted hazelnuts (optional; see Box)
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1. Ember-roasting on a charcoal grill: Set up a charcoal grill for ember-roasting (caveman grilling). Rake out the coals in an even layer and lay the onions, eggplants, and peppers on the embers. Roast until charred black on all sides and tender in the center (a slender metal skewer will pierce the onions and eggplants easily). You’ll need 8 to 10 minutes for roasting the onions; 6 to 8 minutes for the eggplants and peppers. Turn with tongs so the veggies roast evenly. Ember-roast the celery, if using, for about 2 minutes per side; the scallions for 1 to 2 minutes.
Direct-grill method: Heat your gas or wood-burning grill as hot as it will go (600°F or more). Brush or scrape the grill grate clean and oil it well. Direct grill the veggies until charred on the outside and cooked through (follow the cooking times above). Test for doneness with a metal skewer.
2. Transfer the charred vegetables to a sheet pan and let cool. Using a paring knife, scrape off and discard the burnt skins (don’t worry about removing every last bit—a few spots of black add color and flavor). Cut the vegetables into ¾-inch dice and transfer to a mixing bowl along with any vegetables from the sheet pan or the cutting board. Add any released juices to a separate bowl.
3. Make the dressing: Add the sherry vinegar and salt and pepper (about ½ teaspoon of each) to the vegetable juices in the bowl. Whisk until the salt crystals are dissolved. Whisk in the olive oil. Taste for seasoning, adding oil, vinegar, or salt to taste; the dressing should be highly seasoned.
4. Add the diced grilled vegetables to the dressing and toss to mix. To serve, mound the salad onto plates. Sprinkle each serving with hazelnuts (if using) and parsley.
How to Toast Nuts
Heat a dry cast-iron skillet over your grill’s side burner or on a stove’s burner over medium heat. (Do not use a nonstick pan.) Add the nuts. Toast until the nuts become fragrant and start to brown, 1 to 2 minutes, shaking the pan or stirring with a wooden spoon so they cook evenly. Immediately, transfer the toasted nuts to a heat-proof bowl. Toasting gives nuts a smoky flavor that’s infinitely more appealing than when they’re raw.
To skin toasted hazelnuts, grab a small handful of the hot nuts at a time, place them in a clean tea towel, and rub them vigorously between the palms of your hands. This will loosen the skins, which you should discard.
with Arugula and Queso Fresco
Yield: Serves 4
Method: Direct grilling
Prep time: 12 minutes
Grilling time: 8 minutes (4 minutes if everything is grilled together)
Grill/Gear: Can be grilled over charcoal, wood, or gas. You also need 2 hardwood chunks or 1½ cups unsoaked wood chips (optional).
Shop: Queso fresco (“fresh cheese” literally) is a mild sweet-salty cheese from Mexico and Central America; look for it in the dairy section of most supermarkets. Other options include halloumi or feta. As for the watermelon, how do you select a sweet one? I could tell you to lift and shake it (it should feel heavy) or thump it with your knuckles (it should sound hollow). The field spot (the part that rested on the ground while the melon was ripening) should be a dark yellow. But the best way is to buy it from a store that has one cut open for sampling.
Watermelon has long brought a barbecue to a joyful conclusion. You’re about to integrate it into your meal more fully: by turning it into a grilled salad. Picture the same moist crunch, the same refreshing sweetness. But grilling adds caramel (burnt sugar) overtones and a smoky element—especially when done over a wood or wood-enhanced fire. Queso fresco brings in a salty note that has an uncanny way of heightening a watermelon’s sweetness. More riotous flavor comes from a ginger-lime dressing, fresh mint, and candied nuts.
Ingredients
For the Grill
Vegetable oil for oiling the grill grate and basting the cheese
4 slices (each 1 inch thick) fresh red or yellow watermelon (preferably seedless)
1 chunk (8 ounces) queso fresco, blotted dry
For the Ginger-Lime Dressing
2 limes, halved crosswise
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons minced candied ginger
¼ cup vegetable oil
Coarse salt (sea or kosher) and freshly ground black pepper
To Finish the Salad
1 bunch baby arugula, rinsed and spun dry
¼ cup thinly slivered fresh mint
½ cup chopped candied pecans or walnuts
1. Set up your grill for direct grilling and heat to high. Ideally, you’ll be working over a wood or wood-enhanced fire. If using a charcoal grill, add the wood chunks or chips to the fire. If using a gas grill, place wood chunks under the grate directly over one of the burners to generate wood smoke. Brush or scrape the grill grate clean and oil it well.
2. Arrange the watermelon slices on the grill and grill until singed and grill-marked on both sides, but still raw in the center, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Use a large spatula and tongs to turn. Lightly brush the cheese with vegetable oil on both sides and grill until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. While you’re at it, grill the lime halves for the dressing, cut sides down, until darkly browned, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer the watermelon, cheese, and limes to a wire rack to cool.
3. Make the dressing: Squeeze the juice from the grilled limes into a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the honey, candied ginger, vegetable oil, and salt and pepper; the dressing should be highly seasoned.
4. Cut the watermelon into 1-inch squares (discard the rind and any seeds) and add it to the bowl with the salad dressing. Add the arugula and mint. Crumble in the grilled cheese. Gently toss the ingredients to mix. Sprinkle the candied nuts on top and serve at once.
with Sour Cream and Dill
Yield: Serves 4
Method: Caveman grilling (in the embers) or direct grilling
Prep time: 15 minutes
Grilling time: 20 to 30 minutes
Grill/Gear: Can be grilled over charcoal, wood, or gas. You also need latex gloves for handling the beets.
Shop: Red beets are the most common, but yellow or orange beets show off the ember-roasting flavors better.
Insider tip: If you have a charcoal grill, you’ll want to roast the beets directly on the embers. If you have a gas grill, you can achieve a similar smoky flavor by direct grilling the beets over a hot fire to char the exterior. Tradition calls for dressing the beets with sour cream, but you could also use plain Greek-style yogurt. Beets tend to stain your fingers; wear latex gloves when peeling and cutting them.
Beets sauced with sour cream and dill is a classic Russian zakuski (appetizer). In the following recipe, you’ll give them a thoroughly un-Russian smoke flavor—by roasting the beets caveman style, directly on the embers. Some versions call for the beets to be grated, but I like them diced, to give you something to chew. If you like the earthy mineral flavor of beets, the crunch of walnuts and cucumbers, the silky richness of sour cream, and the aromatic sweetness of dill, prepare to experience salad nirvana.
Ingredients
4 large beets (preferably yellow or orange), trimmed and scrubbed
2 scallions, trimmed
1 cup sour cream or plain Greek-style yogurt
Coarse salt (sea or kosher) and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
½ teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus 4 sprigs for garnish
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½-inch dice
½ cup walnut halves
1. Ember-roasting on a charcoal grill: Set up a charcoal grill for ember-roasting (caveman grilling). Rake out the coals in an even layer and lay the beets on top. Roast until charred black on all sides and tender in the center (a slender metal skewer will pierce the beets easily), turning often with tongs, 20 to 30 minutes. While you’re at it, lay the scallions on the embers and grill until browned, 1 minute per side. Transfer the beets and scallions to a sheet pan to cool.
Direct grilling: Set up your grill for direct grilling and heat your gas or wood-burning grill as hot as it will go. Brush or scrape the grill grate clean. Direct grill the beets until charred on the outside and cooked through. Test for doneness with a metal skewer, 20 to 30 minutes. Grill the scallions until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer the beets and scallions to a sheet pan to cool.
2. Meanwhile, make the dressing: Place the sour cream in an attractive serving bowl. Add ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper, as well as the sugar, lemon zest, and chopped dill, and whisk to mix. Fold in the cucumber and walnut halves with a rubber spatula.
3. Transfer the cooled beets to a cutting board. Using a paring knife, trim off the charred exterior. Cut the beets into ½-inch dice. Fold them into the salad. Correct the seasoning, adding salt or sugar to taste; the salad should be highly seasoned. Garnish with the sprigs of dill.
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Method: Direct grilling
Prep time: 20 minutes
Grilling time: 18 minutes or less
Grill/Gear: Can be grilled over charcoal, wood, or gas. You also need 2 hardwood chunks or 1½ cups unsoaked wood chips.
Shop: Take the trouble to procure thick-sliced artisanal bacon for this salad. Wisconsin’s Nueske’s comes to mind. For lettuces, you can go the straight iceberg or hearts of romaine route, but I like to mix up the greens with Little Gems, radicchio, and Belgian endive.
Insider tip: You can prepare this salad on any type of grill, but you’ll get more flavor if you grill over a wood fire, or add hardwood chunks to the charcoal or place them under the grate of your gas grill (see here).
Here’s a twist on an American classic, and if you think a BLT sandwich tastes good, wait until you try it deconstructed and reconstructed as a salad. You already know how to grill bacon. The bread in a traditional BLT becomes grilled croutons. But the real magic comes from the lettuces—grilled long enough to give them charred smoky edges, but quickly enough to leave them raw and crisp in the center. I call for a mix of lettuces—ideally, varieties sturdy enough to stand up to the heat of the grill. The only ingredient I don’t grill is the tomatoes; I like them fresh and wet to counterpoint the smoke and crunch of the other ingredients.
Ingredients
For the Dressing
3 tablespoons mayonnaise, preferably Hellmann’s or Best Foods
3 tablespoons buttermilk, heavy (whipping) cream, or half-and-half
2 tablespoons rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar, or to taste
Coarse salt (sea or kosher) and freshly ground black pepper
For the Salad
2 Little Gem lettuces or 1 head of Boston lettuce or iceberg lettuce or 2 hearts of romaine
1 head of radicchio, or more lettuce
2 Belgian endives, or more lettuce
Extra virgin olive oil for brushing the lettuces
Vegetable oil for oiling the grill grate
4 strips thick-cut artisanal bacon
4 slices French bread, each about ½ inch thick
3 luscious ripe red tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1. Make the dressing: Place the mayonnaise, buttermilk, and vinegar in a large attractive serving bowl and whisk to mix, adding salt and pepper to taste.
2. Prepare the lettuces: If using Little Gem or romaine lettuces, remove any dirty or wilted exterior leaves and cut in half lengthwise. Leave the root end attached—it helps keep the leaves together. If using iceberg lettuce, cut it in quarters through the stem. Cut the radicchio the same way. If using Belgian endives, cut them in half lengthwise (in quarters if the endives are large). Lightly brush the cut edges of the lettuces with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Set up your grill for direct grilling. Have a high zone for grilling the lettuce; a medium-high zone for grilling the bacon and bread; and a fire-free safety zone in case the bacon starts to burn. Brush or scrape the grill grate clean and oil it well.
4. Grill the bacon over the medium-hot zone until browned and crisp, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Move the bacon to the safety zone if flare-ups occur. Transfer the bacon with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, then cut it crosswise into ½-inch strips.
5. Grill the lettuces over the hot zone to char the cut sides, 1 to 2 minutes per cut side. Don’t overcook; the centers of the lettuces should remain raw. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool, then slice widthwise into ½-inch strips.
6. Lightly brush the bread slices with olive oil on both sides. Grill until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Set aside.
7. Add the grilled bacon, lettuces, and tomatoes to the bowl with the salad dressing. Add the grilled bread, breaking it into 1-inch pieces. Toss just before serving and dust with the chopped chives.
Yield: Serves 4
Method: Smoke-roasting (indirect grilling)
Prep time: 15 minutes
Grilling time: 40 to 60 minutes
Grill/Gear: Can be grilled over charcoal or gas. You also need a disposable aluminum foil roasting pan; 2 hardwood chunks or 1½ cups wood chips (optional), the latter soaked in water to cover for 30 minutes, then drained.
Shop: I like to use a mix of fingerling potatoes: red, yellow, and of course, Peruvian purple potatoes. If unavailable locally, one good source is Melissas.com. You can also use Yukon Gold potatoes. You’ll need to know about a few special ingredients for the sauce. Queso blanco is a soft, fresh, salty Latin American cheese. Look for it in the dairy section of many supermarkets, or substitute Italian ricotta salata or white cheddar. To be authentic, you’d use a yellow Peruvian chile called aji amarillo. You can order jarred chiles in brine or in paste form from Amazon. But hot paprika produces excellent Huancaína Sauce if you can’t find the chiles.
Insider tip: Smoke-roasting is one of my favorite ways to cook small dense vegetables, from potatoes to carrots to brussels sprouts. You season the veggies with olive oil and indirect grill them in a foil pan next to a fire enhanced with hardwood. Stir often so the veggies brown evenly.
Papas huancaína (named for a Peruvian city in the Andean highlands) may be the most flavorful potato salad on Planet Barbecue. In place of the traditional mayonnaise-based dressing, you use a creamy piquant cheese sauce spiked with spicy Peruvian chiles. Wood smoke adds another dimension of flavor. Don’t let the exotic sound of the ingredients deter you. Most can be found at good supermarkets and the sauce can be made in 5 minutes.
Ingredients
2 pounds baby fingerling potatoes (ideally a mix of red, white, and purple), scrubbed and blotted dry
2 scallions, trimmed, white parts cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces, green parts finely chopped and set aside for serving
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt (sea or kosher) and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for oiling the grill grate
1. Set up your grill for indirect grilling and heat to medium-high.
2. Cut any large potatoes in half or thirds so all the potatoes are the same size, that is, 1 to 1½ inches. Place the potatoes and scallion whites in a disposable aluminum foil pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
3. Brush or scrape the grill grate clean and oil it well.
4. Place the pan with the potatoes in the center of the grill away from the heat. Add the wood chunks or chips to the coals, if using. Close the grill lid and smoke-roast the potatoes until tender, 40 to 60 minutes. (For instructions for smoking on a gas grill.) Insert a bamboo skewer in one of the potatoes to test for doneness: The skewer should go in easily. Stir the potatoes from time to time so they roast evenly. For extra crispness, roast the potatoes (still in the pan) directly over the fire during the last 5 minutes.
5. Transfer the potatoes in their foil pan to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Place in an attractive mixing bowl and stir in the Huancaína Sauce. Sprinkle with the chopped scallion greens and serve.
Yield: Makes 1½ cups
This spicy, creamy cheese sauce is one of the wonders of Peruvian cuisine. There are work-arounds for the less familiar ingredients, like queso blanco and aji amarillo. Huancaína sauce is also pretty awesome on grilled chicken and seafood.
Ingredients
6 ounces queso blanco, ricotta salata, or grated white cheddar cheese
1 bottled aji amarillo chile (Peruvian yellow chile), ¼ cup aji amarillo paste, 2 teaspoons aji amarillo powder, or 2 teaspoons hot paprika
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
½ cup evaporated milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Coarse salt (sea or kosher) and freshly ground black pepper
Place the ingredients for the sauce in a food processor and puree until smooth. Correct the seasoning, adding salt or lemon juice to taste; the sauce should be highly seasoned.
Grilled Pineapple and Shrimp Salad
with Vietnamese Flavors
Yield: Serves 6 as a salad course; 4 as a main course
Method: Direct grilling
Prep time: 20 minutes
Grilling time: 8 minutes
Grill/Gear: Can be grilled over charcoal, wood, or gas.
Shop: Fish sauce is available at most supermarkets or can be purchased online. My favorite brand is Red Boat.
Insider tip: This salad calls for three popular Southeast Asian herbs: cilantro, mint, and Thai basil. If you have only one—even if it’s Italian basil instead of Thai—you’ll still wind up with a killer salad.
Mam nem is one of the most singular grilling sauces on Planet Barbecue—a sweet-salty pineapple-based Vietnamese condiment enriched with cooked shrimp and sometimes anchovies. Like many Asian sauces, it boasts soulful salty umami flavors (Asian fish sauce will do that), and enough chile hellfire to make you sit up and take notice. I couldn’t help thinking that the same vibrant interplay of flavors would make an electrifying salad. Think smoky grilled shrimp, fresh Asian herbs, and fire-roasted pineapple. And don’t think of letting the summer grilling season go by without trying it. I like to leave the shells on the shrimp to keep them moist and for extra flavor. Grill shrimp peeled if you prefer.
Ingredients
2 pounds jumbo shrimp, shells on, or peeled and deveined
½ teaspoon coarse salt (sea or kosher)
½ cup canola or grapeseed oil, plus more for oiling the grill grate
4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise
2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice, or to taste
⅓ cup Asian fish sauce
⅓ cup sugar, plus 1 cup sugar in a shallow bowl for dredging the pineapple
1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut crosswise into ¾-inch-thick slices
1 bunch cilantro, rinsed, shaken dry, and stemmed
1 bunch fresh mint, rinsed, shaken dry, and stemmed
½ cup fresh Thai basil or regular basil leaves
3 jalapeño or serrano peppers, thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts
1. Combine the shrimp and salt in a mixing bowl and toss to mix. Let marinate for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil to medium-high in a small saucepan on your stovetop or your grill’s side burner. Add the garlic and fry until lightly browned and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Do not let it burn, or it will taste bitter. With a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Fry the shallots the same way. Let the oil cool to room temperature and set aside.
3. Place the lime juice, fish sauce, and the ⅓cup sugar in a large serving bowl. Whisk until the sugar dissolves.
4. Set up your grill for direct grilling and heat to high. Brush or scrape the grill grate clean and oil it well.
5. Brush the pineapple slices on both sides with some of the reserved garlic-shallot oil. Dredge in sugar on both sides, shaking off the excess. Arrange the pineapple on the grate and grill until browned on both sides, but still raw in the center, 1 to 2 minutes per side, turning with tongs. Transfer the pineapple slices to a wire rack to cool. Add them with any pineapple juices to the bowl with the dressing.
6. Add the cilantro, mint, basil, and peppers to the pineapple, but do not toss.
7. Right before serving, brush the shrimp on both sides with some more of the garlic-shallot oil and season with salt and black pepper. Grill the shrimp until browned and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side, turning with tongs. Add the shrimp and any remaining garlic-shallot oil to the salad and gently toss to mix.
8. Sprinkle the salad with the fried garlic and shallots and the peanuts and serve at once. If you’ve grilled the shrimp in their shells, supply plenty of napkins. You can be sure there will be at least some handwork involved in the eating of what may be the most electrifying salad you’ve ever tasted.
If you want impressive grill marks on your pineapple slices, give them a quarter turn after 1 minute per side.
Grilled Asparagus and Corn Salad
with Charred Lemon Vinaigrette
Yield: Serves 4
Method: Direct grilling
Prep time: 16 minutes
Grilling time: 12 minutes
Grill/Gear: Can be grilled over charcoal, wood, or gas. You also need small bamboo skewers or toothpicks or a grill basket or vegetable grilling grate.
Shop: When buying the asparagus, choose thick spears (they’re easier to pin and grill). Choose an Asian roasted sesame oil; one good widely available brand is Kadoya. Black sesame seeds are available at Asian markets and many supermarkets—otherwise use more toasted white sesame seeds.
Insider tip: The easiest way to grill asparagus is a technique I pioneered many years ago in The Barbecue! Bible: stalks laid side by side and pinned together to form a raft. It’s a lot easier to grill and turn the rafts this way than individual stalks.
Grilled asparagus and grilled corn are two of our favorite summer vegetables. This salad brings them together—where else?—on a hot grill. Grilling accentuates the sweetness of any vegetable by caramelizing the natural plant sugars. (It also imparts an intoxicating smoke flavor.) To reinforce those smoke flavors, you dress the salad with a sesame and charred lemon vinaigrette.
Ingredients
1 pound asparagus, fibrous ends snapped off
2 ears sweet corn, husked
Asian (dark) sesame oil for basting, plus 3 tablespoons for the dressing
Coarse salt (sea or kosher) and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for oiling the grill grate
1 lemon, zest finely grated (you’ll need ½ teaspoon) and fruit cut in half crosswise
¼ cup sugar, in a shallow dish
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or chives
1 tablespoon black or toasted white sesame seeds (see Box)
1. Set up your grill for direct grilling and heat to high.
2. Pin the asparagus stalks together with bamboo skewers or toothpicks to form rafts, 4 to 5 stalks per raft. (Alternatively, arrange them in a single layer in a grill basket. Or on a preheated vegetable grilling grate on the grill.)
3. Lightly brush the asparagus and corn with sesame oil and season with salt and pepper.
4. Brush or scrape the grill grate clean and oil it well. Grill the asparagus and corn until well browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side, 6 to 8 minutes in all for the asparagus and 9 to 12 minutes in all for the corn. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut the kernels off the corn cobs using long lengthwise strokes of a chef’s knife.
5. Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette: Dip the cut sides of the lemon halves in the sugar and place them, sugared side down, on the grill grate. Grill until darkly browned, 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Squeeze the juice from the caramelized lemon halves into a mixing bowl, discarding any seeds. Add the lemon zest, vinegar, 2 teaspoons of sugar (left over from dipping the lemon), and salt and pepper and whisk until the salt and sugar crystals are dissolved. Whisk in the 3 tablespoons of sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of water. Stir in the grilled corn, chopped cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste; the mixture should be highly seasoned.
7. Remove the skewers or toothpicks, if used, and arrange the grilled asparagus spears on a platter or plates. Spoon the grilled corn mixture over them, leaving the ends of the asparagus exposed. Dust with black sesame seeds and you’re in business.