A Delicious Summery Treat!

And that treat is a taco, and not just any taco. Jess Larson, who's a food blogger herself, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her Grilled Salmon Tacos. Jess told Tonia she starts with wild caught Alaskan Salmon, along with a cool, creamy Avocado Crema homemade in a food processor. It's a perfect treat for summer and is a really nice break from the standard barbeque fare!

• 1 pound fresh salmon fillets, skin removed and diced into 1-inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lime, juiced

for the green sauce:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup buttermilk (or 1 scant teaspoon lemon juice + scant ¼ cup milk)
• 2 large, juicy limes, juiced (approx. ¼ cup juice)
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro (approx. 1 cup loosely packed leaves and tender stems)
• 1 medium jalapeno, deseeded as desired and roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 3 green onions, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
  
  
• Season the salmon: In a large bowl, combine the salmon cubes with chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, oregano, onion powder. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Toss until the fish is well coated.

Sear the salmon: Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot and shimmering, add the salmon. Cook undisturbed for 2 minutes, then flip and cook another 90 seconds to 2 minutes, or until cooked to your liking. Work in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding the pan. Transfer the seared salmon to a plate and squeeze fresh lime juice over top.

Assemble the taco bowls: Build your seared salmon taco bowls as desired. I love starting with a base of shredded cabbage and cilantro lime rice, then topping with fish, pico de gallo or salsa, avocado or guacamole, a generous drizzle of green sauce, and finely chopped cilantro. Enjoy!

The Key to a Great Grilled Chicken Wing

The common wisdom over chicken wings, at least when you grill them, is to bake them or boil them first. But that's not exactly right, says cookbook author Jess Larson. She stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her recipe for Grilled Lemon Parmesan chicken wings. Jess told Tonia the best way to handle grilled wings is to...keep them on the grill. Jess says what you do is to light the grill halfway, that is to make sure half the grill has an open flame, whereas the other half is allowed to warm radiantly. She places the wings on the indirect heat and lets them cook internally, then when they're cooked on the inside, put those wings on the open flame and let them get charred. And as for the sauce, coat those wings after they're cooked!

Season the chicken wings. Pat the chicken wings as dry as possible with paper towel, then coat them in a generous dusting of salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.

Prep the lemon parmesan garlic wing sauce by combining oil with lemon zest and juice, fresh garlic, grated parmesan, and a touch of honey for caramelized char. Tip! ⇢ Be sure to use a high smoke point vegetable oil that can stand up to the intense heat of a grill. I like grilling with avocado oil.

Zone 2: Finish the chicken wings over direct heat. Place the saucy wings back on the grill, positioning them directly over the flame. Cook until the wings develop beautiful crispy grill marks. Why? ⇢ The intense heat of the direct zone renders the skin, making it deliciously charred and crispy.

They Should "Pop" For These Oysters

    

That's because the oysters will pop first. And who better to do the grilling, than the grillmaster himself, Josiah Citrin. Chef Josiah owns the celebrated Santa Monica, California restaurant Charcoal Venice. If you can't make it to one of his restaurants, he's written a cookbook, appropriately named Charcoal, detailing his tips and tricks to grilling over fire. He stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about how to properly grill oysters, and make sure they have the amazing flavor. They actually pop when you cook 'em!  Josiah told Tonia he created this dish simply playing around with one his grills, and noted that you can have the same kind of fun, since you can grill just about anything

For the Grilled Oysters:

• 18 large oysters, such as Hama Hama, Fanny Bay or Beausoleil, scrubbed clean
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• Hibiscus Seaweed Butter (recipe follows)
• Rock salt, for serving

For the Hibiscus Seaweed Butter:

• 1/4 cup shredded wakame seaweed
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
• 1 teaspoon fleur de sel
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped dried hibiscus
• 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions

1. Preheat a charcoal or gas grill to medium-high. Grill the oysters until they pop, then remove from the grill. Heat a small saucepan over medium and toast the breadcrumbs, stirring constantly to be sure they don't burn.

2. For the Hibiscus Seaweed Butter: Pour 1 cup water into a small bowl. Add seaweed and let bloom until rehydrated, about 10 minutes. Wring out excess water and coarsely chop. Mash the seaweed, shallot, chives, fleur de sel, pepper and hibiscus with the butter until thoroughly combined. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours.

3. Place a small dollop of the Hibiscus Seaweed Butter on each oyster and let melt. Sprinkle the oysters with toasted breadcrumbs and serve on a bed of rock salt. Serves 6.

A Grilled Cauliflower

   

Is there really such a thing as grilled cauliflower? When it's in the skilled hands of Grillmaster Jamie Purviance, you bet! Jamie, who wrote the cookbook Weber's Ultimate Grilling, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to help ring in the summer grilling season, and talk about a delicious side. His cauliflower has a slight east Asian flavor with a Tandoori Crust. He told Tonia that's made up of yogurt and spices. It's interesting, because the Cauliflower takes on the look of a cake, thanks to the golden color it gets from roasting on the grill. 

Tandoori Crust

1/3 cup chopped yellow onion (½ small onion)

3 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¾ cup plain whole milk or low fat Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 head cauliflower, about 1 ¾ pounds Canola oil Herb Chutney

1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems

1 cup packed fresh mint leaves

½ small yellow onion, cut into chunks

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 small green chile pepper, such as serrano, seeded

1 tablespoon peeled, finely grated fresh ginger (

½ by 2 inch piece)

2 garlic cloves, smashed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup plain whole milk or low fat Greek yogurt

1.

Prepare the grill for indirect cooking over medium heat (350° to 400°F). In a food processor combine the onion and garlic and pulse until finely chopped. Add the lemon juice, yogurt, and all the spices and puree until fairly smooth, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed

2.

Turn the cauliflower stem side up. Insert a small, sharp knife about ½ inch away from the stem and cut around the stem on a diagonal to remove it in one piece. Trim away any remaining leaves and discard them with the stem.

3.

Lightly oil a 10 inch cast iron skillet large enough to hold the cauliflower. Place the cauliflower, stemmed side down, in the skillet. Slather the yogurt mixture all over the cauliflower (some will run into the pan bottom, which is fine).

4.

Drain the wood chips, scatter over the coals or add to the smoker box of a gas grill, and close the lid. When smoke appears, grill the cauliflower in the skillet over indirect medium heat, with the lid closed, until a knife slides easily into the center and the crust is nicely golden brown, 50 to 70 minutes.

5.

If the cauliflower is browning too deeply, tent it with aluminum foil. Using a wide metal spatula, transfer the cauliflower to a platter, leaving behind any scorched sauce in the pan (it will taste bitter).

6.

While the cauliflower is cooking, make the chutney. In a food processor combine all the

ingredients except the yogurt and pulse until very finely chopped, stopping to scrape down the bowl sides as needed. Add the yogurt and puree until fairly smooth. To serve, cut the cauliflower into wedges. Serve warm with the chutney.

The photo credit is Ray Kachatorian, and the credit line is: Excerpted from Weber’s Ultimate Grilling © 2019 by Jamie Purviance. Photography © 2019 by Ray Kachatorian. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.