Saturday, July 11, 2009

Good Advice:

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Grilled Tuna, Plank-Style

I love cedar plank grilling! Although the plank is traditionally soaked prior to grilling, we chose to grill on a dry plank for two reasons: the coals were set very low in the Big Green Egg, and I didn't set the tuna directly on the plank. Instead, I layered the fish atop fresh ingredients:


The first layer was thin-sliced lime. The lime was the impetus for the whole recipe, because I really needed to use it!


On top of the lime went some fresh rosemary, straight from the garden.

The tuna was a shashimi cut from The Fresh Market, prepared with olive oil, fresh cracked pepper, and Chardonnay Oak Smoked Sea Salt from the Spice and Tea Exchange.




Just before going on the grill, I sprinkled the fish with Sweet Onion Sugar, which was perfect for grilling because of the carmelizing action!


The finished product: seasoned rice, green salad, and herb rolls from the Fresh Market. I didn't realize how boring my color palate was until I took the picture - I'm glad I threw the salad in there for some color!



Time for a Shameless Plug: both the Chardonnay Salt and Sweet Onion Sugar came from the Spice & Tea Exchange, a growing company with a brand-spankin' new location in Winter Park, Florida which I visited today with my dear mother and Dee. I must say that Jeffrey and Bryan are most gracious hosts and have a lovely store. I walked away with Baker's Secret, Grilled Fish Blend, Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt, and more of the Sweet Onion Salt. I'm sure you'll be seeing those in future posts! I have yet to find anything from that company I didn't like.


One final thought: if you decide to try your hand at plank grilling, do NOT go to an outdoor store and pay five bucks for a single plank. Go to a Home Improvement store and buy a piece of UNTREATED cedar. Ask them to cut it into 12-inch pieces for you, and you will have enough to sustain you for years and share with the neighbors.

That's it. Grill. Spice. Plank. GO!!