Of course here in Sunny California we barbecue all year round, but even here Summer time gives us an even bigger excuse to cook outdoors. You need a good barbecue tool set to do it right and a little practice. Remember to keep your grill clean with your cleaning tools. Stainless steel barbecue tool sets like those from Chefmaster will hold up the best. Many gas grills also have side burners and you can cook your mushrooms or other veggies while you are barbecuing that steak, chicken etc. The stainless steel encapsulated pans cook the best since the heat is distributed evenly. This allows you to cut back a little on the grease(butter, oil etc.) Multiple element cookware like Chef's Secret Cookware or Precise Heat Cookware who both offer Waterless Cookware with Multiple element Stainless Steel are good for this.



When I lived in Mexico for a few years, one of my friends showed me an interesting trick to clean the grill surface of the barbecue. He cuts an onion in half and rubs it over the surface of the grill. It cleans off the tars beautifully and without caustic chemicals.

An alternative to grilling fish is to cook it in an aluminum foil pouch. It is like steaming or poaching but with the aroma of your wood chips or charcoal. I did this when I was sailing a lot (had a small barbecue grill on rails in cockpit. But have used it camping and on my backyard grill as well.

You make a boat out of aluminum foil the size of a single portion of fish. You rinse and clean the fish and squeeze lemon or lime juice over it, then pour some dry white wine(optional but delicious), drench in olive oil, then sprinkle Lawry's Seasoned Salt and ground pepper over it. You add your favorite vegetables including onion and green (sweet) pepper, cut potatoes (cut them thin) and green vegetables or squash. Add a little more Lawry's and pepper and I add a little more lemon and oil as well…Seal the pouch and put over the grill. I usually check it in about 20 minutes. Depending on the fish it is usually done but thicker cuts might need a few more minutes. It is delicious. The flavors blend together and you have a one pouch meal. At times with Salmon I don't add the vegetables but the Lawry's, pepper, olive oil, wine and of course lemon juice is a key ingredient. The process is basically a poaching technique. The fish come out moist, light and full of flavor. This is a very healthy technique and it preserves nutrients nicely. Don't over cook but cook it to whatever desired degree you like.

Of course for Ahi tuna you can marinate in soy or teriyaki sauce with olive oil and lemon juice. Get your vegetable/fish grill and coat surface with olive oil and put on grill then the Ahi. Sear it 30 seconds each side then maybe a little longer but not too long on each side for seared Ahi. Make certain it is fresh and from a good source since it is basically raw.

Jay Mawhinney