Hot Off The Grill: Grilled Maple Balsamic Salmon Brochettes with Oranges

Download Volume 5

A posse of us stood with Executive Chef Tim May this past February, watching jack-of-all-trades John (Cowboy) Caton wrangle wet concrete from the resorts' huge cement truck, down into floor-forms laid in preparation for the new ranch-style Cookhouse. As we celebrated the pour, Chef told us of his plans for the massive new kitchen, and that, after six years at Quait Bay, he had assigned himself full-time to the Outpost. For the next four months, Chef designed new menus, experimented with marinades and reinterpreted his trademark modern natural cuisine to suit the Outpost's emphasis on grilling and slow-roasting. Over the course of the season, he revelled in his new open-kitchen space - more than ten times the size of Quait Bay - and perfected many favourites. "Grilling meats and produce presents unique challenges," says May "forcing me to explore non-traditional methods and flavour combinations that were not second nature." The results, guests agree, are spectacular. Here Tim offers some advice to amateur chefs in search of winter grill recipes that taste anything but backyard barbeque.

For The Marinade:

• 1 small onion, quartered
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 T dijon mustard
• 1 C maple syrup
• 1 C balsamic vinegar
• 2 C x-virgin olive
• sea salt (to taste)
• fresh cracked black peppercorns (to taste)

For The Brochettes:

• 32 oz. salmon, cut into 2 oz chunks
• 4 small oranges, peeled and cut into 24 wedges
• 24 green onions (white ends only)
• fresh tarragon (to taste)
• 8 10-inch metal skewers

1. In food processor, combine onion, garlic, dijon, syrup, vinegar, s&p.; Puree until smooth.
2. To prevent separation, "slowly" add oil. Adjust s&p; to taste.
3. Starting and ending with salmon chunks (4), alternately spear fish (3), orange (3), and green onion (3) pieces.
4. In non-reactive shallow pan, pour marinade over skewers, cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
5. Pre-heat BBQ. To prevent sticking, ensure grill is VERY HOT! Grill until medium rare. Serve with a fresh spinach salad or mushroom risotto. Makes 8 brochettes.

Back To Top