Low-Fat Summer Grilling with Seafood
Healthy Barbecued Meals--Ahi Tomato Salad, Scallops and Melon Relish
Jul 13, 2009
Grilling is an easy way to cook low-fat items, especially seafood. Try these tasty, healthy recipes for unusual barbecued summer meals.
The Ahi recipe matches vibrant flavors, like fresh tomatoes and Italian parsley, with unexpected tastes, like coriander. It’s quick to prepare and light on calories. The scallop recipe is a flavorful, healthy dish that marries the sweetness of scallops with that of melon.
Coriander Ahi with Tomato-Parsley Salad (serves 4)
Coriander Rub
Ingredients:
- 3 Tablespoons whole coriander seeds, toasted and cracked
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Directions:
- Mix ingredients together in a small bowl.
Coriander Ahi
Ingredients:
- 4 3-ounce pieces Ahi tuna, fresh or thawed (if frozen)
- Coriander rub
Directions:
- Rub Ahi with coriander rub.
- Let tuna marinate 30 minutes at room temperature (so it’s not cold in the center).
- Sear tuna on a hot grill for one to two minutes per side or more, depending on how done the fish is preferred.
- After searing, let Ahi rest for one minute before slicing into ½-inch pieces.
- Place tomato-parsley salad (next recipe) on plate, top with vinaigrette (recipe below).
- Finish by topping salad with sliced Ahi.
Tomato-Parsley Salad
Ingredients:
- 2 large, ripe tomatoes cut into 12 wedges each
- ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup Italian parsley, picked from stem
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Pinch of crushed chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon sugar
Directions:
- Toss ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl.
Summer Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons cilantro
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon chopped onion
- 2 Tablespoons canola oil
Directions:
- Place ingredients in blender or food processor.
- Blend until combined and slightly smooth.
Grilled Scallops with Melon Relish (serves 4)
Dry-pack scallops are preferable for the following grilled recipe, since they do not have chemicals or water pumped into them, and their flavor is superior. Wet-pack scallops are difficult to grill because of the amount of water they release, and their flavor is less desirable. Dry-pack scallops are available at seafood shops.
If using wooden skewers for the scallops, soak them in water at least 20 minutes before putting the scallops on them, so the skewers won’t burn on the grill.
Melon Relish
Ingredients:
- ½ melon (cantaloupe, honeydew or Crenshaw—not watermelon), diced into ½-inch cubes
- 1 Tablespoon mint, finely sliced
- 1 teaspoon Italian parsley, finely sliced
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- ½ cup shallots, Julienne cut into 1/4-inch slices
Directions:
- Mix prepared ingredients in medium-sized bowl.
- Stir to blend.
- Set aside.
Grilled Scallops
Ingredients:
- 12 large, dry-pack scallops
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 6-inch skewers
Directions:
- Lay scallops in rows of three on plate.
- Put two skewers in each row of scallops (so they stay flat and don’t flip when grilled) with room between each scallop.
- Season scallops with salt and pepper.
- Grill on well-seasoned, hot grill 5-7 minutes.
- Plate scallops and place 3 Tablespoons or more of melon relish next to scallops.
Also try marinating or brining meats, fish and vegetables before grilling them.
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