Five things to throw on the barbie next long weekend
Keep that holiday feeling alive and get family and friends together for a good Aussie barbecue over the upcoming long weekends.
With long weekends coming up on the 25-27th of January and 8-10th February, it’s a great time to get that barbie cleaned up and stoked, with easy summer entertaining the order of the day.
Here are our five top choices to throw on the barbecue:
Prawns and crayfish
Prawns and crayfish are brilliant on the barbecue.
Just remember, due to their delicate flesh, barbecue them for a few minutes only on each side, or keep them in their shells while barbecuing.
Larger prawns like our green Skull Island prawns are ideal in recipes like these Barbecued Prawns with Dill and Caper Butter or these Barbecued Prawns with Tangy Barbecue Sauce. Prawns also work well on skewers - try these Tequila Prawn Skewers.
If using cooked crayfish, split them in half lengthways and put them shell-side down on the barbecue or place them on a baking sheet like in this recipe for Barbecued Crayfish Salad.
Lamb
Aussie lamb is synonymous with summer barbecues.
There’s nothing like a lamb chop or lamb cutlet on the barbecue. Spice things up with these Dukkah Crusted Lamb Chops with Mint and Pomegranate Salad or these Sticky Honey Macadamia Cutlets.
If you want to feed a crowd, think a boned, marinated and butterflied leg or shoulder, which are delicious seared on all sides and then cooked with the barbecue lid down for about 25-30 minutes depending on the size. Butterfly one yourself using this guide, or buy one of our ready-marinated, butterflied legs from the meat section at your nearest Hill Street store.
Vegetables & fruit
Keep things simple and your kitchen mess-free by cooking your veggies on the barbecue too. The trick here is to dry-grill them. Slice thinly, ideally on a mandolin, and chargrill lightly on both sides so you have a nice grilled flavour and light grill stripes. Take them off the grill and toss in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. If you like, add some baby mozzarella and a handful of basil leaves.
You can also barbecue a cos lettuce – and corn is great on the barbecue with smoky flavours – try this Mexican Corn on the Cob.
You can even grill peach or nectarine halves and add them to a leafy green salad like this one.
And while you’re on a roll, why not make dessert on the barbecue with these Barbecue Bananas or these Honey Grilled Peaches.
Haloumi
Haloumi is, of course, made for grilling. These Spicy Halloumi Skewers with Chilli make a great entrée.
Grilled halloumi is a great addition to a summer salad like this Watermelon, Halloumi and Mint Salad.
Quail
Don’t forget about quail, which make a lovely starter or platter on a barbecue spread. Grown in Tasmania, our quail are plump, partially boned and already butterflied, ready for your barbecue.
Check in the deli section of your local Hill Street store for marinated quail ready for you to barbecue, or make this easy Barbecued Quail with Spiced Cherry Compote.
