Pump up the spice
Grilled, chile-spiked fruit salsa brings the sweet heat
Here we are in the heart of grilling season, a time when people who love outdoor cooking will look for any excuse to fire up the grill. Enthusiasts happily toss just about any ingredient on the fire, from heads of radicchio or Belgian endive quickly charred for a delicious salad to kebobs, sausages, burgers, fish fillets, steaks and chops to grilled vegetable side dishes and even pizzas.
I’m surprised by one food category, however, that continues to be met by skepticism when it comes to grilling: fresh fruit. People seem to think that sweet things won’t benefit from grilling. But the truth is the same aspects of grilling that make savory ingredients taste so good can benefit sweet things as well — especially fresh fruit.
A few minutes over a hot fire will caramelize the natural sugars in ripe but firm fruit, intensifying the flavor while making it more tender and juicy. Grill pitted nectarine or peach halves, for example, and place them on grilltoasted slices of poundcake, and you have an amazing summer dessert — especially when you add a scoop of your favorite ice cream before serving.
You don’t have to confine grilled fruit to the dessert part of your menu, either. I especially love to make quick salsas based on grilled fresh fruit to serve with any grilled seafood, poultry or meat that might taste even better accompanied by a combination of sweet, tangy and spicy flavors.
For the perfect example of how delicious grilled fruit salsas can be, I’d like to share my recipe here for sea scallops accompanied by a lively, colorful salsa of fresh pineapple (at its peak of season right now) tossed with grilled jalapeno chiles, bell pepper and red onion. The salsa is quick and easy to prepare once your fire is hot, taking just a few minutes on the grill and a few more for cooling, chopping and tossing. All that remains to do is grill the scallops, which take about 2 minutes per side (don’t overcook them), and serve it all on a platter or individual plates.
The salsa goes perfectly with any other main dish you like, from shrimp to salmon to tuna, boneless pork chops or steaks. It’s even great on sausages or burgers. And you can vary the ingredients as you wish, adding some grilled firm pitted nectarine or plum halves or other fresh herbs such as basil, chives or parsley; or using lemon or orange juice instead of the lime. So you can go on customizing and enjoying it all through the summer grilling season.