Snapper. Photo / Dean Purcell
Seafood deserves a starring role on anyone's barbecue menu, says chef James Patterson.
Anyone wanting to discover a little about our fair country will learn, with elementary research, that we are a cluster of islands in the Pacific, with more than 15,000km of coastline and a controlled economic fishing zone that is 15 times larger than Great Britain.
Continue on, however, and you'll
find that our main food of choice is overwhelmingly (and in heart-stopping quantities) some form of land-based meat, and when it comes to that most wonderful of cooking techniques so dear to our hearts - the barbecue - it's likely to be a pork sausage.
Look back through the history of the barbecue and the Americans' extensive use of pork has us feeling righteous for a moment - but to me there's nothing more interesting and refreshingly different than the inclusion of fish on the barbie menu.
History has it that the term "barbecue" originated in the Caribbean, where the abundance and variety of seafood was grilled over a small wooden grate called a "barbacoa".
Thousands of years' worth of preparing the sea's bounty over campfire or hot coals across a multitude of cultures means there's a wealth of methods, styles and flavours for cooking fish alfresco.
Some well-known favourites include the classic Spanish pairing of octopus or squid with spicy chorizo and saffron, South America's fresh tomato, coriander and lime salsa, and France's salsa verde for your tarakihi.
A little bit of recipe inspiration will put you in good stead with they who enter big-chested with pride after a day spent out fishing. There really is no better way to enjoy seafood than fresh from the ocean and straight on to the grill.
In the absence of fishermen in the family, a quick trip to your local Nosh store or fish market will kick the barbecue menu up a notch - speak to your fishmonger for tips on the best fish to use for the dish you are preparing.
* James Patterson is executive chef for Nosh food stores.
noshfoodmarket.com
