Who doesn't love a barbecue?  A little stretch of beach or a spot by the river, a convivial atmosphere in the garden with friends or family, of course, all topped off with lots of laughter...

It's hard to resist the smell of cooking at the Gril when the weather's nice, we agree... The Barbecue is already in the starting block, with a large stock of charcoal to make sure you don't run out, the utensils are ready: meat tongs: OK and skewers: Ok, large plates : Ok

1 - An essential touch of freshness: a variety of raw vegetables

Haa, tomatoes ... My favourite! A raw vegetable that adds freshness and acidity. Sliced, diced, quartered... Plain, with a vinaigrette, with diced feta... Cucumber will do just as well, providing maximum freshness in these hot weather conditions. For those who want a panache of flavours, I suggest a lovely salad made with :  Lettuce leaves, tomato, cucumber, corn, carrot, etc.

In all cases, a vegetarian chilli vinaigrette will be a delight with these salads.

2 - Grilled vegetables

There's plenty of choice when it comes to grilled vegetables, but you can also try yellow bananas, sweet potatoes, giraumon, aubergines, peppers, courgettes and a few onions.

Here are a few tips to make your vegetables a success.

Step 1

Cut the courgettes into 1 cm-thick slices, leaving the skin on. For the Yellow Banana, Sweet Potato, Giraumon and Aubergines, cut them into 1/2 cm half-slices. Finally, the onions can be left in quarters and the peppers in large chunks.

Step 2

Place the vegetables on the oiled grill and drizzle with olive oil. They can be served with a spicy or non-spicy shallot sauce.

3- The essentials: Grilled chicken and pork, 

Drumsticks and thighs, the softest cuts, are truly the king of the West Indian BBQ. A lemony marinade, with a good handful of herbs and a dash of chilli, and you've got it. The secret: the meat must be cooked all the way through to the bone, yet still be moist.

How do you go about it?

Here's a recipe for marinating that should tantalise your taste buds.

Ingredients : 

• 8 pieces of meat (Chicken/Pork chops).

For the marinade :

• 2g 4-spice mix
• 2 sprigs parsley
• 1 pinch of chilli purée
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 Indian wood leaf
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 20 ml oil
• 4 g fine salt
• ½ onion
• 20 ml water

Step 1 

Do this the day before or 2 hours before grilling:

Depending on your preference, for the chicken, remove its skin and separate the thighs from the drumsticks. Using the tip of a knife, prick the pieces of meat to help the flavours of the marinade penetrate.

Prepare the marinade: Finely chop the onion, garlic, thyme, salt and India wood in a blender. Add the lemon, oil and water and blend.

Step 2

Coat the chicken in this marinade and place in the fridge for at least 2 hour.

Step 3

Grill the meat, taking care to remove the garlic and onion from the marinade. Place your pieces of grilled meat in a dish and pour the sauce over them. Your chicken is now ready to enjoy, hot or cold.

Let's face it, we like to have plenty of choice on our plates at gourmet gatherings.  Grilled pork chops are also popular in the West Indies. They can be served alongside chicken, which takes almost the same amount of time to cook.

4 - A Popular Classic: Grilled Fish

Here again, the choice is yours. You can choose snapper, gilthead bream or pike. As for the pieces, choose steaks or large pieces that don't fall apart during cooking when turned over, as rock fish can do.

How do I go about it?

Here's a recipe for marinating that should tantalise your taste buds.

Ingredients : 

• 2kg of gutted and scaled fish (Snapper, Sea bream, ..).

For the marinade :

• Juice of 1 lemon
• 24g coarse sea salt
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 India wood leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon chopped chilli confit (adjust to taste)
• 2g 4-spice mix
• 150 ml water

Step 1

Make 2 incisions about ½ cm deep on each side of the fish. Place the fish in a large dish. Prepare the brine by mixing all the ingredients together and sprinkle over the fish. Leave the fish in the brine for 3 to 4 hours in the fridge, about 1? hours per side.

Step 2

Using a tea towel (or paper towel), dry the skin of the fish. Oil the surface of the fish, then flour it all over. Using a kitchen towel, oil the grill of your barbecue or electric grill and light it.

Step 3

Remove the fish from the grill and place on a large platter. Drizzle with the Dog Sauce and enjoy!

Tips and advice

If you live in France, you'll find snapper; fresh in some supermarkets, frozen in exotic grocery shops.

Reduce the amount of salt in the brine if you want to marinate the fish overnight, 

• It is important to flour the surface of the fish well so that it doesn't stick to the grill.
• Serve the fish with a good Dog Sauce
• To spice things up, think of chilli puree or chilli confit.
• For a Caribbean-style meal, serve with rice and plantains. 

But be careful! BBQ does not mean overcooked. Keep an eye on the cooking of fish such as king mackerel, tuna or marlin, which tend to become dry. 

6. No barbecue without sauces!

These little sauces add incredible pleasure to your barbecues.  Here are a few suggested sauces to accompany :

Dog Sauce

This sauce is more for grilled fish and shellfish. You can either pour it over your food after cooking or simply use it as a garnish. You can then enjoy your fish as you help yourself to the Dog Sauce.

Creole Sauce

This sauce is more for red and white meat. A variant of the Sauce Chien, it's perfect for grilled chicken drumsticks and pork chops.  You can use it as a topping after cooking or simply as a garnish. You'll be able to enjoy your meat as you help yourself to the Sauce Créole.

Old Rum BBQ sauce

As the name suggests, an excellent Barbecue Sauce enhanced by the flavours of Old Rum.

Smoked Rum BBQ Sauce

An excellent barbecue sauce with the added flavour of boucané.

Smoked Pepper Oil

To enhance the smoky flavour of your grilled meats and add a little spice too.

Mango Vinaigrette

A tasty vinaigrette made with Mango ripened in the sun of the West Indies, to add acidity and sweetness to your salads.

Hibiscus (Bissap) Vinaigrette

A delicious vinaigrette made with Bissap flower, which has gained all its wild red fruit flavour, bathed in the sunshine of the West Indies. It will bring the acidity and aromas of red summer fruits to your salads.

Chilli Pepper

To spice up your dishes even more, you can use chilli puree or chopped chilli confit. You can add as much or as little as you like to the side of your plate and adjust the strength of each bite.

Vegetarian Chilli

To get more of the chilli flavour without the spiciness, you can use the Vegetarian Chilli Purée or the Vegetarian Chilli Pieces. As a side dish, you're in for a treat!

And don't forget: we prefer natural, quality and local products if possible! If you don't have a West Indian grocery shop near you, you can plan ahead by ordering some of the ingredients for this delicious recipe from Arawak Market, our online market for West Indian products!