Three simple recipes to help you barbecue like a Michelin-starred chef

There’s no better way to enjoy the summer weather than with a barbecue. Getting out of the kitchen to cook is a perfect way to get together with friends and family, too.

But barbecuing doesn’t have to mean the same old hot dogs and burgers every night. Add some variety by incorporating seafood and vegetables alongside your favourites.

Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge agrees. In fact, he’s written a book all about it. Here’s a sneak peek from Outdoor Cooking: The Ultimate Modern Barbecue Bible that is guaranteed to get you outside this week and beyond.

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Perfect for pescatarians, these barbecued spiced salmon skewers are served with naan bread and pickled onions. Marinated in a mix of spices, these Asian-inspired salmon skewers are best cooked on a barbecue.

Makes: 8 servings

Ingredients

8 skinless salmon fillets (about 125g each)

2 large garlic cloves, grated

2.5cm piece of fresh ginger, grated

Juice of 1 lime

200g Greek yoghurt

1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp sweet smoked paprika

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the pickled red onions:

2 small red onions

125ml water

125ml white wine vinegar

½ tsp fennel seeds

½ tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

To serve:

Naan bread or roti

A handful of coriander leaves

1 long green chilli, finely sliced

Lime halves

Sweet chilli sauce

Method

1. Prepare your pickled red onions an hour or so ahead. Thickly slice the onions and place in a clean jar. Put the water, wine vinegar, fennel and cumin seeds, salt and sugar into a small pan over a medium heat and stir until the sugar and salt are fully dissolved. Pour the hot pickling liquor over the onions and leave to cool slightly. Pop the lid on and place in the fridge to pickle.

2. To prepare the salmon, cut each fillet into four equal-sized chunks. Place these in a bowl with the garlic, ginger and lime juice and mix well.

3. In another bowl, mix the yoghurt with the spices and some salt and pepper. Add this spiced yoghurt to the salmon and mix well again. Leave to marinate in a cool place for at least 20 minutes, or up to an hour. Meanwhile, if using wooden skewers, soak eight, 16cm long, in water for 30 minutes.

4. Once marinated, thread the salmon onto your skewers, putting four chunks onto each skewer.

5. Place the skewers on the hot barbecue and cook for two to three minutes on each side until golden brown and lightly charred. Meanwhile, warm the roti or naan on the edge of the barbecue. Once cooked, transfer the skewers to a warm plate.

6. Serve the skewers on the warm naan or rotis. Scatter over a little pickled red onion, some coriander and sliced green chilli. Serve with lime halves for squeezing over, and sweet chilli sauce on the side.

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Who needs beef, when you’ve got thick slices of halloumi and portobello mushrooms sandwiched in a brioche bun? These super-juicy mushroom burgers are packed full of big umami flavours. The dried porcini powder in the butter adds an incredible savoury depth, which is enhanced with chilli, garlic and lemon zest.

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients

2 x 225g packs halloumi

8 portobello mushrooms, stems removed

For the umami butter:

160g butter, softened

2 tbsp white miso

1 tbsp light soy sauce

5g dried porcini mushrooms, ground to a powder

½ tsp dried chilli flakes

2 large garlic cloves, finely grated

Finely grated zest of ½ lemon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To assemble:

4 brioche burger buns, split

4 tbsp sweet chilli or hot chilli sauce

4 tbsp mayonnaise

About 60g rocket leaves

Method:

1. Cut each block of halloumi in half horizontally through the middle to create four flat halloumi steaks in total.

2. For the umami butter, put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix until evenly combined, seasoning with a good pinch each of salt and pepper.

3. Brush the portobello mushrooms on one side with the umami butter and place them buttered side down on a medium-hot barbecue. Brush the other side thickly with butter while they are cooking. Turn the mushrooms over after two to three minutes and add the halloumi to the barbecue. Brush the surface of the halloumi with umami butter too. Keep brushing the mushrooms with the butter as they cook; do the same with the halloumi.

4. Towards the end of the cooking, toast the burger buns on the barbecue. Brush any remaining umami butter onto the toasted buns.

5. To assemble the burgers, place a mushroom, flat side up, on the base of each burger bun. Top with a halloumi steak and add a spoonful of sweet chilli or hot chilli sauce. Pile a big handful of rocket leaves on top. Spread some mayo on the bun lids and sandwich the burgers together. Tuck in straight away.

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The chef takes the humble hot dog to the next level. Inspired by the festive favourite pigs in blankets, Kerridge’s ultimate barbecue hot dog is wrapped in bacon and topped with caramelised onions, melted cheese and mustard mayo.

Make:4 servings

Ingredients:

For the barbecue burnt onions:

3 large onions, finely sliced

3 tbsp vegetable oil

For the pigs in blankets::

4 jumbo sausages

2 tsp (heaped) mild curry powder

12 rashers of streaky bacon

For the German mustard mayo:

100g thick mayonnaise

40g German mustard

3 tsp finely chopped shallot

10 cornichons, finely sliced

2 tbsp dill, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To assemble:

4 long hot dog rolls

8 large slices of dill pickle

8 thick slices of smoked Bavarian cheese

A bunch of spring onions, green part only, finely sliced

Method:

1. To cook the onions, place a cast-iron pan on the hot barbecue and add the oil. When it is hot, add the onions with a generous pinch of salt. Stir well and cook for about 20 minutes until softened, dark and caramelised.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the sausages. Poke a metal skewer through the length of each sausage and lay the skewers on a tray. Season with the curry powder, trying to get an even coating all over the sausages. Wrap each one in bacon, using three rashers per sausage, and secure the bacon with a couple of cocktail sticks.

3. Lay the bacon-wrapped sausages on the hot barbecue and cook for about 10 minutes, turning every minute or two. While they are on the barbecue, mix the German mustard mayo ingredients together in a bowl, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste; set aside until needed.

4. Once the sausages are cooked through, lift them off the barbecue and place on a tray. Remove the cocktail sticks and metal skewers.

5. To build the hot dogs, cut the rolls through the middle and spoon in plenty of caramelised onions. Add the bacon-wrapped sausages and top with the pickle slices and cheese.

6. Place the hot dogs on a sturdy baking tray on the barbecue, put the lid on and leave for a minute or two so that the cheese becomes all gooey and melted. Transfer the hot dogs to plates and spoon on the German mayo. Scatter over the spring onions for freshness and serve.

Recipes extracted from ‘Outdoor Cooking: The Ultimate Modern Barbecue Bible’ by Tom Kerridge (Bloomsbury Absolute, £22; photography by Cristian Barnett)