Grilling Seafood

With Chris Schlesinger

Nobody knows more or as much about grilling as Chris Schlesinger, and in this video he shares all of the basic secrets and techniques to becoming the best backyard grill master in your neighborhood. Although in this video he is preparing seafood, the basics are the same. Chris' three basics are always; 1. Start with a clean, hot grill; 2. Oil your food before putting on the grill; and 3. Once it is on the grill do not fool with it.

The Weber grilling equipment used to produce this video was supplied by Foster's BBQ Grill Store in Gloucester, MA. You can see these and their other products on their web site - www.fostersgrill.com.

Ingredients

One of Heather Atwood's favorite recipes is Latin-flavored Coleslaw with Grilled Avocados, from Chris' book, License To Grill, and goes with of his seafood grilling choices:

For the Dressing
one half cup mayonnaise (jarred or homemade)
one third cup olive oil
one third cup fresh lime juice (about 2 large limes)
one quarter cup red wine vinegar
2 ears corn, husked, de-silked, blanched in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, drained, and kernels cut off the cob (about 1 cup kernels)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons catsup
4 to 10 dashes Tabasco sauce, depending on your taste for heat
salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

For the Salad
2 cups shredded green cabbage
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots (about 1 medium carrot)
3 ripe but firm avocados, halved and pitted but not peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Make the dressing: In a food processor or blender, combine all the ingredients and puree until smooth.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the green cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots. Add the dressing, mix well, cover, and refrigerate.
3. Sprinkle the avocados with the olive oil, chili powder, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Place them on the grill over a medium-hot fire, cut side down, and cook for 3 - 5 minutes, or until seared - you are looking for some real color here. Pull the avocados off the grill and, as soon as they are cool enough to handle, turn them out of their skins, slice them, and serve them on top of generous helpings of the slaw. (If the avocados don’t slip out of their skins easily, just spoon out chunks on top of the slaw.)

Recipe courtesy of Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby, License To Grill, 1997.

Chris was born and raised in Virginia, where he first developed his love for barbecue, spicy food and live fire cooking. He entered the foodservice industry at age 18, when he left college and became a dishwasher. Fascinated by the intense energy and teamwork that are the heart of any restaurant kitchen, Chris went on to become a line cook, and then decided to pursue a formal culinary education at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) where he graduated in 1977.

Following his graduation from the CIA in 1977, Chris worked in 35 different restaurants, working with New England's most innovative chefs during the first blossoming of nouvelle cuisine. He also continued his extensive travels to regions featuring overhead waves and low 80s temperatures, further honing his fondness for loud flavors, seafood, and grilling.

In 1986 Chris opened the East Coast Grill, in 1989, Jake and Earl's Dixie BBQ and in 1990, The Blue Room. All of these restaurants received national attention. In 1996 Chris consolidated his restaurant efforts and revamped the East Coast Grill, tripling its size and shifting its focus to seafood. In 1999 Chris opened the Back Eddy in Westport, MA, overlooking the Westport River. Close relationships with local farmers, fishermen, brewers, vintners and cheese makers define the menu at the Back Eddy.

Chris is the co-author with John Willoughby of five cookbooks: the James Beard Cookbook Award winner, The Thrill of the Grill (Morrow, 1990); Salsas, Sambals, Chutneys, and Chowchows (Morrow, 1993); Big Flavors of the Hot Sun (Morrow, 1994); Lettuce in Your Kitchen (Morrow, 1996); and License to Grill (Morrow, 1997). They also have a monthly feature in The New York Times, and have written numerous articles for magazines such as GQ and Food & Wine. Chris is also a Contributing Editor for Saveur magazine.

An accomplished cooking teacher, Chris has taught culinary students at his alma mater, the Culinary Institute of America, in both the New York and Napa Valley campuses. Chris was the winner of the 1996 James Beard Awards "Best Chef of the Northeast". He has appeared on dozens of television shows around the USA to talk about food and cooking, has been a guest speaker at numerous conferences, and has been featured in over 200 magazine and newspaper articles. Chris is also a founding member of the national organization Chefs 2000 and actively works with local farmers to preserve farming in New England.