Grilling With Extra Virgin Olive Oil: The Green Light
It’s that time of year again when we are looking to enjoy quality grilled food – outdoors or indoors, with fresh salads and sides but don’t forget grilling with olive oil is a great choice for health and taste.
Here’s a selection of tasting grilling recipes using olive oil for extra flavour and benefits.
Let’s start with a classic. This Grilled Chicken recipe from healthyrecipesblogs.com is a sure-fire favourite and the perfect use of extra virgin olive oil.
Grilled Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts - 8 ounces each
- 2 tablespoons Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce - or a gluten-free alternative
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cut three shallow slits across the top of each chicken breast to help the marinade better penetrate the meat.
- Combine the olive oil, soy sauce, garlic powder, and black pepper in a small bowl. Divide the mixture between two small bowls. Use one of them and a pastry brush to brush the chicken breasts on both sides with the marinade.
- Heat a dual-contact electric grill or a grill pan on medium-high heat and lightly grease the grill.
- Grill the chicken breasts until cooked through and no longer pink, flipping them midway through cooking. Medium (8-ounce) chicken breasts should take about 6 minutes on a dual-contact grill or 6 minutes per side in a grill pan.
- Transfer the chicken pieces to a sheet of foil and use a clean pastry brush to coat them with the unused portion of the marinade.
- Loosely cover the chicken breasts with foil and let them rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Grilled Shrimp Marinade With Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Nothing quite says summer grilling like marinated grilled shrimps and this gem from fitfoodiefinds.com is bound to lift your shrimp flavour and health benefits to new heights.
Ingredients
- Lemon juice
- Worcestershire sauce
- Garlic
- Dijon mustard
- Honey
- Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes
- Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil
- Fresh cilantro
Instructions
- You want the shrimp to absorb the flavor and the oil of the marinade, so we suggest letting raw shrimp for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- If you let your shrimp marinate for longer than 1 hour, it will likely come out tough and chewy because the acid will begin to cook the shrimp after a while.
Grilled Squid With Olive Oil
Grilled squid is a tricky one to get right – it’s all about the heat of the grill, but if you can master that, it’s the perfect choice to show off the grilling power of extra virgin olive oil. Here’s how to do it, courtesy of SeriousEats.com.
Ingredients
- 1 pound whole cleaned squid bodies
- Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling and serving
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Chopped parsley, for garnish
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- First, you have to thoroughly pat the squid dry to remove as much surface moisture as possible, and only then rub it with oil to prevent it from sticking to the grill. Second, you need to cook the squid over blazingly hot coals. This is all about intense direct heat: The hotter the grill, the faster it will drive off surface moisture and sear the squid, all before the squid loses its tender texture.
- When all the charcoal is lit and covered with grey ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over half of coal grate. Alternatively, set all the burners of a gas grill to high heat. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate.
- Meanwhile, thoroughly pat squid dry with paper towels. In a medium bowl, toss squid with a drizzle of olive oil until lightly coated.
- Grill squid over hottest part of grill, turning, until browned on both sides. Transfer to a platter and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle fresh olive oil on top, garnish with parsley, and serve with lemon wedges.
