Swordfish has robust, meaty flesh, making it an ideal choice when grilling.  As it also takes to marinades very well, why not introduce a little extra flavor?

Simple Swordfish Marinade Ingredients:
Several sprigs of thyme
Sliced Garlic
Olive Oil
(6 oz per person of swordfish fillet, cut into steaks)

Swordfish Grilling Instructions:

Once the fish has marinated for up to a day (covered in the bottom of the fridge), remove it from the marinade, season it with salt, and brush it and the grill with oil.  Grill on each side until opaque and you get good grill marks.  Serve with lemon, steamed asparagus and/or nutty wild rice.

Grilled black cod steaks served with fresh sweet English peas tossed with pancetta and earthy black truffle butter.  If you love cod, it doesn’t get much better than this.

Grilled Black Cod with Truffled Peas & Pancetta
Serves 4

Ingredients:
Four 6 oz black cod steaks (cut from Whole Black Cod Fillets)
1 pinch of Dill Pollen per cod steak
2 cups shelled English peas
3 oz thick sliced pancetta (you could also use Wild Boar Bacon)
1 tbsp Black Truffle Butter
Salt & pepper to taste 

Directions:

1.  Make an ice water bath in a separate bowl. 

2.  Put the peas in boiling water just until they turn bright green, about 45 seconds.  Immediately strain them out and dump them in the ice bath to stop the cooking process and fix their color (this is called “shocking”).

3.  Cut the pancetta into cubes.  Sauté it in a large frying pan to render out all the fat. 

4.  Rub the black cod steaks with oil & salt.  Grill them on a hot, well oiled grill, skin side down first.  When the bottom half of each cod steak has turned opaque and is firm, flip it and finish the other side.

5.  Add the peas and the truffle butter to the rendered pancetta and toss over medium heat just until the peas are warmed through and coated with the melted butter.  Season with salt & pepper.

6.  Plate the grilled black cod steaks with the peas and garnish the cod with a pinch of dill pollen.  In the picture, we also added a couple slices of grilled porcinis.

(Pictured: Chile Rubbed Wild Boar Tenderloin with Tropical Salsa on a Palm Leaf Plate)

Wild boar meat has a much more robust flavor than conventional pork, so it holds up well to chile spice rubs without being overwhelmed.  The fresh tropical fruit salsa served on the side allows your guests to cool down their mouths if the spice levels get too high with its balance of sweetness and tart acidity.

We recommend using a blend of dried chilies to make your own chili powder so the result is a complex blend of layered spice and fruitiness.  For this application we used we used 1 tsp dried Tepin chilies, 1 tsp dried New Mexico chilies, 1 tbsp Aji Panca chilies, ½ tbsp Aji Amarillo chilies, and ½ tbsp Chipotle chilies. 

For a complete listing (with flavor profiles and heat levels) of all the chilies we offer, so you can develop your own chili powders and rubs, please visit our chile pepper heat scale.

Grilled Wild Boar Tenderloin with Chile Dry Rub and Tropical Fruit Salsa
Serves 4-6 people

Chile Wild Boar Tenderloins Ingredients:
2-3 Wild Boar Tenderloins depending on size (5-6oz per person)
2 2/3 tbsp Homemade Chili Powder
1 tbsp kosher salt

Tropical Fruit Salsa Ingredients:
1 Mango
1 Papaya (ours was huge, so we used only half)
½ Shallot
1 small handful fresh Parsley or Cilantro
2 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt to taste

1.  Trim any remaining silverskin or excess fat from the wild boar tenderloins.  Dry off all surface moisture.

2.  Make the spice rub by mixing chili powders and salt. 

3.  Put the tenderloins in a large bowl with the spice rub and coat them.  Cover and let sit in the bowl, in your refrigerator, for at least three hours (ideally overnight). 

4. Wash & trim the skin off of the mango and papaya.  Carefully remove the pit from the mango and scoop the seeds out of the papaya using a large spoon.

5.  Cut the fruit into medium cubes, and very finely dice the shallot.  Pull the leaves off of the parsley stems.

6.  Combine the fruit in the bowl with the diced shallot, parsley leaves, vinegars, salt & olive oil.  Let sit covered in your fridge for the flavors to meld while you cook the wild boar meat.

7.  Heat, clean, and oil your grill. 

8.  Grill each boar tenderloin for about 15 minutes, flipping them halfway through the cooking time. 

9.  Let the tenderloins rest for five minutes off of the grill before carving.  Slice each tenderloin and serve several slices alongside the tropical fruit salsa.

Pasta with Sauteed Porcini Mushrooms, Sausage, and Truffle Butter
Serves 4-6

This recipe uses fresh fettuccini pasta as a bed for fresh porcini mushrooms sautéed with game sausage and garlic, then topped with seasoned bread crumbs and black truffle butter at the last second for a truly decadent result.  If you don’t eat meat, you can simply cut the sausage from the recipe for a vegetarian version.

Ingredients:
3-4oz fresh fettuccini per person (or whatever noodles or filled pasta you like)
3 links of Wild Boar Italian Sausage or Venison Sausage with Merlot & Blueberries
¼ lb Fresh Porcini Mushrooms
1 large garlic clove
Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano to top
Bread crumbs to top.
2-3 sprigs of parsley
2 tbsp Black Truffle Butter
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  Start a pot of salted water boiling for the pasta.

2.  Cut the porcinis into thin sticks.  As we did in the photo, you can also reserve some whole porcinis, slice them thinly and gently sauté them in a separate pan for use in the final presentation on top. 

3.  Finely dice the parsley and toss it with the bread crumbs, salt & pepper.

4.  Finely dice the garlic clove. Remove the sausage from its casing, crumble the meat, and sauté it with the garlic in an oiled frying pan. 

4.  When the sausage has cooked, remove it from the pan and sauté the porcinis in the remaining fat.  Cook the pasta in the boiling water according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

6.  Toss the hot pasta with the sausage, garlic, and porcini mushrooms.  Plate and top  with a dollop of truffle butter, the seasoned bread crumbs and freshly grated parmigiano reggiano.

 
Kobe beef burgers and Kobe beef sliders will take your upcoming barbecue to the next level.  Here are a couple incredible ways to serve them…

Kobe Burgers with Carrot Fennel Slaw and Chile Aioli

This pairing uses the acidic fresh crunch of the slaw and the slight heat of the aioli to brighten up your burger, perfect for BBQs and picnics! 

Elements:
Spread: Homemade Chile Aioli
Topping: Fennel Carrot Slaw (recipe below).

Fennel Carrot Slaw
(Makes enough to generously top four ½lb burgers and have plenty as a side dish)

Ingredients:
5 large carrots
10 ribs of celery
2 ½ fennel bulbs
50/50 cider vinegar and rice vinegar to taste
50/50 peanut oil and olive oil to taste
salt & pepper to taste.

Wash the vegetables and peel the carrots.  Slice fine with a knife, mandolin, or the slicing side of a box grater.  Toss with the oils, vinegars, and salt & pepper.

Kobe Beef Burgers with Sautéed Porcinis and Onions

This choice focuses on rich, earthy flavors that will no doubt evoke moans of gastronomic pleasure.

Elements:
Spread: Coarse Ground Dijon Mustard
Topping: Fresh Porcini Mushrooms sautéed in butter, onions sautéed in olive oil

Why the different cooking fats? 
While you can certainly use butter for both or oil for both, butter really brings out some of the more subtle flavors in fresh porcinis, so we recommend it.  Sautéing both the mushrooms and the onions in butter may result in a burger topping that is too heavy, hence the switch to the lighter olive oil for the onions.

It’s true that Fresh Porcini mushrooms are one of the few (maybe the only) wild mushroom varieties that are safe and delicious raw, making them a great choice for salads.  But, porcinis (aka botetes, cepes, cep) are also exceptional grilled whole.

They are tender and juicy, but meaty. Porcinis are some of the larger wild mushrooms available, so they won’t fall between the gaps in your grill.  And, the grill’s dry heat produces a toothsome bite and rich, earthy flavor.  

How to Grill Porcinis:
Rinse the wild porcinis off immediately before cooking, cut them into halves (or keep them whole) and rub liberally with good olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Move them to a hot, well-oiled grill flat side down and cook until they have nice grill marks, usually about 3 minutes.  Flip and grill the rounded side  for a minute or two.  Done!

And, once they are grilled…

Either serve them in large pieces for an impressive side dish, or cut them into smaller pieces for salads (they add meatiness to both grain salads or tossed greens). 

You can slice them thin and toss them with fresh pasta, parmigiano reggiano and extra virgin olive oil or truffle butter.

Or, you can mix with grilled or sauteed onions and smother Kobe beef burgers with them.   

Don’t forget to set some aside and incorporate into an omelette tomorrow morning.

Mussels Mariniere (aka Moules Mariniere) is a fast and easy classic French dish that is a great way to enjoy fresh mussels without overpowering their sweet, nuanced flavor.

Makes two entrée portions or four-five appetizer portions.
 

Ingredients:
2lbs of live Mediterranean mussels
2 garlic cloves
1/4^th large yellow onion or ½ of a small onion
1/4^th - ½ cup fresh parsley
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 cup white wine (we used a pinot grigio)
Salt
Freshly ground Tellicherry peppercorns
Crusty French bread
 

Directions:

1. Remove the “beards” from the mussels.  Do not do this far in advance, as they will begin to die soon after these are removed.  For this reason do not buy your mussels with the beards pre-removed in order to keep them fresh.  Scrub the mussel shells thoroughly with a wire brush.
2. Finely dice the garlic cloves and the onion.  Slice the French bread at an angle into large pieces.  Chop or snip the parsley.  How finely the parsley is cut depends upon how crisp or rustic you want your final presentation to be.
3. In a Dutch oven over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and sweat the garlic and onion until they are translucent and aromatic.
4. Pull the leaves off of the thyme sprigs and add to the pot along with the white wine and mussels.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bring the white wine to a simmer.
5. Cover the Dutch oven, reduce the heat to low and cook for a 3-4 minutes until most of the mussels are open.  Toast the French bread if desired.
6. Remove the pot from the stove, and move the mussels to serving bowls (any unopened mussels need to be thrown out).  Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the pot along with the parsley.  Swirl the hot liquid to melt the butter into the sauce.  Taste the sauce and add more salt, butter, or pepper if needed.  Pour the sauce over the mussels in their bowls and serve with the French bread on the side.

 (Yes, you read it correctly: Llama Ribeye Steak)

Llama Ribeye with Roasted Yam and Bacon Sauteed Brussel Sprouts

Llama meat is a leaner, healthier alternative to beef. Its complex flavor is difficult to describe, but lies somewhere between beef and lamb.

Llama ribeye steaks are similar enough to beef steaks that we recommend cooking them using the methods in our Three Techniques for Cooking Steaks blog post. Just remember that they tend to be leaner than beef and thus can cook more quickly than you expect.

Here we’ve paired them here with roasted yams and bacon sauteed brussels sprouts.

To roast yams:

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Rough chop the yams or potatoes into equivalent sized pieces.

3. Place in a single layer in a baking dish and cover lightly with salt, pepper and oil. Put in the hot oven to roast.

4. Pull yam half way through cooking to turn pieces.

5. When finished remove from the oven and garnish with leaves of fresh rosemary.

Bacon Sauteed Brussels Sprouts:

Ingredients:

2 strips thick cut bacon (kurobuta hickory smoked bacon works well)

1lb fresh brussels sprouts

Cooking Procedure:

1. Clean the brussels sprouts. Remove a few of the outer leaves and a small amount of the woody stem from each sprout. If they are especially large, halve to match mass with the smaller sprouts.

2. Slice the bacon into batonnets (small sticks) and render out the fat in a large pan over medium heat.

3. Remove the bacon from the pan once it has become crispy and reserve for a garnish, leaving the bacon fat in the pan. Sauté the sprouts in the rendered fat, 2tbs of butter and a pinch of salt. Turn them as they caramelize to brown evenly on all sides. When they are finished remove them from the heat and sprinkle in bacon bits prior to plating.

Pictured: Pan Roasted Whole rockfish (aka red snapper)

Roasting is a easy way to prepare small or medium whole fish in a provocative and tasty manner suitable for platter presentation.

Ingredients:
One short whole fish (rainbow trout, bass, red snapper, bronzino, or other short fish)
½ lemon for the pan
Cooking oil
Thyme or additional lemon (optional)

Whole Fish Roasting Directions:

1.  If the fish isn’t gutted, slit the belly.  Then remove the innards and rinse thoroughly.

2. Rinse off the fish and season the cavity with salt and pepper. You can also stuff the fish’s cavity with thyme and lemon if you want. 

3.  Using a small knife punch a hole in the fish’s tail.  

4.  Run a skewer through the tail and into the body just behind the gills so that the tail is parallel to the head. 

5.  Season the fish liberally with salt. 

6.  Heat up a large cast iron skillet on the stove and add olive oil.  Once the oil is hot, stand the fish up in the skillet, searing the bottom. 

7.  Squeeze the half lemon’s juice over the fish, then drop the lemon in the pan, and move it to a 450 degree oven.

8.  When the exposed flesh is opaque, the fish is ready (about 15 minutes later, depending on the size of the fish).  Move to the serving platter, then remove the skewer. 

9.  Garnish with either the roasted lemon or fresh lemon slices and fresh dill or fennel.

Sauce, such as tomato anchovy vinaigrette, can be served on the platter in a ramekin.

Similar to a vinaigrette in terms of its flavor profile, Tapenade is a condiment that people often buy jarred, but it’s very easy to make Tapenade from scratch at home.  It’s a great way to add the punch of olives to sandwiches, entrees, or toasted bread.

Basic Tapenade Recipe
1 cup olives - pitted (we used Kalamata olives)
3 sprigs thyme, destemmed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
½ clove garlic

Simply combine everything in a food processor and process until it reaches your desired consistency. If possible, let the Tapenade sit in the fridge to marry flavors for a few hours before serving to improve its taste.

For Rustic Tapenade:
For a more rustic Tapenade that contains large pieces of olive and sits nicely on the plate, simply pulse to chop until your desired chunk size has been reached.

If you reach your desired chop size, but the mixture needs more oil to reach the right consistency, move the Tapenade to a bowl and fold in more oil by hand.  You are looking for a sheen from the oil and a slightly loose consistency. 

For Smooth Tapenade:
For a finer, spreadable Tapenade, puree the mixture in a food processor while drizzling in additional oil until a fine paste is formed.

 
Tapenade Tips:

Try different olives:
We used Kalamata olives because of their tangy flavor, beautiful purple color, and relatively easy availability.  However, others can be used.  Using different olive varieties will change the color and flavor of the Tapenade.  You could even try blends!  We recommend Cerignola, Arbequina, and Castelvetrano olives.

Try different vinegars:
We prefer champagne vinegar for its crisp, clean flavor that brightens up the olives.  However, if you wanted to give your homemade Tapanade a richer, more fruity flavor, you could substitute (try smaller quantities first to make sure you’re not overwhelming the olives) aged balsamic vinegar or fruit vinegars.

Use the best extra virgin olive oil you can:
Finer oils tend to bring better and cleaner olive oil flavor to your Tapenade, so this is the time to use the good stuff!

Other ingredients you can add:
Adding sundried tomatoes or increasing the amount of garlic will take your Tapenade in new and interesting directions.

Any other ideas?