I love a pickled fish salad in the summer – it is so easy and looks and tastes great. This one has a simple marinade and a barbecued version of the classic panzanella. It is very important to mix the bread through just before serving as you don’t want it completely soggy.
One of my go-to summer recipes at the beach is a simple Italian salad of canned beans and tuna. Here I have added a few more ingredients and served it with olive and feta barbecue flatbreads. There are no anchovies in this recipe, but you could add them if you are a fan.
Olives, anchovies and garlic make a very punchy under-the-skin stuffing for chicken. I have used leg and thigh pieces, but you could also use a whole chicken or a butterflied bird for the barbecue. Ajvar or acvar is a sauce/relish made with red capsicums. This recipe is from a version I ate in Istanbul which also included eggplant.
In this simple and elegant barbecue meal, lamb and eggplant are dressed with Greek flavours. The type of lamb you choose will affect cooking times so adjust accordingly. If you have pescatarians to cater for, keep the eggplant and lamb separate and you could always spoon some warm lentils, tossed with olive and lemon, over the plain eggplant to boost the protein.
I like the idea of a vegan breakfast/brunch/lunch dish (actually anytime, I eat this for dinner) that is full of Mediterranean flavour. Most scrambled tofu recipes include yeast or the like to get an eggier, umami flavour. Because this recipe is full of punchy flavours that is not necessary here, but if you do have seaweed salt or flakes, black salt or something like that, it’s perfect to use here. You need to have the capsicum, olives and semi-dried tomatoes prepped and ready to go as you don’t want to overcook the tofu. You can use just firm or silken tofu, but I love the texture and mouthfeel that comes from using both. Leftover tofu can be kept for a few days covered in water that you change daily.