Vita Coco basil and lemon Marinated fish and barbecued salad recipe: #ReachForTheBeach

Vita Coco have challenged bloggers to create a brilliant BBQ recipe perfect for getting us in the summer mood in their #ReachForTheBeach challenge with Foodies100. You don't need to look far to hear about all the benefits of Coconut oil - personally I love the stuff and use Vita Coco coconut oil in everything from healthy desserts to baking to savoury snacks.

But I hadn't used it for a BBQ. Until now that is.

 I decided to make Vita Coco basil and lemon marinated fish and barbecued salad. I chose fish because the first time I had barbecued fish, it was a revelation to me! Before that point I could only ever imaging BBQ's being for burgers and sausages. So I wanted to share how simple and tasty it can be to barbecue fish. I used salmon but other types of fish would work really well too - perhaps hake for example.

I also wanted to include a summery salad but with a twist. So I have made 'salad skewers' using courgettes from my garden along with lots of other seasonal salad items and barbecued gem lettuce for a unique twist.

Here's the recipe:

ingredients:
For the marinade -
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon Vita Coco
fresh basil - roughly chopped
himalayan salt
ground black pepper
squeeze of lemon juice

Frozen fillets of responsibly sourced Salmon (or fish of your choice)

For the Salad skewers:
baby tomatoes
yellow pepper
orange pepper
courgette
mushrooms

Gem lettuce

More Vita Coco coconut oil to brush onto the salad skewers and lettuce.

You'll also need some wooden or metal skewers (pre-soak them for a while if you are using wooden ones).

Method: 

1. Mix together the marinade ingredients, crushing the garlic and mixing with the basil, lemon juice, seasoning and Vita Coco coconut oil. In the summer months the Vita Coco will usually be in melted form making it easy to mix. If it is solid, just heat the amount you need in the microwave for a few seconds.

2. Rub the marinade over the salmon. Place in a container and cover. Alternatively wrap the fish and marinade in foil if transporting to the beach. After approximately an hour the salmon will be suitably marinated and defrosted enough to cook. If using fresh fish, then a 30 minute marinade time will be sufficient.
3. Prepare the salad skewers by washing the veg and chopping into chunks. Thread onto the skewers (pre-soak in water if using wooden skewers) and brush with Vita Coco coconut oil.

4. Wash the gem lettuce and cut in half lengthways, taking care to ensure the end isn't cut off or it will fall apart. Brush with Vita Coco coconut oil.
5. Once your BBQ is set up and ready, place the skewers on it until they are chargrilled and looking cooked. Place your gem lettuce on the barbecue to cook.

6. Cook the salmon for around 3-5 minutes on each side until cooked throughout.

Serve and enjoy!

What's more, it's perfectly portable for packing up and heading to the beach. If you use frozen fillets of fish and wrap them in little foil parcels with the marinade ingredients, by the time you hit the beach, they'll have defrosted enough to be barbecue ready. For the salad items simply grab some skewers and wash and chop the veg you need before you head off. Super simple and fun for a beach barbecue with a portable or disposable BBQ.

This is my entry into the Foodies100/Vita Coco #ReachForTheBeach challenge. More info about the challenge here. And more info about Vita Coco can be found here.