In season: mango

A golden-fleshed tropical fruit adds pizzazz to barbecue fare this week. Witt chef tutor John Hudson has diced, cubed and mashed juicy mangos for two seafood dishes and a Cajun twist on pork chops.

Granted, mangos aren't a New Zealand in-season fruit, but they are available year-round in supermarkets, along with pineapples and bananas. John says there are a few important tips to remember about cooking on a barbecue.

"The key things are timing and preparation."

Good planning can turn barbecuing into a social event, with guests gathered around as the food sizzles.

"Everything here is pulled out of the fridge, dropped on the barbecue and you can have a red wine while you're cooking."

Knowing how to use your outdoor cooker is another important point.

"You don't have to have your barbecue at full tilt."

"Turn it up high and then turn it down," adds hospitality team leader Glen West.

FAST FACTS

Mangos are indigenous to India. They contain more vitamin A than most fruits and are also a good source of vitamins C and B6, potassium and fibre. They are also believed to aid digestion.

Even talking about barbecues attracts the men.

This outing begins with fresh prawns.

"I take the shells and heads off, give them a wash and put them on the skewer," John says.

On another skewer, he threads cubes of mango and pineapple - a tropical complement to the prawns. These are simple - just put on a medium-heat grill.

"Cook them on the barbecue until the prawns are pink and you have a bit of colour on the fruit."

John says these perfect summer starters need to be served straight away and he likes to garnish each plate with finely chopped spring onion and a sprig of fresh coriander.

For the main course, people can have a choice of more seafood or pork.

For the gurnard fillets with fresh herb crust and mango salsa with mussels, everything needs to be ready to go. The crust is a simple combination of wholemeal bread and fresh herbs chopped into coarse crumbs in the food processor.

"You run your wet fish through it and the crumbs hang on there," John says.

He uses gurnard in this recipe, but says other kinds of fresh fish are fine. Gurnard fillets will take just a minute on each side, but thicker fish may take two minutes a side.

Among John's favourite summer foods are mussels.

"Get them fresh and live and chuck them on the barbecue. As soon as they are open, they're cooked. They are cheap and so readily available. You can put a couple of kilos of mussels on your barbecue and it will only cost you about five or six dollars."

He makes a mango salsa to go with the seafood.

"That gives it a bit of a fruity zing and you've got a texture thing going on," John says, talking of the dry fish crust and soft, wet salsa.

Pork chops with Cajun rub and apple-mango compote is another meeting of opposites. John says you can have your saucepan cooking away on the back of the barbecue while the pork chops are sizzling at the front.

Before grilling, the chops will have been coated with Cajun rub and left for two hours in the fridge.

"The seasoning will actually begin to cure the meat."

With the compote, John simply uses a fork to mash the cooked fruit.

"Or you can use a stick blender if the pot is deep enough - if you want a puree. Personally, I like a coarser, rustic texture."

Once the apple is cooked, taken off the heat and mashed, it's time to add the fresh mango puree.

"That's the bomb, especially served with those lovely Cajun- rubbed pork chops."

Tropical Fruit and Prawn Skewers

Serves 6

18 fresh (if possible) king prawns

Fresh pineapple, cut into cubes

2 fresh mangos, peeled and cut into cubes

1 spring onion, finely chopped

Six wooden skewers

1/ Soak skewers in cold water. Halve the skewers. An easy way to do this is by measuring to halfway and then holding the sticks down with the blade of a large chopping knife and pulling up one side of the sticks to cleanly snap in half. Just do a couple at a time until you get into the swing of it.

2/ Shell the prawns, but leave the tails on. Skewer 3 prawns with the sharp part of one-half skewer.

3/ On the other half of the skewer, thread with mango and pineapple until full (about 6 cubes each). Repeat this step until all skewers filled.

4/ Blend a little of the leftover mango and pineapple and use to marinate the prawns for half an hour prior to cooking.

5/ Cook on a medium barbecue until prawns turn pink and the fruit is warmed through. Sprinkle with finely chopped spring onion, add a sprig of fresh coriander and serve as a starter.

 

Mango Salsa with Side of Mussels

Serves 6

Salsa:

1 ripe mango, peeled and finely chopped

2 Tbsp spring onion or red onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup mint leaves, finely shredded

1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves, finely shredded

1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper for taste

12 fresh live mussels

1/ Combine all salsa ingredients and place in a small bowl ready for serving.

2/ Clean the mussels by using the back of a table knife to take off excess beard.

3/ Toss on to the barbecue. To help cooking, you can cover with a stainless steel or enamel bowl.

4/ When the shells open, the mussels are cooked. Place on a platter and let your guests tuck in.

 

Cajun Pork Chops with Apple-Mango Compote

Serves 6

6 pork loin chops

2 Tbsp Cajun seasoning

Garlic salt and black pepper

1 Tbsp olive oil

4 new season apples (Granny Smiths, if possible)

1 ripe mango

Zest and juice from 1 lemon

1/2 tsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/ Rinse pork chops and pat dry with paper towels.

2/ Combine the Cajun seasoning with garlic salt and black pepper to make a rub. Rub the seasoning into all surfaces of the pork chops and leave to sit, covered, for 2 hours.

3/ Peel, core and thinly slice apples and place in a saucepan. Add lemon juice, zest, brown sugar and spices and place on barbecue plate. Cover. Cook down until tender. Take off heat and mash with a fork.

4/ Peel, slice and puree fresh mango and add to apple compote. Set aside.

5/ Next, grill chops on a medium- heat barbecue for 3 to 5 minutes each side. Remove to a platter and keep warm.

6/ When ready to serve, spoon apple and mango compote over the chops and garnish with a little lemon zest and fresh herbs.

Barbecue Gurnard with Fresh Herb Crust

Serves 6

1 Tbsp fresh chervil

1 Tbsp fresh parsley

1 Tbsp fresh chives

3 cups fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs (6 slices of bread)

6 x 250g pieces of fresh gurnard (other fish is fine)

1 Tbsp olive oil

Lemon wedges

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/ In a food processor, blitz the fresh herbs and seasoning, add the bread and process to a coarse consistency. Place in a shallow bowl.

2/ Run the fish through the herbed crumb mixture and place on a clean barbecue on medium heat. Drizzle fish with olive oil and cook for about 1 minute on each side. If using a thicker cut of fish, cook for about 2 minutes each side and cover with a stainless steel or enamel bowl to let the heat penetrate.

3/ Serve immediately with mango salsa (see recipe), a platter of mussels and a fresh green salad.

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