Everyone loves a great meal on Memorial Day, and it’s the unofficial beginning of summer and the grilling season in the States. Over the holiday weekend, we fire up our grills and come together for cookouts. Memorial Day is an important day of remembrance as we honor and celebrate those veterans who served in our armed forces and gave their lives for our country.

From appetizers to desserts, this collection of grilled recipes has everything you need to enjoy the kick-off to the summer season in the most delish way ever!

Grilling is not just an American thing . . . 

Italians love cooking outdoors just as much as Americans and have a lots of traditional recipes for the “grigliata” (‘grill-out’ in Italian).  All of the world’s great cooking traditions began with FIRE.  It doesn’t matter if one believes that Italian cuisine is only about boiling freshly made pasta on a stove alongside slow-simmering sauces for dressing hand-made pasta.  

Italian cooking, as ancient as it is, began with fire.

Grilling over fire is the oldest methods of cooking in the world—and even one of the healthiest.  We, Americans love all things related to grilling out and barbecues, but Italians, especially in the lush spring and summer months, enjoy scrumptious grilled foods; a summer grigliata (barbecue) among friends and family, have long been a tradition in the countryside of Italy.  

As in all recipes, Italians are purists who prepare unadorned grilled delicacies with extraordinary robust flavor accomplished by using the simplest of methods:  Food grilled in Italy is enhanced by the use of herbs placed on or under the food being grilled, a squeeze of lemon juice, a bit of freshly cracked salt and pepper, and the smoky fire.  No heavy sauces are ever used in Italian grilled recipes.   Meats and fish are often marinated in olive oil, garlic and herb based mixtures before setting on the grill in Italy.  

Who doesn’t just love to grill food and to be outdoors in the fresh air?  

We’re so fortunate in the Carolina’s because we can grill outside year-round without freezing our tushies off.  We grill so many different types of recipes, from appetizers to dessert.  So in this post, I’ve put together a fantastic group of truly, truly tried and true recipes that will make your taste buds sing and make your tummies happy!

Starting out with appetizers, this recipe is not only delicious, it’s healthy for us.  It doesn’t fill you up so you aren’t hungry for your entrée or dessert.  I love this recipe that I made a few adaptations from “Cooking Light” magazine:

Appetizers

Grilled, Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms

Salads

Grilled Salmon Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette

Grilled Corn, Black Bean, and Avocado Salad with Cilantro Viniagrette

Entrees

Grilled Garlic Butter Blackened Redfish

Grilled Swordfish Spiedini with Salsa Cruda

If you want to serve something different at your next grilling event, why not consider grilling Italian-style with an assortment of speidini.  

The Italian version of savory ‘kabobs’ or ‘skewers’ are known as “spiedini” (which means ‘skewers’).  It is the same easy way to grill chunks of meat, fish, and vegetables.   Spiedini use sticks of metal or wood, but often long twigs of rosemary are used.   

Meat spiedini are the most popular in Italy with high quality, fresh tender cuts of chicken, pork, beef, sausage, or lamb cut into one-inch pieces and placed on the skewers alternating cherry tomatoes, green peppers, onions, bacon or pancetta, some fresh herbs such as sage, bay leaves, or rosemary, etc.  To enhance the flavor, marinate the cut up meats prior to grilling.

Italians also enjoy fish spiedini (spiedini di mare), such as the Swordfish spiedini recipe above. The most preferred fish to grill include used shrimp, scallops, tuna, swordfish, cuttlefish or calamari.  Before grilling, the fish is usually marinated or brushed with olive oil, lemon juice, herbs, and garlic.  

Grilled Buffalo Beef and Pepper Jack Burgers

Burgers with Bacon, Basil, and Italian Gorgonzola

Grilled Prosciutto and Marinated Mozzarella Pizza

Bistecca alla Fiorentina

Grilled Pizza Margherita

 
Grilled, Italian Seasoned Salmon Burgers with Garlic Aioli

Italian Grilled Swordfish with Creamy Lemon Caper Sauce

Amazing Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

Grilled, Basil-Buttered Chicken

Vegetables

Grilled Italian Corn with Garlic-Basil Butter

 Desserts

Grilled fruit is wonderful and provides a light, sweet and more healthy end to your outdoor feast.  Especially during warmer weather and when eating ‘al fresco’. Grilling caramelizes fruits’ natural sugars thus creating a more concentrated flavor!  The warm, soft texture of grilled fruit is particularly gratifying without being overly sweet or heavy. Peaches, pears, and apples, in particular, hold their shape nicely for grilling. 

Grilled Peaches with Mascarpone Cream and Sweet Balsamic Syrup

Grilling is associated with relaxation and being outside, often with friends and family.  No matter what you choose to grill, keep your grilling feast leisurely, unhurried, and relaxed under summer’s open sky.  

Have a Delicious Memorial Day!

First posted in 2019 with updates in 2022 post

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