5 Grill recipes from top Canadian chefs

There’s no better way to celebrate Canadian summers than with family and friends at an outdoor get together around the grill. Try one of these recipes brought to you by top Canadian chefs and restaurants.

Scallop Brochettes with Maple Syrup Marinade

Scallops are always a crowd pleaser. This recipe, brought to SheKnows.com by quebecmaritime.ca, celebrates traditional Québec-maritime fare.

Ingredients:

Marinade:

• 1 French shallot, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 2 tbsp fresh mint, diced
• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup rosé wine
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• Sea salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

Brochettes:

• 1½ lb large fresh scallops
• 8 pieces red onion
• 8 pieces zucchini
• 8 canned baby corns
• 8 cherry tomatoes

Directions:

1. Combine marinade ingredients in bowl and set aside in refrigerator to cool.
2. Prepare vegetables and scallops. Soak wooden skewers in water for one hour so they won’t burn.
3. Thread four to five scallops on each skewer alternately with vegetables.
4. Place in hermetically sealed dish and pour in marinade.
5. Cover dish and let marinate for one hour in refrigerator.
6. Turn dish several times to allow brochettes to soak up marinade evenly.
7. Heat barbecue or skillet; brush with oil. Cook brochettes about two minutes per side.
8. Serve on lemon rice pilaf or seasonal salad.
9. Drizzle brochettes with marinade or deglaze pan with white wine and maple syrup.
10. Add cream to pan and stir sauce until thickened.
11. Season and serve.

Fruit Minestrone, Grilled Prawns, Lemon Granita

A refreshing and delicious take on your traditional fruit salad. This recipe comes to SheKnows.com from chef Marie-Chantal Lepage, executive chef at Le Monte Cristo at le Château Bonne Entente in Québec.

Ingredients:

Fruit Minestrone and Grilled Prawns:

• 8 prawns 4/6
• 250 g of diced strawberries
• 200 g of diced watermelon
• 80 g of pineapple
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 4 mint leaves, snipped
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 10 g of sesame seeds
• Espelette pepper
• Sechuan pepper

Lemon Granita:

• 500 g of lemon juice
• 500 g of sugar
• 350 g of Perrier water
• 4 egg whites

Directions:

Fruit Minestrone and Grilled Prawns:

1. Cut the strawberries into small cubes.
2. Remove the seeds from the watermelon, peel the pineapple and cut everything into small cubes.
   
3. Mix the fruit minestrone with the snipped mint, season with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil and let it marinate for one hour so the flavours blend.
   
4. In the meantime, shell the prawns, coat them with oil and cook them on the grill, adding salt and pepper. Crush them coarsely.
   
5. Fill beautiful dry martini glasses with the minestrone. Place the prawns on top and finish with the lemon granita.

Lemon Granita:

1. Boil the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar dissolves.
2. Once the mixture has cooled, add the Perrier water and egg whites and mix well, then put it through a sieve.
3. Put into the ice cream maker.

Pink Swimming Scallops with Tomato-Lemon Compote

Dip into some west coast seafood fare with this delicious dish from Frank Pabst, executive chef at Blue Water Café + Raw Bar in Vancouver.

Ingredients:

• 28 fresh pink swimming scallops
• 12 Roma tomatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, sliced
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp chopped capers
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• Pinch of sugar
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves

Instructions:

1. Shuck scallops, keeping bottom shells and discarding top shells.
2. Remove the beard and dirt sack from each scallop, but leave the scallop muscle and roe intact.
3. Fill a pot with salted water; add scallops and let them sit for five minutes.
4. Fill a bowl with ice water.
5. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil on high heat.
6. Add tomatoes and blanch for 10 seconds, then plunge them into the ice bath.
7. Peel and seed the tomatoes, then dice the flesh.
8. In a medium sauté pan, heat olive oil on medium heat.
9. Add shallots and garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute.
10. Add tomatoes and lemon zest, reduce the heat to low and cook until tomato water has evaporated, about 30 minutes.
11. Remove from heat, adding capers, parsley and sugar, then season with salt and pepper.
12. Melt butter in a sauté pan on medium heat.
13. Add bread crumbs and cook for one minute, or until golden brown.
14. Add thyme leaves and mix well to combine.
15. Turn the broiler on.
16. Place the scallop shells on a baking sheet, then onto each scallop shell, spoon one teaspoon of the tomato-lemon compote.
17. Top with a scallop and sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture.
18. Broil for three to four minutes or until bread crumbs are golden and the scallops are cooked.
19. Divide the scallops evenly among four plates.

Next up: Strawberry, shrimp, feta & steak salad