July’s ideal for igniting the grill

Mike Lewis, owner of Big Mike’s BBQ Smokehouse on Barrow Street in Houma, wants residents to take time out this summer to enjoy the three F’s of life: fun, food and family.

“And they don’t have to be in that order,” he joked.

Lewis spends much of his time running his restaurant, but he said summer is still the time for outdoor activities and family fun.

“The children are out of school and parents tend to take vacation from work in the summer,” he said. “So instead of spending it in the house, do things like swimming, grilling, playing at the park or fishing.”

The special part about summer for Lewis is spending time with his wife Judith, who coincidentally celebrates her birthday on July 4, and children Isaiah, 17 months, and Gabriella, 3.

“Judy and I have a new family,” he said. “But the kids are at the age where they can enjoy going to a park or taking a dip in the pool to cool off in the smoldering Louisiana summer heat. Summertime means beautiful weather.

“I have been waiting for Isaiah and Gabby to reach the age where I can take them outdoors and do fun stuff with them,” he added. “Planning fun stuff to do was hard when they were younger because we had to carry them around. But now, it is a lot easier.”

This summer, the Lewises are taking the little ones to Blue Bayou Water Park in Baton Rouge, then it’s back home for a backyard cookout.

There is nothing like spending time with your family over a meal,” he said. “It’s a time to catch up on the interesting things you have missed while at work or school.”

Below are a few of Lewis’s favorite grilling recipes.

The barbeque expert suggests throwing caution to the wind this summer and grilling something different. The fresh-grown and harvested bounty is plentiful.

Garlic Thyme Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 pounds of red potatoes

1/4 cup of half-and-half cream

1 teaspoon of black pepper

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 stick of butter (room temperature)

2 tablespoon of olive oil

1/2 cup of green onions, chopped

2 teaspoons of fresh thyme leaves, de-stemmed

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

Directions:

Boil potatoes with the skin on until they are fork tender. With a potato masher, mash the potatoes leaving them slightly chunked. In a separate bowl, mix all the remaining ingredients. Then add to the potatoes and mix well.

Apple Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

3 mangos, diced

1 Granny Smith apple with the skin, julienne

1/2 squeeze of fresh lime

1/4 cup of orange juice

1/4 cup of red pepper, julienned

3 tablespoons of onions, diced

2 tablespoon of fresh cilantro

Directions:

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together and let the salsa chill for one hour before serving it with the meal.

Cucumber Jalapeno Relish

Ingredients:

2 jalapeno, sliced (clean seeds out)

1/2 small red bell pepper, julienned

1/2 small yellow bell pepper, julienned

1/2 small onion, julienned

2 medium-sized cucumbers, peeled and sliced (see directions)

1/2 cup of seasoned rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoons of habanero pepper sauce

1 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro

1/4 teaspoon of salt

Directions:

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients. Then let the relish mix chill for one hour. While still chilled, place the relish on the fish.

Directions for julienned vegetables:

Peel the skin from the vegetables, if necessary. Trim away any root or stem parts of the vegetables. Slice the vegetable about a quarter inch thick. Cut around the seeds if necessary.

Directions for peeling cucumbers:

Take the cucumber and cut it in half. Rake all the seeds out. The peeling process creates a six-sided or zebra peel look. Peel cucumber lengthwise in a quarter inch strip. Alternate peeling by leaving skin between each peeled strip around the cucumber. Once complete, slice cucumber.

Jerk Barbecue Salmon

Ingredients:

3-or 4-ounce salmon filets

Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning

Olive oil

To make jerk barbecue sauce:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of barbecue sauce

1/2 cup of water

1/2 cup of Caribbean jerk marinade

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together. Then, baste fish.

Grilling the salmon:

Preheat the grill at 350 degrees. Then spray with non-stick spray or lightly coat with olive oil. Lightly season salmon with Tony Chachere’s and place it on the grill, skin side down. After about four minutes flip the fish and finish cooking until it reaches an internal temperature of about 140 degrees. Before removing the fish, generously baste it with the jerk barbecue sauce.

As an alternative to salmon, use tilapia. The directions for grilling and seasoning the tilapia are the same.

Mike and Judith Lewis dig into a summer dish sure to please those at any family summer get-together.