10 of the best recipes for a barbecue

Getting outdoors and enjoying a barbecue is just the thing on a lovely, lazy weekend. Although I have never really given the eco-ethics of having a barbecue much consideration, I think there is definitely a good way to go about it (see panel, facing page).

For a start, choosing food that is in season is a no-brainer. Lamb is at its best at this time of year - animals have had time to mature a little in the fields, so they have more flavour than a month or so ago.

Mackerel has at last finished its spawning period so we can now happily feast on them all the way into late October. Their oiliness makes them ideal for a barbecue, particularly with a sharp, citrusy marinade such as the one in the recipe opposite, and, of course, they are so good for you. I love the flavour of the slightly charcoaled skin mixed with the flavours of olive oil, garlic and lemon.

Mackerel and sardines are my favourite fish to barbecue. Just make sure that you buy them fresh, with bright, shiny eyes and shiny-looking skin. Old mackerel is nobody's idea of fun.

Summer is awash with seasonal vegetables and most are suited for contact with flame. Chargrilled asparagus, aubergine, new potatoes, courgettes, peas in the pod, fennel, peppers of any colour; just go to your nearest greengrocer, farm shop or supermarket and choose what looks the best or takes your fancy.

I love cooking on a whim like this and shopping from smaller, independent grocers is most satisfying. Ask the shopkeeper what is good today and nine times out of ten he or she will tell you with enthusiasm. It is why I love to shop on the Continent, where this type of selective shopping is part of the culture.

Having just got back from a trip to the Boqueria, the great food market in Barcelona, which is twinned with Borough Market, South London, I am even more convinced that this is the way to go.

These three recipes are inspired by some of the tapas dishes I had in Barcelona: all are simple and easy to follow, but all relying on the quality and freshness of the component parts.

All recipes feed 4 to 6 people and can be cooked indoors on a char-grill if it is raining

LAMB BURGERS WITH BREAD SALAD

For the burger: 800g minced lamb

½ red onion, finely chopped

10-12 anchovy fillets, mashed

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

2 cloves garlic

1 egg, beaten

Salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients together, going easy with the salt as the anchovies are naturally salty. Separate the mixture into four to six equal-sized balls and flatten into burger shapes. Watch me doing this at timesonline.co.uk/food (see box).

For the bread salad: 5-6 thick slices of crusty bread, torn into roughly walnut-size pieces

½ red onion, diced

½ cucumber, diced

4 large ripe tomatoes, diced

80ml extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

A handful of mint and coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Toss all the ingredients together and season generously with salt and pepper. Let stand for at least ten minutes for the flavours to mingle. Barbecue the burgers for 2-4 minutes a side, depending on whether you like your burgers pink or medium. These burgers are also delicious with white beans, rinsed and warmed through with extra virgin olive oil, thyme and young garlic.

BARBECUED MACKEREL

2 tsp cumin seeds

5 cloves garlic

1 tsp thyme leaves

1½ tsp sweet, smoked paprika

Grated zest and juice of 1½ lemons

200ml olive oil

4 whole mackerel, gutted

Salt and pepper

Heat the cumin seeds in a dry frying pan for a few minutes to release their flavour. Grind in a pestle and mortar with the garlic, thyme, paprika and some salt and pepper. When it is a smoothish paste, stir in the lemon juice, zest and oil. Make incisions in the flesh of the mackerel and place carefully inside a plastic bag with the marinade. Squidge the marinade around so it covers the mackerel evenly and leave for a few hours or overnight. Barbecue the mackerel for 5-6 minutes a side, until done, and serve with extra wedges of lemon.

GRILLED SLIVERS OF AUBERGINE AND COURGETTE WITH MINT AND SESAME

2 large aubergines

3 large courgettes

4-5 tbsp sesame oil

3 tbsp roughly chopped mint leaves

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp saba or a very good-quality sherry or balsamic vinegar

1-2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Juice and zest of a lemon

Salt and pepper

Slice the aubergine and courgette lengthways 1cm thick. Toss in the sesame oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Grill on the barbecue for a couple of minutes a side until the flesh is soft and the outsides look fairly well grilled (the blackened bits are delicious). You may have to do this in batches if the grill is small. As they are cooked, transfer them to a mixing bowl and toss them in the rest of the ingredients. Serve it as is, or tossed with a bunch of rocket leaves.

Nutritionist's verdict

Amanda Ursell

Choosing lean lamb will help to keep saturated fat levels in the burgers down, while the omega 3s in the anchovies may help to ameliorate the “bad” effects of saturates that remain.

The mackerel dish is brimming with goodness, from the highly effective omega-3 oils in the fish to the supernutrients in garlic, which help to keep our blood flowing freely.

Although herbs are eaten in relatively small amounts in our diets, rosemary contains a uniquely potent antioxidant called carnosic acid, which grabs two free radicals at a time (excess free radicals can trigger cancer, inflammation and arterial damage).

Go steady on extra seasoning in the grilled aubergine dish because the soya sauce is already rich in salt. AMANDA URSELL(amandaursell.com )

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