With the summer months just around the corner, consumers will be on the lookout for fresh flavors and bold dishes with flame-grilled entrees and side dishes. Many processors turn to industrial flame grilling to add value to processed meats and vegetables – ingredients used in a variety of summer recipes. Marlen’s executive chef, Justin Donaldson, gives his take on summer meals processors should promote via recipe sharing whereby flame-grilled meal components are utilized.
Fresh Takes on Summertime Salads
With some flame grilling, the traditional dressed salad can be replaced with one of these new favorites. Flame-grilled chicken breasts go well with grilled romaine hearts and can simply be finished with Caesar dressing and shaved parmesan! Industrial flame grills aren’t limited to proteins and vegetables. Use Marlen’s Afoheat flame grill to toast bread which is a perfect complement to a Grilled Panzanella Salad that’s tossed with heirloom tomatoes, diced cucumber, parsley, extra virgin olive oil, and red wine vinegar. Flame-grilled garden vegetables can be combined with toasted almonds and sherry vinaigrette as another cold salad option. Fresh summer recipes featuring grilled items are seemingly endless!
Grilled Seafood Options
Industrial flame grilling is great for providing color and surface texture on various kinds of fish and seafood. For example, flame-grilled shrimp is a key component of ceviche made with fresh avocado, jalapeño, coriander, and lime. Or suggest a Grilled Seafood Platter this summer with Poblano Crema and Romesco sauce featuring flame-grilled oysters, cherrystone clams, bay scallops, cedar plank king salmon, prawns, and/or lobster tails. There are so many easy recipes to suggest to consumers for feasting on fish and seafood this summer and many that will capture the attention of those looking for light and healthy dishes.
Traditional, Robust Dishes
Summertime and grilled meats go hand-in-hand. Chef Donaldson recommends offering grilled ribeye which can be combined chimichurri sauce or flame-grilled chicken satay with peanut sauce. Do you offer lamb? He suggests flame-grilled minced lamb for kebabs with a yogurt raita sauce. Try promoting patty melts featuring a flame-grilled hamburger or plant-based alternative meat patty with caramelized onions, braised mushrooms, and swiss cheese. And of course, good old-fashioned diced and flame-grilled steak kabobs are always a summer favorite alongside some grilled bacon-wrapped stuffed jalapeños!
Meatless dishes also do well with the help of industrial flame grilling such as grilled flatbread to serve with sea salt olive tapenade and fresh-made hummus. A grilled vegetable medley goes well with some extra virgin olive oil and parsley. Chef did not forget about fresh fruit. He suggests offering grilled fresh pineapple and watermelon wedges for a fun twist on fruit this summer.
Industrial Flame Grilling Solutions
Processors can increase revenue during the summer months by preparing the key ingredients in these summertime dishes with the help of an Afoheat™ Flame Grill or Afoheat™ Select Flame Searer. The Flame Grill is engineered with multiple ribbon burners and an adjustable grill marker to give products an authentic “flame-grilled” appearance and taste. A dedicated ribbon burner heats the grill marker rings to a cherry-red color over 1,200°F (648°C). The floating ring design of the adjustable grill marker allows the rings to adjust to the specific contour of each product surface to ensure consistent marks and avoid puncturing the product surface.
Multiple ribbon burners are positioned at regular intervals above and below the belt. Each burner can be independently controlled (either on or off) and angled to achieve the optimal operating condition for each product. This allows the operator to “fine tune” the unit so that the desired surface effect is achieved for each product.
The unique footprint of the Afoheat™ Flame Grill works well as a stand-alone unit or when coupled with a Marlen Spiral Oven. A flame grill produces previously unachievable effects in terms of product surface color and product yield, as industrial flame grilling jump-starts the cooking process when it creates these surface effects.
