Grill vegetables like a pro
- Expect them to take longer than meat and fish.
- Choose greens with the right shape for the grate.
- Most root vegetables need to be pre-cooked.
- Apply dressing after grilling.
- Aluminium foil, wok and skewers also work…
Expert chefs in our network insist that there is no reason not to cook greens in the same satisfying, exciting ways that we cook meat and fish. Vegetables belong on the grill. However, as with meat and fish, there are some do’s and don't’s you need to be aware of to get it right.
Treat greens like meat.
– Joel Aronsson, Michelin star restaurant Fäviken,
The Maillard effect makes greens tastier
Putting vegetables on the grill results in at least two things:
- The Maillard effect, those toasted flavors that make almost everything more exciting to the palate.
- An intensified culinary experience when the naked heat drives water out water and concentrates flavors.
More time than protein
Many vegetables – consisting mainly of starch and cellulose – need more time on the grill than meat and fish protein. If serving them as a side dish, start grilling vegetables about 10 minutes ahead. Then keep warm over indirect heat.
The right grill grate for the job
Some vegetables have a shape, size or texture that can make grilling them tricky. Make sure that you have a high quality, sturdy grate with tight spacing. The grate should be clean.
About the most important grill detail:
Greens with the right shape
Choose elongated vegetables that you can slice lengthwise to suit the grate.
- Grill corn and green asparagus (white asparagus is not recommended for grilling) just as they are. Pre-cooked corn over high heat in the middle of the grill, asparagus needs some time over indirect heat.
- Cut, for example, aubergine and zucchini lengthwise before grilling. No thinner than one centimeter/half an inch – they will become thinner as they cook. Brush with oil before you place them on the grate.
Love that Maillard effect…
The toasted aromas – the so-called Maillard effect – which arise when food is heated and browned works wonders for vegetables. The only difference relative to meat and fish is that the process on the food’s surface involves less protein and more cellulose and sugar, resulting in slightly different flavors.
… but with reason
Marbled meat and fatty fish can take a great deal of heat, but with vegetables you have to be a bit more cautious. The tasty grill stripes should be toasted, not black and burnt. Remove the vegetables from direct heat before things start burning.
Most vegetables contain little fat, so you need to paint the surface with oil before grilling. No more than a thin layer – any excess will only drip onto the coals and burn.
Flip often
Since they tend to take more time to cook, vegetables need to be turned more often so as not to burn. A gridiron is a good investment.
A technique: When aiming for pretty grill stripes, start with intense (direct) heat so that the stipes are properly seared, then finish off with lower (indirect) heat so that you don’t make new stipes across the first set.
Grilling root vegetables
Boil potatoes and root vegetables before placing them on the grill. This may sound like making things too complicated, but the falvors you get from the grill make it worth the bother.
Root vegetables work best if they have had a little time to cool and “rest” before they are placed on the grill to get more exciting flavors and textures.
Time those baked potatoes
Baking potatoes in aluminium foil on the grill will take their time to get done. But, gratefully, this vegetable will not deteriorate if left to cook for longer than is actually needed
If you find the baking potatoes in your store too large, choose a smaller, floury potato with the skin intact.
Easier with double skewers
Grilling vegetable kebabs becomes a lot easier with double skewers that stop the food – for example onion or peppers or mushrooms – from gliding round and round without control. This technique works for meat and fish, too.
Choose dry mushrooms
Mushrooms are suitable for grilling, but you want a dry and firm kind like Portobello, Porcini or Champignon. Mushrooms release a lot of water and risk sliding through the grate. Using skewers is a good idea.
Practice grilling greens
Practice and learn to know the difference between different vegetables, just like you know the difference between, for example, a chicken drumstick and a ribeye. A thin, watery vegetable like a green pepper will behave differently from a sturdy slice of zucchini or aubergine…
Foil pack grilling
Enclosing food in foil is a great way of cooking smaller greens on the grill, with or without proteins in the mix. Compose an aromatic package with the ingredients (root vegetables may need some pre-cooking), salt, pepper and spices. Aromas and flavors will be contained – and then released under the noses of your dinner guests…
Wok on the grill
You can place a wok pan directly on the glowing coals and, in this way, make use of high heat as well as smoky flavors. The best tool for the job is an “original” wok with a wood handle and a rounded bottom. Don’t try this with a wok coated with teflon…
Grill little gem lettuce
Many varieties of lettuce can be grilled, but little gem lettuce – with its crispy texture and compact format – is perhaps the most suited. How it’s done:
- The lettuce must be dry.
- Cut the head of lettuce lengthwise down the middle. Brush the cut surface with oil and flavor with salt and pepper.
- Grill on high heat with the cut surface facing the coals.
- To get those pretty grill stripes, avoid moving the lettuce.
- Dress the ”salad” after grilling.
Grill open face down
This is the general rule for several vegetables that are soft inside and that have an outer skin holding them together. A firm tomato variety – for example beef tomatoes – can work. Also try grilling avocado, onion, lettuce (see above), and more. Always brush the open surface with a little oil before grilling.
Grill lemons
Lemons (which are a fruit, not vegetables, but never mind that) look great on a plate and the flavor does wanders for almost anything from the grill. If you grill the lemon itself you get even more exciting flavors and aromas:
- Cut the lemon into halves across the middle, the “equator”
- Grill the halves over high heat with the cut surface facing the coals. The grate should be hot enough to make grill stripes after a while.
- Turn the halves over and place over indirect heat for a while. The heat and the evaporation will concentrate the sourness as well as the sweetness.
Dressing after grilling
Dressing not only brings body and flavor to green salads, it also goes beautifully with any kind of grilled vegetable. Since excess oil will only drip and cause small fires, the dressing goes on after grilling.
Chef’s suggestion: A grilled vegetable salad.
Add more salt and pepper
Salt and pepper will not stick to many vegetables and much of it will drop down onto the coals when grilling. Therefore, taste the vegetables you have grilled and add a little more if necessary.
Don’t throw away grilled greens
Save the leftover vegetables. Because of the concentrated, smoky flavors they will be fantastic in a stew. Remember that they have already been grilled to perfection and don't need much more cooking.
Read more:
Grill fish