Want to make something special for Dad to cook up on the grill this Father’s Day? Here are a couple of recipes from the Classic Catering People.

Grilled Soft Shell Crabs with Orange Garlic Butter

The Classic Catering People

Chef Donald Martin

Ingredients

-        6 each – soft shell crabs, cleaned and trimmed (instructions following recipe)

-        ½ pound – unsalted butter

-        2 each – orange, juice and zest, orange part only

-        6 each – cloves of garlic, minced

-        1 tablespoon – minced shallots

-        1 tablesppon – chopped fresh mint

-        Salt and pepper – to taste

Directions

-        In a sauté pan, on low heat, add 2 tablespoons of the butter and sweat the shallots and garlic until soft and aromatic.

-        Add the orange juice and let reduce until almost dry.

-        Add butter, orange zest and mint and cook on low heat until melted.

-        Pour 2/3 of the butter into a separate container and reserve the rest in the pan to pour over the finished dish.

-        Brush the crabs with butter and season with salt and pepper.

-        Place crabs on the grill, on medium hi heat, for 2-3 minutes each side.  Crabs are done when they turn bright red or orange and are slightly charred.

-        Finish with reserved garlic butter when ready to serve.

To Clean and Trim Soft Shell Crabs

-        With a pair of kitchen shears, trim off the face, without cutting too much off the body.

-        Turn the crab over and lift up the “apron” of the crab.  Trim off apron.

-        Place crab top side up again and pull a side of the shell up to expose a gill.

-        Remove the gill completely and repeat on the other side.

-        If the point ends of the crab are too sharp, trim to dull the points.

Grilled Corn Relish

Ingredients

-        2 cups – grilled corn, cut from the cob (see cooking instructions below)

-        2 cups – diced tomatoes, seeded and small dice

-        ½ cup – red bell peppers, small dice

-        ½ cup – red onion, small dice

-        1 each – jalapeno, seeded and chopped fine

-        5 each – cloves of garlic, mince

-        ¼ teaspoon – chili powder

-        ½ teaspoon – paprika

-        ¼ teaspoon – coriander

-        ½ teaspoon – dill

-        ¼ cup – scallion

-        ¼ cup – cilantro

-        2 teaspoon – lime juice

-        4 tablespoons – olive oil

To grill corn on the cob

6  Ears of corn

Olive oil – as needed

Salt and pepper as needed

-        Remove husks and silk from corn.

-        Submerge corn completely in water and soak for 20 minutes.

-        Remove corn from water and brush with olive oil.

-        Season with salt and pepper.

-        Wrap corn in aluminum foil and place on grill at med hi heat.

-        Cook for approximately 30 minutes, turning as often as necessary to prevent burning.  Some charring is ok.

-        Using tongs remove foil and if desired you can put the corn back on the grill for more color and smokey flavor.

-        Remove from grill and let cool.  To cut corn from the cob, cut each cob in half.  Stand the piece of corn on the cut and slice down the length of the ear, between the kernels and cob.  Rotate cob and repeat until all the kernels are cut.

For Relish

-        In a sauté pan, combine the garlic, jalapeño, red onion and olive oil and sweat over med low heat until slightly soft and aromatic.

-        Add corn and red pepper, sauté on medium high heat 1-2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

-        Add chili powder, dill, coriander, paprika and tomatoes, sauté for an additional minute.

-         Add cilantro, scallion and lime juice and remove from heat and let cool.

Vegetable Kebobs

The Classic Catering People

Chef Ronnie Ching

Ingredients

1 red onion, cut into 2 ounce pieces

1 red pepper, cut into 2 ounce pieces

1 yellow squash, cut into 2 ounce pieces

1 zucchini, cut into 2 ounce pieces

½ eggplant, cut into 2 ounce pieces

6-12 cherry tomatoes

6-12 cremini mushrooms

½ teaspoon basil

½ teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon thyme

¼ cup olive oil

¼ white wine

wooden skewers

salt and pepper

balsamic glaze

To Make

In a large bowl, combine olive oil, white wine, basil, oregano and thyme.  Stir and add red onion, red pepper, yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes and mushrooms.   Salt and pepper to taste.  Let marinate for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat grill to medium heat.  To prevent burning, soak skewers in water for 5 minutes.

For each skewer, layer each vegetable until the skewer is full, leaving enough room at each end to be able to pick it up.  Brush with balsamic glaze.  Place on grill, cooking 3-5 minutes each side.

This recipe can be adapted using a variety of your favorite vegetables and meats.