This article was first published in Malibu Coast Lifestyle Magazine print  – summer 2020.

For the full article, click HERE. 

There’s no time like a pandemic to learn how to master your grill. While most Americans huddle around outdoor grills as a form of camaraderie, celebration or communion, socially distant BBQ gatherings may become the future. Here, five local chefs share their grilling secrets and favorite recipes on the barbecue.

Carbon Beach Club Restaurant

For a successful grilling season, Executive Chef Ryan Caldwell from Malibu’s oceanfront Carbon Beach Club Restaurant at the Malibu Beach Inn shares two important tips:

1. Know your grill. It has hot spots and cold spots, and it’s important to know where they are. The cooler spots are good for “cooking” whatever you’re grilling and getting to the proper temperature inside, and the hot spots are great for putting that nice finishing grilled char on your item.
2. Like any machine, the grill must be well-oiled! Take a spare kitchen towel, fold it into a “roll,” tie it in place with butcher’s twine, and then saturate it with olive oil. Chef Ryan uses this and tongs to wipe the surface of the grill before each use to “season” the grill, prevent sticking, and keep it clean.

Here, he shares Carbon Beach Club’s grilled Haas avocado dish served with tangy Tunisian BBQ sauce garnished with toasted pistachios, pink peppercorn, currants, cilantro, and chili oil.

“It’s a very fun dish with the smokiness and char we get from the grilled avocado and the sweet and salty play that we get with the Tunisian BBQ sauce,” Chef Ryan says.

Grilled Avocado, Tunisian Puree, Pistachio

Tunisian BBQ Sauce

1 cup green olives (drained)

1 cup Peppadew peppers (drained)

1 T chopped garlic

1 t salt

1 t espelette

2 oz dried currants

Blend all ingredients in a Vitamix until completely smooth; adjust seasoning to taste.

Pistachio & Pink Peppercorn Mix

1 cup toasted, chopped pistachio

1 oz crushed pink peppercorn

1 oz currants

1 t salt

1 T olive oil

Toss all ingredients in a bowl.

Nicolas Eatery

At Malibu’s Nicolas Eatery across from Carbon Beach, Chef Nicolas Fanucci also suggests cleaning the grill before grilling and making sure to let meat, fish or vegetables sit at room temperature for a few minutes before cooking.

Grilled Tuna

filet(s) fresh tuna

1 cup soy sauce

1 t black pepper

1 t olive oil

Marinate the fish in soy sauce with black pepper to give it a rich flavor. Cook on a hot grill with oil for 2 minutes on each side. Serve like a tuna burger or on a plate with rice or tortellini.