Weekend Barbecue Number One

We spent Saturday enjoying the sunshine at a friend’s annual barbecue.  Amongst other things (that sadly didn’t photograph well), we ate squid that had been marinated in chilli and a Japanese spice I can’t remember the name of and mackerel that had spent the morning sucking up some red curry paste.

We took along a couple of salads to go with the meat and fish:

Our favourite potato salad and the spiced tomato and cucumber salad we made for the first time recently.  This version was much better than before and both benefited from being made in advance and resting in the fridge until required.

Potato Salad – Serves Four

250g new potatoes
1 red onion, finely diced
Juice of one lemon
Small splash of red wine vinegar
Tablespoon wholegrain mustard
Small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
Small bunch of mint, finely chopped
Salt and pepper

Start by soaking the red onion in a mixture of lemon juice and water to remove any bitterness, adding more water if it doesn’t cover the onion. Leave to soak for about an hour.

Boil new potatoes in salted water until cook through and allow to drain thoroughly. While the potatoes are cooking, take all the other ingredients and make up the dressing. When the potatoes are still warm, add the dressing and the drained red onion. Refrigerate until needed (but bring back to room temperature before serving).

Dijon mustard works well here, as does spring onion or chives in place of the red onion.