CUISINE
It's Summer & The Grillin' Is Easy
Chef Alex Nagi has Created a Barbeque Menu Sure to Tantilize
By Lisa C. Belcastro
Lazy days at the beach, long runs by the water in the early morning light, ice cream on hot afternoons and the sound of children’s laughter as you walk by the Flying Horses Carousel all signal one thing – summer is here! Few events herald the celebration of the season like barbeques in the backyard, or on the beach, with great food enticing the crowd to gather round the chef.
Can you taste the fresh fish hot off the grill? Or the smell of burgers wafting on the breeze as you mingle with friends on Eastville Beach and the sun sets behind West Chop? I, for one, can think of few things more enjoyable on a hot August night.
Chef Alex Nagi of MV Chowder Company (ChoCo to the locals and those in the know) has created a barbeque menu sure to tantalize everyone’s taste buds. Grilled little necks on the half shell, baked fingerling potato salad, North Tabor Farm green salad, grass-fed beef burgers with spicy mayo, and striped bass with peach and lobster salsa (somebody pass me a fork!). Finish the evening’s repast with strawberry shortcake and you’ve had a perfect Island meal.
Whatever he’s making, Alex never looses sight of the most important ingredient. “Friends,” he said, which is one of reason he enjoys working at ChoCo. “I was a long time local restaurant chef before I joined the ranks of the private chef world only to come back to the restaurant world because of my friendship with JB – Juno Bravo the owner and GM of the hugely successful ChoCo and Sharky’s Cantinas. Entertaining is why ChoCo has been so successful. It’s a place where locals meet to see friends and enjoy each other's company as much as the food.”
Entertaining is the main reason to host a barbeque. “Keep the food simple. Fish and burgers are easy. Cut the veggies ahead of time. Prepare your sides the day before. A lot of people barbeque and get caught up in the cooking instead of entertaining. The idea is to enjoy the company more than anything else.”
Alex spent five years as a private chef before designing and taking over the kitchen at ChoCo in 2011. The intimate environment of the private chef world was all about relationships with his clients and creating “wonderful delicious food with great flavor that was healthy,” said Alex. “It was an enjoyable challenge.”
His grill menu reflects the health-conscious, great tasting food Alex is now famous for at ChoCo. He loves the pairing of hot fish and cool salsa. “It’s the perfect marriage. The hot and cold play against each other but also with each other. Temperature difference and texture difference is an important aspect for a successful meal.”
Another secret to Alex’s success: “Never oil fish! Oil the grill.” Rather than using a grill spray, Alex prefers to pour some oil olive onto a rag and rub EVOO onto a clean grill. Avoid coating your food (meat, fish or veggies) with excessive amounts of olive oil or you’ll wind up with that black, greasy film you’ve seen on other people’s food (never ours, right?!). If you’re going to use a non-stick spray, buy a health conscious variety and skip the unnecessary chemicals.
If you’re not topping your fillet with salsa, “hit it with butter or olive oil to keep it moist.” Alex suggested of the sea bass.
Alex’s burgers are as easy to prepare as the fish. Lots of folks like to mix ingredients into their burgers. Alex is a purist – grass-fed ground beef and nothing else. “A great burger is made with accompaniments and the bun. A good bun is of paramount concern. Brioche or a croissant-style bun are good choices – they are soft, can be grilled, but you can bite through them.”
The trick is to shape the burger gently. “The burger itself shouldn’t be packed too tightly. Keep them loose,” said Alex.
Once your burger’s grilled to perfection, top it off with Alex’s spicy mayo and an accompaniment or two. “Let your imagination run wild here and look for flavor and texture combinations that work well for you. Remember, sometimes, less is more.”
In keeping with the idea that the company is the focal point, buy some fresh greens at North Tabor Farm and prepare a garden salad earlier in the day. The salsa and potato salad are designed to be made twenty-four hours before serving. The potato salad can be made the morning of your BBQ, but will be oh so tasty if you make it the day before. “The red onion will sit down if you make it a day in advance. Keep it cold until a few minutes before serving, then take it out of the fridge and let it sit for a few minutes, let the flavors bloom.”
You’ve got a great menu, a beautiful Island and weeks of summer left to enjoy. Why not invite a few of your nearest and dearest over for a wonderful evening. When you need break or just want to enjoy a night out, drop by ChoCo in Oak Bluffs and let Alex do the cooking for you. Sample his award-winning Martha’s Vineyard Clam Chowder, the prosciutto-wrapped fresh cod or, if you’re in the mood for beef, go for the pasture-raised New York strip steak.
grilled striped bass with peach and lobster salsa
Serves 6 to 8
Fish Method
Purchase three pounds of bass from The Net Result, or any reputable fish market. I prefer the skin on, but it's not necessary. Trim ends and make sure the fish is free of bones. Cut filet into six, 6-ounce pieces. Wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to grill.
Before lighting the grill, make sure you grease the grate with oil or pan release. Season the bass with salt and pepper. Once the grate is hot, place bass on the grate skin side up. Find the hot spots on your barbeque to get nice grill marks. Once marked, move the fish to a cooler part of the grill to continue cooking.
When your fillets are half way cooked, flip the bass and cover the grill to finish the cooking process. Once bass is fully cooked, place in the center of a plate and spoon salsa over it and enjoy.
Lobster
Buy your local lobster pre-cooked at any of our Island fish markets or: Take one two-pound lobster and poach in eight quarts of rapidly boiling water for 8 minutes. Have an ice bath ready to cool lobster once it's done cooking.
Once fully cooled de-shell the lobster meat and cut into one inch cubes. Wrap and refrigerate.
Salsa Ingredients
Cooked lobster cut into
one-inch squares
3 peaches cut into one-inch squares
Leaves from 6 cilantro stems
10 thinly cut chives
1 medium red onion, julienned
1 thinly-sliced garlic clove
10 mint leaves, chopped
1/3 Cup Extra Virgin
Olive Oil
3 tablespoons fresh
Lime Juice
3 tablespoons
local honey
Salsa Method
Combine all salsa ingredients in stainless steel mixing bowl. Mix well with a large spoon and add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and keep refrigerated until you're ready to grill the fish. You can make this salsa a day in advance if you wish.
Can you taste the fresh fish hot off the grill? Or the smell of burgers wafting on the breeze as you mingle with friends on Eastville Beach and the sun sets behind West Chop? I, for one, can think of few things more enjoyable on a hot August night.
Chef Alex Nagi of MV Chowder Company (ChoCo to the locals and those in the know) has created a barbeque menu sure to tantalize everyone’s taste buds. Grilled little necks on the half shell, baked fingerling potato salad, North Tabor Farm green salad, grass-fed beef burgers with spicy mayo, and striped bass with peach and lobster salsa (somebody pass me a fork!). Finish the evening’s repast with strawberry shortcake and you’ve had a perfect Island meal.
Whatever he’s making, Alex never looses sight of the most important ingredient. “Friends,” he said, which is one of reason he enjoys working at ChoCo. “I was a long time local restaurant chef before I joined the ranks of the private chef world only to come back to the restaurant world because of my friendship with JB – Juno Bravo the owner and GM of the hugely successful ChoCo and Sharky’s Cantinas. Entertaining is why ChoCo has been so successful. It’s a place where locals meet to see friends and enjoy each other's company as much as the food.”
Entertaining is the main reason to host a barbeque. “Keep the food simple. Fish and burgers are easy. Cut the veggies ahead of time. Prepare your sides the day before. A lot of people barbeque and get caught up in the cooking instead of entertaining. The idea is to enjoy the company more than anything else.”
Alex spent five years as a private chef before designing and taking over the kitchen at ChoCo in 2011. The intimate environment of the private chef world was all about relationships with his clients and creating “wonderful delicious food with great flavor that was healthy,” said Alex. “It was an enjoyable challenge.”
His grill menu reflects the health-conscious, great tasting food Alex is now famous for at ChoCo. He loves the pairing of hot fish and cool salsa. “It’s the perfect marriage. The hot and cold play against each other but also with each other. Temperature difference and texture difference is an important aspect for a successful meal.”
Another secret to Alex’s success: “Never oil fish! Oil the grill.” Rather than using a grill spray, Alex prefers to pour some oil olive onto a rag and rub EVOO onto a clean grill. Avoid coating your food (meat, fish or veggies) with excessive amounts of olive oil or you’ll wind up with that black, greasy film you’ve seen on other people’s food (never ours, right?!). If you’re going to use a non-stick spray, buy a health conscious variety and skip the unnecessary chemicals.
If you’re not topping your fillet with salsa, “hit it with butter or olive oil to keep it moist.” Alex suggested of the sea bass.
Alex’s burgers are as easy to prepare as the fish. Lots of folks like to mix ingredients into their burgers. Alex is a purist – grass-fed ground beef and nothing else. “A great burger is made with accompaniments and the bun. A good bun is of paramount concern. Brioche or a croissant-style bun are good choices – they are soft, can be grilled, but you can bite through them.”
The trick is to shape the burger gently. “The burger itself shouldn’t be packed too tightly. Keep them loose,” said Alex.
Once your burger’s grilled to perfection, top it off with Alex’s spicy mayo and an accompaniment or two. “Let your imagination run wild here and look for flavor and texture combinations that work well for you. Remember, sometimes, less is more.”
In keeping with the idea that the company is the focal point, buy some fresh greens at North Tabor Farm and prepare a garden salad earlier in the day. The salsa and potato salad are designed to be made twenty-four hours before serving. The potato salad can be made the morning of your BBQ, but will be oh so tasty if you make it the day before. “The red onion will sit down if you make it a day in advance. Keep it cold until a few minutes before serving, then take it out of the fridge and let it sit for a few minutes, let the flavors bloom.”
You’ve got a great menu, a beautiful Island and weeks of summer left to enjoy. Why not invite a few of your nearest and dearest over for a wonderful evening. When you need break or just want to enjoy a night out, drop by ChoCo in Oak Bluffs and let Alex do the cooking for you. Sample his award-winning Martha’s Vineyard Clam Chowder, the prosciutto-wrapped fresh cod or, if you’re in the mood for beef, go for the pasture-raised New York strip steak.
grilled striped bass with peach and lobster salsa
Serves 6 to 8
Fish Method
Purchase three pounds of bass from The Net Result, or any reputable fish market. I prefer the skin on, but it's not necessary. Trim ends and make sure the fish is free of bones. Cut filet into six, 6-ounce pieces. Wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to grill.
Before lighting the grill, make sure you grease the grate with oil or pan release. Season the bass with salt and pepper. Once the grate is hot, place bass on the grate skin side up. Find the hot spots on your barbeque to get nice grill marks. Once marked, move the fish to a cooler part of the grill to continue cooking.
When your fillets are half way cooked, flip the bass and cover the grill to finish the cooking process. Once bass is fully cooked, place in the center of a plate and spoon salsa over it and enjoy.
Lobster
Buy your local lobster pre-cooked at any of our Island fish markets or: Take one two-pound lobster and poach in eight quarts of rapidly boiling water for 8 minutes. Have an ice bath ready to cool lobster once it's done cooking.
Once fully cooled de-shell the lobster meat and cut into one inch cubes. Wrap and refrigerate.
Salsa Ingredients
Cooked lobster cut into
one-inch squares
3 peaches cut into one-inch squares
Leaves from 6 cilantro stems
10 thinly cut chives
1 medium red onion, julienned
1 thinly-sliced garlic clove
10 mint leaves, chopped
1/3 Cup Extra Virgin
Olive Oil
3 tablespoons fresh
Lime Juice
3 tablespoons
local honey
Salsa Method
Combine all salsa ingredients in stainless steel mixing bowl. Mix well with a large spoon and add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and keep refrigerated until you're ready to grill the fish. You can make this salsa a day in advance if you wish.