When the temperatures rise and the clouds part, there are always a few meals that make me happy. I generally eat based on what I catch and collect for the season, so this dictates my summer recipes.
Top 3 Summertime Recipes You Can Make For Yourself
It seems like there are some staples when the garden is prime and the fish are biting. Here are my top summer recipes to usher in the season.
1. Smoked Ribs
When I have a nice breezy, summer day I love to sit by the smoker with a cold beer. Nothing says summertime barbecue like ribs. If you cook them right, you will have everybody you know coming over to your house for dinner.
How To:
- Set up your smoker for indirect heat with the charcoal on one side
- Soak fruit wood chunks in water for 30 minutes such as cherry, apple, or peach wood
- Start additional coals in a chimney and let them ash over
- Put half of your wood chunks on the charcoal and dump your hot coals over the top
- Add the rest of your wood chunks on top of the hot coals
- Close the lid and adjust the vents to take your smoker to 225°F
- Remove the silver skin from the underside of your ribs
Preparation Method:
- Liberally apply a dry rub to all sides of the ribs and let them come to room temperature. You can buy a premade pork rub or make your own. For your own rub, use an equal amount of brown sugar and salt. Then add spices such as pepper, cilantro, cumin, garlic powder, onion power, and chili powder to get the flavor you like.
- Put a water pan directly over the hot coals and then set the ribs off to the side so they are not directly over the heat. To fit enough ribs in your smoker, you may need to use a rib rack to keep them vertical.
- Depending on the type of pork ribs that you choose, you will smoke them for anywhere from two to six hours. The meat will start to pull back from the ends of the bones. When you lift the rack of ribs with tongs, it should start to bend over instead of staying stiff. The ideal internal temperature for ribs is 185F. Baste with apple juice for added moisture. Make sure your water pan does not dry out completely.
I like to serve the sauce on the side, but you can also baste it with sauce right before serving. Let your ribs sit for about 10 minutes under foil before you serve them.
2. Mexican Street Corn
One of the best parts of summer is getting fresh vegetables from our garden. Our hands down favorite is sweet corn. With a few additional steps, you can convert your corn into one of my favorite street foods in Mexico.
Ingredients:
- As many ears of fresh sweet corn as you have available
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup cotija cheese, plus more for serving
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, plus more for serving
- 1 Tsp minced garlic
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 lime
Preparation Method:
- Fire up the grill on high heat
- Combine all ingredients other than the corn in a bowl
- Grill shucked corn on all sides for a total of about eight minutes
- Spread the mixture in the bowl on all sides of the corn
- Sprinkle with additional cheese and chili powder. Serve with lime wedges
3. Pan Fried Largemouth Bass
When the sun gets high and the fish are biting, I love putting some fish in the freezer. Then, when my family or friends visit there is nothing better than a big fish fry to welcome them. Here is how you fry your fish to keep them coming back.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups corn meal
- 4 tablespoons salt
- 3 tablespoons pepper
Preparation Method:
- Vegetable oil filling pan to two inches
- As much bass or catfish as possible
- Mix the dry ingredients in a gallon zip bag
- Preheat the oil on high heat on your stove
- Drop the fish into the bag and shake it around to coat each piece
- Place each piece into the oil and let it cook for eight to ten minutes
- Flip periodically to brown on both sides
- When done cooking, place the fish on a plate with paper towels underneath to soak up the grease
- Add a sprinkle of additional salt. Goes great with pickled jalapeño slices
Do you have great summer recipe ideas that you want to share? Please add them in the comments below!
Here are some springtime recipes for the survivalist chef you might want to learn!
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on May 11, 2017, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
