Salsa to the Rescue - Gena's Last Minute Grill-Out

by Gena Knox, Posted May 29th 2009 @ 3:00PM

Part of a continuing summer series by grilling expert Gena Knox.

In a perfectly organized world, I would love to plan summer grill-outs several days in advance so I could spend hours thumbing through magazines and cookbooks and dream up amazing menus to try. Of course, my world is hardly perfect when it comes to planning meals in advance.

Take today for example. As I am driving to work, my husband calls and tells me we are spending the weekend at his parent's mountain house with some friends. While I realize I am not obligated to cook the meals, considering my profession and the fact that I do love to cook -- I feel like it is my duty. All of my friends are so generous with helping, so I am lucky in that respect.

When I need a last-minute grilling menu, but still want to cook something spectacular, I choose a good quality meat or seafood and pull out one of my fresh salsa recipes for the topping. This always seems to wow the crowd even though it takes so little effort.

Get Gena's salsa recipes after the jump.

Now that we are entering the summer months, it is easy to get your hands on delicious seasonal produce and that makes all the difference in the world.

Tonight I will be searing a little fresh tuna on the grill and topping it with my Cucumber and Feta Salsa (second salsa from the right). It takes no more than 10 minutes to chop and mix the ingredients and the flavors are amazing!

Cucumber Feta Salsa

This fresh salsa is a perfect complement to smoky flavor from the grill. I enjoy it most on plank grilled salmon or seared tuna, but I also serve it as an appetizer with pita chips for dipping.

PREP TIME 10 minutes
YIELDS 2 1/2 cups

1 large English cucumber, diced
1/2 large red onion, diced
3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives (optional)
Juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Combine all the ingredients in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper; mix well. Serve.

Here are recipes for a few more of my favorite seasonal toppings for your grilled fare. From left to right in the photo above: Avocado Citrus Salsa, Asian Tomato Salsa, Spicy Mango Ginger Salsa, the aforementioned Cucumber Feta Salsa and Corn and Mint Salsa.

Gena Knox is the founder of Fire & Flavor and the author of "Gourmet Made Simple." She's blogging about grilling this summer for Slashfood. For more information on Gena, visit her Web site GenaKnox.com. For more grilling tips, visit the AOL Food Grilling page.

Filed Under: Recipes
Tags: fire and flavor, FireAndFlavor, gena knox, GenaKnox, gourmet made simple, GourmetMadeSimple, grill, summer, summer grilling, SummerGrilling