Currently it is June in Kentucky, and the feelings are about the same. Granted, warm weather arrives here sooner than New England, but there still is excitement for outdoor cooking. As you’re prepping your grill for summer, make sure to add this grilled pineapple salad to the list.
The original post from June 2010
Warm weather arrives in New England, and we become excited to cook outdoors. Of course, there is the typical fare of hamburgers and hot dogs to please the palate. However, a little variety makes grilling so much more enjoyable.
This past Saturday we decided to try our hands at more interesting grilled food. Instead of regular hamburgers, we made buffalo chicken burgers with blue cheese sauce. In place of coleslaw or pasta salad, we opted to give a grilled salad a try. Like most salads, it is best made early so it can sit in the refrigerator, chill, and allow flavors to meld.
This salad has minimal spiciness to keep all diners happy. With two of our kids and our best friends joining us for dinner, I wasn’t sure exactly how much spice everyone would enjoy, so I kept the hot sauce to a minimum. However, depending on your taste preferences you easily could add more or eliminate it completely. It also is quite fine to keep a bottle of your favorite hot sauce at the table to allow each person to add their own perfect amount of heat.
- 1 pineapple, cored & skin removed
- 1/2 red onion, cut into 3 or 4 thick slices
- 1 orange bell pepper
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- salt & pepper
- Preheat grill to a medium-high heat.
- Cut pineapple, lengthwise, into 8 slices.
- Place pineapple slices, onion slices, and whole pepper on grill.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until onions and pineapple have brown grill marks and pepper has charred skin. (Pineapple may cook more quickly.)
- Remove from grill.
- Place pepper in a small brown paper bag, and close.
- Allow all items to cool for 15 minutes.
- Remove pepper from bag, and peel off skin.
- Cut pepper in half, and remove stem and seeds; then dice pepper into bite-sized chunks.
- Cut pineapple and onion into bite-sized pieces.
- Place all in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl combine juice, hot sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper.
- Whisk to combine, and pour over pineapple mixture.
- Toss well.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
