Tom’s Grill Top Pan by Shelley Lance, Blog Editor
A couple weeks ago, the Amazon video shoot for the “Tom Douglas by Pinzon” product line took place at Tom and Jackie’s house. Tom demo’d his line of cooking tools both in the kitchen and outside the house using his charcoal grill. On the charcoal grill, Tom cooked up a prawn and zucchini dish using his Grill Top Frying Pan with Lid. The next day, Tom talked me through his method, and I took a stainless steel mesh frying pan home to develop a tested recipe using my own charcoal grill.
The Grill Top Pan, is, as the name implies, intended to be used right on the grill. To get everything well cooked, you can also flip the pan upside down. When upside down, the handle of the lid will fit neatly between the grates. As needed, flip the pan back and forth. I found this fun to do, easy and quick. Next time, I’ll get my fire hotter because I think I let the coals burn down a little too much on this first try. You should use the grill top pan over a hot fire- similar to stir frying with a wok.
The trick is to slice all the vegetables fairly thin, so they cook in the same time as the prawns.
If my fire had been hotter, I would have gotten a bit more caramelization on the zucchini slices, and that would have made the dish a perfect success. The zucchini was tender and cooked, but not as browned as I would have liked. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and juicy, and the onions and peppers were tender and sweet. This was a truly delicious dinner that I would absolutely make again.
By the way, my husband, Frank, loved this dish, but said he wouldn’t have minded a bit of spice. Any of the Rubs would be a good addition. I would pick the Peri Peri (one of my faves). Or the Smoked Paprika would give a nice color and smoky-sweet flavor.
Here’s the recipe:
Grill Top Prawns with Zucchini and Peppers/Tom Douglas
Makes 2 to 3 servings
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound large prawns, peeled and deveined, tails left on
1 cup thinly sliced zucchini
1 cup thinly sliced red or yellow bell pepper
1 cup thinly sliced onion
4 thin, crosswise slices of lemon
4 Thai bird chiles, whole, or 1 Red Fresno or Serrano chile, quartered and seeded
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Steamed rice, if desired
Fire up the grill for direct heat.
Put the prawns, zucchini, bell peppers, onion, lemon, chiles, and garlic in a large bowl. Add the oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix. Place the grill top pan on a baking sheet (to catch excess oil) and pour the contents of the bowl into the grill top pan. Close and fasten lid.
Place the grill top pan over the grates of the grill and cook over hot coals, shaking the pan as needed. Turn the pan upside down and right side up a few times to distribute everything evenly over the heat. Grill until the vegetables are tender and the prawns are cooked, about 8 minutes, depending on the heat of the fire.
Remove the grill top pan from the grill. Using a potholder, open the lid. Transfer the contents of the pan to a serving dish and serve, with steamed rice, if desired.
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