Whenever we grill fish, meat or poultry, we also grill some vegetables to go as a side. Halved tomatoes, whole mildly spicy peppers like Poblano, Anaheim or sweet Korean; asparagus, mushrooms, and basically whatever vegetable we find appropriate for a certain dish. Our recent favorite to go with a whole grilled fish are radicchio and Belgian endive.
I like to buy Belgian endive in Traer Joe’s; it’s only $2.49 for 3 pretty large and firm endive heads. The cheapest radicchio would be in Asian supermarkets. Look for firm heads with bright, not wilted leaves.
Right before grilling, briefly rinse Belgian endive and radicchio and pat dry with paper towels. Cut each endive in half. Cut radicchio in wedges. Don’t cut out the stalk – it will hold the leaves together at one end of each wedge. Secure the loose ends with a toothpick or two so the leaves don’t get separated during grilling. Lightly brush with olive oil and put on a hot grill (about 450 F). We usually grill veggies right after the protein – meat, fish or poultry – has been cooked.
Grill on both sides until lightly browned. Ours takes about 2-2.5 min per side. Transfer to a platter, drizzle lightly with a salad dressing (for instance, a mixture of white balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, a tad of honey, crushed garlic and olive oil) and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. If you love bitter greens, I promise you will enjoy these very much!
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