Without a doubt I suspected loquats would marry well with Grill Man’s Snapper on the Half Shell. Great time to experiment since it will only be the two of us. Each day after work, Mennu and I do a walk about the yard on our way to pick loquats.

The natural setting is healthy for both of us. Thankfully Mother Nature allows the loquats to ripen at different times which is very helpful. Produce waits for no one. It’s ready when it’s ready.

Sweet and savory cooking ideas for loquats

This stready stream of loquats all at once creates a dilemma of sorts. How many loquats may you pick and eat in a week? In the beginning you are joyful for the fruit and whip up a daily smoothie. Then you move to an easy dessert like my Sun Kiss Loquat Cobbler. Next, I adapted my version of ice cream which I based on my Eggnog and Persimmon Icy Cream. Creating a dessert is easy when working with fresh fruit.

Yet, loquats keep coming so my creative activities moved to the savory. I must say that this fruit is versatile and becomes a lovely addition to any recipe. The longer that I am quarantined Livin’ La Vida Loca the more my kitchen lab is in full swing. What would I create next?

Sun Kiss Loquat Sauce on Red Snapper

Happily, last Summer Grill Man secured red snapper for our freezer. On more than one occasion with friends he ventured out for a short trip. I joined the crew of the Strike Back with Captain Cali and spent a lovely day on the water.

Clearly besides fun in the sun the mission included locating 2 red snapper per person. With Grill Man’s fishing “honey hole” red snapper is available when “in season”. His snapper were beautiful and delivered lovely meals. To date our best meal occurred when he cooked the snapper throats.

Since our snapper throats had previously disappeared, it was time to cook a 4-5 pound slab of red snapper on the half shell. What is snapper on the half shell? When the fish is cleaned the scales and skin is left on one side. This scale side is then placed and cooked directly on the grill. This is a great way to preserve the fish while grilling and ensures moist fish.

Thankfully, he agreed to become a part of the Dining With Mimi kitchen lab. Plan consisted of the following:

Red Snapper on the Half Shell bathed in Mimi’s Sun Kiss Loquat Sauce

Green Egg Grill (regular grill could be used)

4-5# Slab Red Snapper in Half Shell
1/2 Cup Sun Kiss Loquat Sauce
Garlic Salt
Coarse Black Pepper
Olive oil
Aluminum Foil

Preheat Green Egg grill to about 300-350 degrees.

Place red snapper slab skin and scale side down on the tray. Drizzle 4 tablespoons olive oil on top of fish. Using a spoon spread olive oil around evenly on fish side only. Sprinkle well with garlic salt and cracked black pepper . Add 1/2 cup Sun Kiss Loquat Sauce to fish. Use spoon to lightly spread around evenly. Place fish directly on to the grill with skin and scale side down. Place a single sheet of foil on top of the fish without sealing in any manner. Foil is laying on top of fish as a sheet of paper would.

With the snapper slab this size it’s important not to over cook. Alternate cooking fish with lid closed for 5 minutes first. Then cook with lid up for 5 minutes. Repeat until the fish is ready. This will allow the grill to function so that its cooking but not overcooking. Also, you will be able to see what is happening. Fish will overcook quickly if you’re not watching closely enough. Our 4-5# slab of red snapper cooked in this manner for about 30 minutes.

Grill a slab of red snapper and baste it with my new Sun Kiss Loquat Sauce. I am pretty sure that this sauce would pair well with other types of fish or protein such as chicken or pork. At this point, I have not tried it but I am sure that the flavor profiles will blend well.

Let me know if you try this and the results, I would love to hear from you.

Shout out to Alexa for John Prine. April 7th he moved on to other pastures but he certainly left his mark on the world and music. Take a listen to his song titled, Fish and Whistle. It is available on you-tube if you don’t have that bossy Alexa.

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After about day 8 of picking loquats, I needed a new recipe. Over the weekend I wanted to make loquat preserves. Yet canning anything is a labor of love and time commitment. Before I started this undertaking, I needed to find a recipe that did not require hours or make a big mess.

One of Grill Man’s prize possessions is a plastic bag that contains a Home Economics Cookbook that is literally hand-stuffed with handwritten recipes. The cookbook and handwritten notes of recipes belonged to his Grandmother. When I want to spoil him, I look in the bag and cook a Grandmother recipe.

In addition to making him cobbler, she spoiled him rotten.

Over the years I heard him describe how lovely her cobbler was to eat. Oddly enough, I had never tried to make it. All of the other recipes in “the bag” were good so no doubt this one would be as well.

Before I knew it, I picked more loquats and located the cookbook stuffed with handwritten recipes. After reading the recipe, I knew instantly what to add in order to tempt Grill Man with cobbler.

How to make Sun Kiss Loquat Cobbler and why?

Any time I am able to make a recipe in just one bowl without a mixer, I’m in. If you’re in a hurry, you really don’t have time to whip up multiple items for one dessert. No one ever wants to make a mess in the kitchen, but sometimes there is no way around it.

Sun Kiss Loquat Cobbler may be mixed with a whisk and only using one bowl. This leaves you more time to move on to other things. If you don’t have loquats, peaches or strawberries may substitute. Recipe is easy to bake. Cobbler is delicious on its own but a single scoop of ice cream might make your smile a little bigger.

Loquat fruit for sweet or savory recipes

Gulf Coast of Alabama is loaded with loquats bursting from the trees whispering, “Pick me. Pick me.” If you have beaucoup loquats, read LOQUATS Eat, Ferment, Freeze, Preserve, Steep and Share. If you have not tasted a loquat it has the texture of a cherry with a flavor that is bit of peach, plum and mango with a hint of citrus.

By this point, I had eaten my fair share for smoothies and loquats in other dishes. One night I created a salsa for a piece of salmon. Soon I hope to add this recipe at a later date. Be inventive and add loquats to sweet or savory recipes.

Fruit is lovely and nutritional. All very good reasons to pick, eat and share. Pick loquats and cook Sun Kiss Loquat Cobbler. Let me know what you think. Grill Man and I have taste tested more than our fair share.

Loquats are luscious and remind me of bites of sunshine. In Alabama we have lots of green spaces to escape to during this covid-colored-world. If you can’t escape, turn up the music and pray for better days. Stay safe and wash wash your hands.

Alexa Shout out to Natasha Bedingfield for Pocketful of Sunshine.

Take me away (take me away)
A secret place (a secret place)
A sweet escape (a sweet escape)
Take me away (take me away)Take me away (take me away)

To better days (to better days)
Take me away (take me away)
A hiding place (a hiding place)I got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine.

I got a love, and I know that it’s all mine.

With love,
From Mimi’s Kitchen

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