This three-part recipe turns your classic grill night up a notch with a creamy avocado mousse, tangy pickled onions, and a sticky harissa yuzu glaze that adds a sweet and spicy touch to easy-to-grill chicken skewers. “I love grilling in the summer,” says Mimi Weissenborn, executive chef at Sur Lie in Portland and Gather in Yarmouth. “It’s not just about the culinary experience, but more about the gathering of the people you love and sharing delicious food with them.”

Serves 4

AVOCADO MOUSSE

INGREDIENTS
5 ripe avocados
Juice from 2 lemons
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Remove the avocado flesh from the skin.
2. Place the avocado flesh into a blender with the lemon juice and olive oil. Blend until smooth. Add salt to taste.

PICKLED RED ONIONS

INGREDIENTS
1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pickling spice
1 whole red onion, diced

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Put all the ingredients except the onion into a pot and bring to a simmer.
2. Let the sugar and salt dissolve.
3. Remove the pot from the heat. Allow the liquid to cool to room temperature.
4. Add the diced red onion and allow to pickle for a minimum of 4 hours.

NOTE: It’s okay to leave the onion in the pickling brine for longer!

HARISSA YUZU GLAZE

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons harissa
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons yuzu juice (or substitute lime juice)
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

INSTRUCTIONS
Place all the ingredients into a small pot and simmer until the brown sugar is dissolved.

CHICKEN SKEWERS

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds raw chicken thighs, cubed
2 cups tamari
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 bunch cilantro or microgreens, chopped, for garnish

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, whisk the tamari with the garam masala to create a marinade.
2. Place the cubed chicken thighs into the marinade and marinate for 10 minutes.
3. Place the marinated chicken cubes onto 4 skewers and grill to an internal temperature of 160°F.

FINAL ASSEMBLY

Smear some avocado mousse directly onto each plate. Place a chicken skewer on top of the mousse and brush with the harissa yuzu glaze. Place pickled red onion on top of the chicken skewer. Garnish with chopped cilantro or microgreens.