15 mins prep time
15 mins cooking time
4 servings
11 ingredients
11 Ingredients:
- 8 medium size Balmain Bugs
- 50 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- 1 tablespoon dried Greek oregano
- 30 mls extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon
- 1 cup continental parsley (roughly chopped)
- 2 spring onions (sliced into 1 cm pieces)
- To taste salt flakes and freshly milled black pepper
Method:
To clean the bugs, place them upside down onto a cutting board and using a heavy knife, cut into halves lengthways. Rinse away any unwanted matter with cold water, then drain and chill until required.
Place the bug halves into a bowl and combine well with the 50ml of olive oil, crushed garlic, the juice and zest from one lemon, chilli flakes and oregano. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Pre-heat an open flame grill on a barbecue and cook the bug halves, turning often until the flesh is just cooked.
When cooked, transfer to a mixing bowl and toss through the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, spring onions and seasoning.
Serve as a shared platter with a green salad and some crusty bread.
Chef’s tip: dried chilli flakes
They are produced from crushed assorted dried hot chillies. It’s not the seeds that contain most of the intense ‘heat’, but more the internal veins that the seeds cling to. Store in airtight containers and keep away from extreme heat, humidity and light.