Easy Summer Recipes for Longer Evenings: BBQ Mushrooms, Crab Linguini, Honey Salmon
Summer Recipes: BBQ Mushrooms, Crab Linguini, Honey Salmon

Easy Summer Recipes for Longer Evenings: BBQ Mushrooms, Crab Linguini, and Honey Salmon

As the evenings stretch and the barbecue is dusted off, there's a craving for food that feels lighter, brighter, and just indulgent enough to mark the seasonal shift. From smoky stuffed mushrooms to chilli-spiked crab linguini and honey-glossed salmon, these easy almost-summer recipes deliver maximum flavour with minimal effort.

Celebrating the In-Between Season

A particular mood creeps in at this time of year. The evenings lengthen, windows are cracked open even when the air remains crisp, and we desire dishes that are celebratory yet satisfying. These recipes fit perfectly into that in-between space—impressive enough for garden gatherings with friends yet simple enough for a Tuesday night.

What unites them is ease and optimism. They're colourful, quick, and designed for sharing—plates that can be carried outside, set down in the middle of the table, and picked at as conversations stretch on. Nothing too heavy or complicated, but with enough richness to feel like a treat.

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This is cooking for longer evenings and lighter moods: food that marks the shift in season without demanding hours of effort. It's relaxed, sociable, and just indulgent enough to signal that summer is properly on its way.

BBQ Stuffed Mushrooms with Clotted Cream and Blue Cheese

BBQ mushrooms and clotted cream? Yes, please. These smoky portobello mushrooms are stuffed with blue cheese, kale, pecans, pine nuts, and a bold dollop of clotted cream. Bubbled on the BBQ until golden and sticky, then finished with another spoonful of clotted cream for good measure. A vegetarian treat that hits all the right BBQ notes—rich, nutty, creamy, and totally indulgent.

Serves: 6

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 large portobello mushrooms, stalks removed
  • 100g clotted cream (plus extra to finish)
  • 100g crumbly blue cheese
  • 1 handful kale, finely chopped
  • 1 handful pecans, roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp pine nuts
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • Sea salt and cracked black pepper
  • 1 knob of butter (for finishing)

Method:

  1. In a mixing bowl, combine the blue cheese, chopped kale, pecans, pine nuts, thyme, and a generous dollop of clotted cream. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Spoon the mixture generously into each mushroom cap. Place the mushrooms in a BBQ-safe tray or cast-iron pan. Add a knob of butter to the pan, letting it melt and bubble into a rich, sticky sauce.
  3. Bake on a lidded, hot BBQ for approximately 20 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft and the tops golden. Spoon the buttery juices over each mushroom and finish with a small spoonful of Trewithen clotted cream for extra indulgence.
  4. Serve with hot salad or crusty bread—perfect as a veggie showstopper.

Crab Linguini

Try this zingy crab, lemon, and chilli linguini in a creamy sauce, and you'll want to make it every night on repeat. Ready in under 15 minutes, it's the perfect quick and easy dinner.

Serves: 4

Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 300g linguini
  • 300g fresh crab meat, white and brown
  • Splash of dry cider
  • 25g salted butter
  • 75g clotted cream
  • 2 red chillies, deseeded and chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
  • Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
  • Handful of parsley, chopped
  • Lemon, to serve

Method:

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  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the linguini according to the packet instructions.
  2. Meanwhile, in a wide, deep pan that will hold all the cooked pasta, melt the butter over a medium heat. Add the garlic and one chilli and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the cider. Add the cherry tomatoes and remove from the heat before stirring through the clotted cream until thoroughly combined and season generously.
  3. When the pasta is cooked al dente, add it to the creamy sauce, along with a little of the starchy water, reserving an extra cup in case the sauce needs loosening further. Gently stir through the crab meat and parsley and put a lid on for a couple of minutes for the linguini to absorb the flavours. If needed, add a little extra cooking water before serving.
  4. Serve with fresh lemon slices, the remaining chopped red chilli, and garnish with parsley.

Honey-Baked Salmon

This honey-baked salmon is a simple yet flavourful dish, ready in minutes and generous with taste. Perfect for a light summer meal.

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 4 boneless salmon fillets
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • ½ tsp dried parsley (or 2 tsp fresh parsley, finely chopped)
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • Pinch of paprika
  • 1 lemon, sliced into half-moons

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Line a baking tray with foil or a silicon mat.
  2. Place the salmon fillets, skin-side-down on the baking tray.
  3. In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter, garlic, honey, parsley, salt, pepper, and paprika.
  4. Pour the mixture over the salmon fillets (don't worry about any of the sauce pooling on the tray).
  5. Arrange the lemon wedges on and around the salmon.
  6. Place in the oven and bake for 8 minutes.
  7. Open the oven and baste the salmon with any of the sauce that has pooled on the tray. Bake for a further 4-7 minutes until the salmon is tender.
  8. Serve with your favourite potatoes and green veg or salad.

Recipes adapted from Trewithen Dairy and The Groovy Food Company, offering delightful options for summer dining.