Last month when my family was up in Portland visiting friends, we had a typical summer barbecue with fish, corn on the cob, and watermelon. (Such darling pictures from this post.)
How many times do we entertain “last-minute” in the summertime, when we throw fish on the grill and we don’t have time to prepare a marinade?
An easy method for cooking fish is to have herb butter ready as a topping!
-Barbecue the fish, salting and peppering it heavily. DO NOT OVERCOOK the fish. Too many of us tend to overcook fish, causing it to be dry and flavorless.
-Serve on a platter with a dish of fresh herb butter, or if you serve individually, add 1 rounded scoop of herb butter to each serving.
If you want to have the butter already prepared for the “last-minute,” follow this method:
How to mix and freeze herb butter
-Decide which flavor you are looking for.
-Finely chop fresh dill, chives, basil, tarragon, thyme or oregano and set aside.
-Add to a cube of softened butter, and mix thoroughly.
-Using an 8-inch piece of parchment paper, lay an 8-inch piece of plastic wrap on top.
-Spray the plastic wrap with cooking spray.
-Roll the butter into a 1-inch log.
-Wrap and freeze.
How to use frozen herb butters
-Pull the log from the freezer
-Slice the log 1/2 – 1-inch thick.
-Serve on each piece of fish.
You can also use frozen herb butters on potatoes or vegetables, steaks, pork, or fresh bread!
I love this summer grilling tip.
It definitely makes hostessing so much easier at the last-minute. And your guests will love it!
What’s your favorite tip or flavor when using herb butters?
Hi, I'm Sandy. Five years ago I stocked up on beautiful glasses from the Dollar Store. As I started writing about dinner parties, I realized that this “icon” portrays a great message. It says that dinner parties are attainable, they are affordable, and that they can be beautiful even when on a budget. 
This is such a great idea! Grilled fish is such a good meal for the summer and freezing the butter is a great time-saver…..you don’t have to mix it each time!
Emily´s last [type] ..Time to Walk
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Great idea and recipe. I am definitely going to use this!
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc.´s last [type] ..Fresh Peach-Pecan Muffins
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Nice little rounds can be sliced off the log of butter while it is frozen. Makes great individual presentations.
Darla
Darla´s last [type] ..Curious Crochet
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Great idea to freeze the butter! I’m definitely going to try that next time. Thanks.
Barefeet In The Kitchen´s last [type] ..Chocolate Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
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Wonderful…I’m going to do that today! we cook fish all the time.
Thanks for sharing
teresa´s last [type] ..Week in the Life: Monday
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This is a great idea I must try. Thanks!
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I love making herbed or flavored butters and combining them with a simple white colored butter bell as a gift for the holidays or bridal showers.
Waving from Houston
Jane
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What a great, easy idea! I love to serve herbed butter alongside some delicious bread. I’ve never thought to freeze it though…what a great idea! Do you know if it works with spreads (like SmartBalance) or just real butter? Hope you’re having a wonderful week so far Sandy!
Kristin´s last [type] ..Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
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Yum! This looks great Sandy. I often make a chili-lime butter for grilled chicken and fish. We all love it.
Are you going to Blogher?
mommyknows´s last [type] ..Gluten Free Chex Have Arrived in Canada
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Great idea! I’ve never done this before but wouldn’t mind trying it out
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Love using herb butters on veggies, fish, chicken and steak! It turns a loaf of french bread into something special when toasted on the grill. We also like to use herb butter with some grated citrus rind added to wake up fish and chicken. So handy to keep in the freezer and a great item to make up when butter is on sale…makes a simple hostess gift too!
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Herb butter is great but really is making me smile is that little girl’s shoes!
Right foot, left foot, who cares! Get me out to the fun!
Merry´s last [type] ..Mushroom Wellingtons
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Love compound butters, all kinds. So easy to use and delicious. Your fish looks terrific.
Judy´s last [type] ..Tuscan Garlic Chicken Pasta: Test Kitchen Tuesday
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Looooooooove compound butter! I just bloggied about it myself!
p.s. why don’t we live closer?
http://bevcooks.com/2011/06/this-butter-be-good/
Bev Weidner´s last [type] ..Weidner Turkey Burgers
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We love herb butters on corn, fresh bread, boiled or baked potatoes, fish, chicken, or steak. SO many different options! With an herb garden right outside the front door, we always have chives, rosemary, oregano, dill, and other herbs ready to go into something like this and freezing the butters is a great way to preserve the harvest!
Kathy´s last [type] ..Yarn Along for July 27
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I HATE biting ito a piece of bread and getting just…bread. If you’re gonna give me bread with a spread on, it better go from edge to edge!
I make a paste of garlic and mix it with a log of butter. When I want garlic bread for spaghetti, I can soften a log and spread it on – edge to edge of course – and then toast or warm in the oven. You get that garlicky buttery goodness in every bite.
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I don’t usually use herb butters. I need to give it a try. Love the idea.
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes´s last [type] ..Strawberry Mango Fraisier
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Thanks for this Sandy! I’ve been wanting to make herb butter!
TidyMom´s last [type] ..Flip Flop Cookies with Sweet Sugar Belle {Guest Post}
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Love this tip! Simple one that I can do as I’m trying to cook fish more often.
Love the idea of using it in other areas as well. What doesn’t taste better with butter (and bacon, but that’s another topic)
Christa´s last [type] ..Cooking fish? I’ll keep trying
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