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?