Recipe: Grilled Pineapple

Written by Jessica Lundberg, Mayo Clinic Dietetic Intern

Summer is a great time for barbeques, but grilling often coms with excess calories and saturated fat. Pair a small serving of fish or lean meat with this delicious fruity side for the perfect summer meal.

Number of servings: 8

Serving Size: 1/8 of pineapple and marinade

Ingredients

For the marinade

• 2 tablespoons dark honey
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 firm, ripe pineapple
• 8 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes, or metal skewers
• 1 tablespoon dark rum (optional)
• 1 tablespoon grated lime zest

Directions

Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill or broiler. Away from the heat source, lightly coat the grill rack or broiler pan with cooking spray. Position the cooking rack 4 to 6 inches from the heat source.

To make the marinade, in a small bowl, combine the honey, olive oil, lime juice, cinnamon and cloves and whisk to blend. Set aside.

Cut off the crown of leaves and the base of the pineapple. Stand the pineapple upright and, using a large, sharp knife, pare off the skin, cutting downward just below the surface in long, vertical strips and leaving the small brown "eyes" on the fruit. Lay the pineapple on its side. Aligning the knife blade with the diagonal rows of eyes, cut a shallow furrow, following a spiral pattern around the pineapple, to remove all the eyes. Stand the peeled pineapple upright and cut it in half lengthwise. Place each pineapple half cut-side down and cut it lengthwise into four long wedges; slice away the core. Cut each wedge crosswise into three pieces. Thread the three pineapple pieces onto each skewer.

Lightly brush the pineapple with the marinade. Grill or broil, turning once and basting once or twice with the remaining marinade, until tender and golden, about 5 minutes on each side.

Remove the pineapple from the skewers and place on a platter or individual serving plates. Brush with the rum, if using, and sprinkle with the lime zest. Serve hot or warm.

 Nutritional analysis per serving:

• Calories: 70
• Total Fat: 2 g
• Saturated fat: < 1 g
• Trans fat: 0 mg
• Monounsaturated fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Sodium: 1 mg
• Total carbohydrate: 13 g
• Dietary fiber: 1 g
• Added Sugars: 0 g
• Protein: <1 g

For this recipe and more, visit https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/recipes