To get us back in the kitchen and our creative juices flowing, we caught up with some of Lan Kwai Fong’s most celebrated chefs to ask them about their favourite summer recipes. From halloumi and watermelon salad to Korean fried chicken, it’s time to turn up the heat and fire up the grill.

Here are the summer recipes you'll fall in love with this season: 
 
Chef Anthony Burd at Mercato

After taking a trip to Italy and reconnecting with his roots, Chef Anthony Burd spent several years working in Tuscany and the United States. Getting an offer he couldn’t refuse, he took the city of (neon) lights by storm and has been leading the kitchen at Mercato ever since.
 
What is your favourite summer recipe?
“It has to be the tomato salad, which we prepare at Mercato. It’s a simple salad served with a broth consisting of daterino cherry tomatoes and red wine vinegar. Using a variety of ripe heirloom tomatoes, we add a beautiful burrata from Puglia and extra virgin olive oil and basil for the finishing touch.”
 
What do you love about this dish?
“Tomatoes! In the summer, when the gardens are flourishing, I’ll eat tomatoes everyday. They are very nostalgic to me because it brings me back to when I used to live in Tuscany. At the start of the season, the farmers would make me eat their tomatoes right off the vine with the mouth rather than picking it with our hands. It created a connection between the grower and the plant, which actually made it taste better.”

Chef Uwe Opocensky at Beef & Liberty

No stranger to Hong Kong’s fine dining scene, Chef Uwe Opocensky has been blessing us with his creativity for years. After helming the kitchen at the Mandarin Grill as well as the Krug Room, the German native is now heading up Beef & Liberty — cooking up killer burgers for all.

What is your favourite summer recipe?
“Something light and healthy like a halloumi cheese and watermelon salad. Using halloumi and watermelon slices, I lightly brush them with oil and grill them until they get a nice colour. Afterwards I’ll drizzle watermelon and lemon juice over arugula and place the grilled halloumi and watermelon on top.
Finish it off with a splash of balsamic and sprinkle some chopped coriander and fresh mint.” 
 
What do you love about this dish?
“It’s a dish that’s very quick and easy to make so you don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen. I love it on its own or as a side dish for a BBQ. There’s nothing more refreshing and hydrating on a hot summer day.”
 
Chef Taka at Kashiwaya

Bringing the true Kaiseki experience to Hong Kong, Chef Atsushi Takahashiserves authentic Japanese cuisine with a traditional palate.  Whether it’s the pride for his country or the passion he has for food, even after working for the original Kashiwaya restaurant in Osaka and leading the two Michelin-starred kitchen in Hong Kong, he still creates some of the most beautiful dishes — with utmost perfection.
 
What is your favourite summer recipe?
“Unagi eel, simply grilled with binchotan and sea salt. The Japanese strongly believe that the smoke from a grill could greatly affect the aroma and taste of your fresh ingredients. What you put on the grill is also a very important element to great tasting food and enjoying summer. Sea salt, for obvious reason, simply adds in the umami to complement the freshness of the fish.” 
 
What do you love about this dish?
“My mother would make this treat every once in a while during summer when I was young, and I in return would cook up such summer dishes for his family as well. Even my wife learnt her grilling technique from my mother over the past few years. It is a seasonal dish that many people enjoy in Japan.”
 
Chef Sang Hyun Ho at Jinjuu

Hailing from South-Korea, Chef Sang Hyun Ho brings tradition and innovation to the contemporary Korean kitchen. With a blend of Eastern and Western flavours, he creates original and imaginative dishes that continue to set Jinjuu apart. Before leading his pack in Hong Kong, he worked at famous London restaurants such as The Palomar and Fortnum & Mason.
 
What is your favourite summer recipe?
“It might not be your typical summer dish but it would have to be Tong Dak (Korean fried chicken). All you need is a whole chicken, minced garlic, crushed peppers, salt and olive oil, and use this to marinade. The batter consists of tempura and corn flour, garlic powder, salt, pepper and vegetable oil. Slowly mix it together and stir in water gradually to control its consistency — preheat the pan, add oil and start frying. Now for the sauce, you’ll need Gochujang (also known as Korean chili paste), tomato ketchup, soy sauce, chili powder, minced garlic, sugar, water and vegetable oil. 
 
What do you love about this dish?
“It’s very popular in Korea during summer, when the weather is hot and everyone is craving cold beer. Fried chicken and beer perfectly complement each other. The dish is called ChiMek; a combination of chicken and maekju, the Korean word for beer. As a child I used to eat fried chicken every other day and it still is one of my favourite foods.”
 
Chef Chris Grare at Lily and Bloom

With a passion for making people happy, Chef Chris Grare elevates comfort food to new levels. Having learned from renowned Chefs Daniel Boulud and Gray Kunz, he brings a variety of flavours to the American kitchen that make his cuisine an entirely unique experience for the tastebuds.
 
What is your favourite summer recipe?
“Steamed Grouper with roasted chili prawns in a lemongrass broth and sautéed water spinach. With Thai ingredients you can create a flavour-packed broth. Using lots of lemongrass, ginger, shallots, Thai basil, and kaffir lime leaves, they are chopped and  simmered in chicken stock, seasoned with fish sauce and lime juice at the end. Sautée the water spinach and tiger prawns with lots of garlic and chili’s, and add a big chunk of steamed grouper for the finishing touch.”

What do you love about this dish?
“It’s has a lot of light and healthy flavors for summer. When the weather gets hot and beach season is upon us, I tend to gravitate towards clean and health-conscious dishes. This one in particular has a kick to it with plenty of local seasonal ingredients.” 
 
All image rights reserved by their respective owners