Bill Granger recipes: Our chef shares his favourite Bank Holiday barbecue dishes

Bill will be grilling come rain or shine, but you can forget about burgers and bangers…

Spiced whole squid with burnt tomato and chilli salsa (Laura Edwards)

I've been channelling summertime vibes. Come rain or shine, I will be firing up the barbie this weekend. In Australia, we are pretty blasé about the sunshine. This might sound smug, but it's a total shock to us when our day is not bathed in warm sun and topped by a blue sky.

Since moving to London, I've had to quickly adapt to never knowing what I'll find when I open the shutters. This time of year, I've also come to understand that if you don't hotfoot it to the supermarket the moment you see the sun is out, chances are you'll just find a row of empty shelves where the sausages, burgers and sweetcorn should be.

Luckily, none of the recipes here rely on these barbecue staples. They are inspired by restaurants serving great grilled food, rather than traditional BBQ grub. John Doe in west London, for instance, serves imaginative, light dishes cooked on charcoal. I recently had the most beautiful grilled leeks and octopus there, all slightly smoked by the coals; a world away from burnt sausages and heavy-handed sauces. This is the future of grilling and I love it.

Spiced whole squid with burnt tomato and chilli salsa

This burnt tomato salsa was adapted from a recipe in one of Thomasina Miers' books. I've tweaked it a bit, but will be forever grateful to her for the inspiration.

Serves 4

1kg squid, cleaned and left whole
1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
2 tsp chilli flakes
Large handful wild rocket, to serve

For the salsa

¼ red onion, chopped
5 medium tomatoes
2 red chillies
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
Small handful mint leaves, chopped

Get the barbecue fired up, waiting for the fire to die down and for the charcoal to be covered in a layer of ash. Start by making the salsa: put the chopped onion in a bowl of cold water and set aside. Place the tomatoes and chilli on the grill and cook, turning occasionally until they are blackened and soft – about 6 minutes for the chillies and 10 minutes for the tomatoes. Skin the chilli, discarding the stem and skin, and finely chop. Skin the tomatoes and finely chop. Stir into a bowl with the drained onions, oil, garlic and vinegar. Season with sea salt, then fold through the mint. Set aside.

Now pat the squid dry with paper towel, then toss in a bowl with the olive oil and chilli flakes. Cook the squid for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until nicely charred.

Divide the rocket between four plates. Top with the squid then drizzle with oil. Serve with the salsa.

Mixed grilled vegetables with sweet miso dressing

The trick with this is to stand firm and let the vegetables get more charred than you usually would. This will give them a lovely smoky flavour and will also dry them up, making them extra thirsty for the sweet miso dressing. Delicious.

Serves 4

8 baby leeks, thicker ones halved lengthways
3 courgettes, halved lengthways
12 asparagus spears
4 baby fennel, halved lengthways
For the miso dressing
2 tbsp white miso paste
2cm fresh ginger, finely grated
1 garlic clove, finely grated
1½ tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp rice-wine vinegar

Mixed grilled vegetables with sweet miso dressing (Laura Edwards)

Start by making the dressing. Combine all the ingredients, add 1 tbsp of water and stir well to combine. Set aside.

Get the barbecue fired up, waiting for the fire to die down and for the charcoal to be covered in a layer of ash. Without brushing them in oil or seasoning them in any way, cook the vegetables in batches, until tender and very well charred.

Cut the courgettes into chunks and arrange them on a platter along with the other vegetables. Season with salt and drizzle lightly with the miso dressing. Serve with the remaining dressing on the side.

Bavette with a herb and peanut relish

Being a butcher's son, I grew up eating some of the more unpopular cuts of meat, such as lamb's neck and beef bavette, also known as skirt. I'll never understand why so many people prefer fillet over these cheaper, tastier cuts. Restaurants have been championing them for years and now that the supermarkets have started stocking these once-forgotten cuts, let's hope that their prices don't sky-rocket.

Serves 4

1 red chilli, chopped
1 garlic clove, sliced
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice-wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
750g bavette (also called skirt), or onglet

For the peanut relish

2 tsp caster sugar
Juice of 2 limes
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
1cm ginger, finely grated
1 garlic clove, grated
45g unsalted toasted peanuts, chopped
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 shallot, finely sliced
2 red chillies, chopped

For the pickled cucumbers

3 Lebanese cucumbers (or ½ regular cucumber), cut into chunks
1 tsp caster sugar
2 tbsp rice-wine vinegar

Bavette with a herb and peanut relish (Laura Edwards)

Combine the chilli, garlic, honey, soy sauce, rice-wine vinegar and lime juice in a shallow dish. Use to marinate the bavette for at least 30 minutes, or ideally overnight in the fridge.

Combine all the ingredients for the peanut relish. Adjust the seasoning and set aside.

Mix the cucumbers, sugar and rice-wine vinegar in a bowl and season with salt.

Get the barbecue fired up, waiting for the fire to die down and for the charcoal to be covered in a layer of ash. Remove the beef from its marinade and season with salt. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until nicely charred but still springy to the touch. Transfer to a board, cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Serve sliced, topped with peanut dressing and with the pickled cucumbers on the side.

Bill's restaurant, Granger & Co, is at 175 Westbourne Grove, London W11, tel: 020 7229 9111, and 50 Sekforde Street, London EC1, tel: 020 7251 9032, grangerandco.com. Follow Bill on Instagram at bill.granger

Food preparation: Marina Filippelli; Props merchandising: Rachel Jukes