Anyone that’s a fan of artichokes is going to love today’s simple yet delicious recipe for grilled artichokes. It all starts by cleaning and prepping the artichokes before boiling them in salted water until they are super tender. Then we marinate them in a delicious mixture of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and fresh herbs for a great Mediterranean flavor. And finally, we place the marinated artichokes on a grill for a couple of minutes until they get a nice char. Yes, it can be a bit of a process from start to finish, but trust me the end results are so worth it.
How to Prep Artichokes for Cooking
If you have never cooked an artichoke before then chances are you have no clue where to begin. But don’t worry, I’m here to break it all down for you folks. And as you’ll soon find out, there are only a few simple steps you need to do in order to get your artichokes ready for cooking. So let’s get to it!
First, we need to remove a little bit off of the bottom stem, and about 1 inch off of the top of the artichoke. Both are inedible so feel free to get rid of them.
Next, we will need to remove the inner “choke” of the plant. You see, artichokes are technically a type of thistle. And like all thistles, they feature a thorny flower called the “choke”. Which, as you might expect would not only be very difficult to eat but also incredibly painful. So removing it is generally a good idea.
And the only easy way to get to the inner choke is by cutting the artichoke in half. At this point, you should be able to locate the choke which looks like a fuzzy mass with small purple petals above it.
Simply use a spoon to scrape the fuzzy choke off of the artichoke heart and discard it. You can also remove some of the purple petals as they don’t have much edible flesh on them anyways. 
Once that’s all done you simply need to wash the artichokes thoroughly and you’re good to go.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- Many people like to serve their grilled artichokes with a dipping sauce. And the most common type is often some type of mayonnaise-based aioli. That being said you can also try out other dips like our recipe for chipotle cream sauce, or even hummus. But personally, I like to keep it simple by reserving any leftover marinade as a dipping sauce.
- Once an artichoke is cut it will begin to oxidize and turn brown rather quickly. And while it won’t diminish the taste of the dish, it will give the artichokes an unpleasant color. Luckily you can stop the artichokes from browning by simply rubbing the cut areas with a little lemon juice.
- Today I will be using fresh oregano, thyme, rosemary, and chives in my marinate. That being said feel free to use any combination of fresh herbs that you have on hand. Practically any mixture of herbs will work well in this recipe.
Grilled Artichoke Recipe
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4 to 6
Ingredients
2 to 3 whole artichokes
Marinade:
Juice from 1 large lemon
¼ Cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 Cloves of garlic, minced
1 to 2 Tablespoons fresh herbs, roughly chopped
Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep your artichokes: Begin by trimming off some of the bottom stem of the artichoke. Then slice roughly an inch off of the top of the artichoke. Discard both. Slice the artichoke in half, making sure to go right down the middle of the stem. Locate the inedible choke (the purple/pink interior leaves that run down to a clump of white fuzzy hairs) and remove it with a spoon. Thoroughly wash the artichokes and set them aside.
- Boil the artichokes: Get a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place the artichoke halves into the boiling water and let them cook for 20 to 30 minutes depending on the size of your artichoke.
You will know that they are fully cooked when a knife easily pierces that artichoke heart. Once they are tender remove them from the pot and let them dry and cool down.
- Make the marinade by combining the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, herbs, salt, and black pepper in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the cooked artichoke halves to the marinade and toss them so that they are coated. Let them marinate for at least 5 minutes to up to 2 hours.
- Grill the artichokes: Preheat your grill to high. Place the marinated artichokes cut side down on the hot grill grates. Let them grill undisturbed for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they get nice char marks.
Flip the artichokes over and let them grill on the other side for another couple of minutes. Remove the artichoke halves from the grill and set them on a tray.
- Serve the grilled artichokes immediately along with your favorite dipping sauce. Enjoy!
Grilled Artichoke Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 whole artichokes
Marinade:
- Juice from 1 large lemon
- ¼ Cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Cloves of garlic minced
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons fresh herbs roughly chopped
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep your artichokes: Begin by trimming off some of the bottom stem of the artichoke. Then slice roughly an inch off of the top of the artichoke. Discard both. Slice the artichoke in half, making sure to go right down the middle of the stem. Locate the inedible choke (the purple/pink interior leaves that run down to a clump of white fuzzy hairs) and remove it with a spoon. Thoroughly wash the artichokes and set them aside.
- Boil the artichokes: Get a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place the artichoke halves into the boiling water and let them cook for 20 to 30 minutes depending on the size of your artichoke. You will know that they are fully cooked when a knife easily pierces that artichoke heart. Once they are tender remove them from the pot and let them dry and cool down.
- Make the marinade by combining the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, herbs, salt, and black pepper in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the cooked artichoke halves to the marinade and toss them so that they are coated. Let them marinate for at least 5 minutes to up to 2 hours.
- Grill the artichokes: Preheat your grill to high. Place the marinated artichokes cut side down on the hot grill grates. Let them grill undisturbed for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they get nice char marks. Flip the artichokes over and let them grill on the other side for another couple of minutes. Remove the artichoke halves from the grill and set them on a tray.
- Serve the grilled artichokes immediately along with your favorite dipping sauce. Enjoy!
