GRILLING
This simple technique for cooking fish can yield some extremely impressive results. A perfectly grilled piece of fish will be both delicious and visually appealing. I can create wonderful texture on a fish, and it is much easier than it may look. The only technique that is easier than grilling is blackening and the difficulty is really only increased by the need to make a couple of key decisions. Grilling is a great choice for any of the firmer species of fish. It works best for fish large enough that you can cut a slab of fish of uniform thickness. You can safely grill any fish on the bottom half of my Peery-odic table, but here are my top 5; mahi-mahi, branzino, cobia, sturgeon, and swordfish.
Fish can be grilled as a boneless skinless fillet, as a skin-on fillet, as a steak, or whole. My preference is to cook them with skin on wherever possible, because it helps retain moisture and flavor and protects the meat from sticking to the grill. Extremely firm fish like swordfish, cobia, sturgeon, redfish, and white seabass can go right on the grill and should not stick too much. Softer fish like branzino, snapper, striped bass, rockfish, and sculpin need the skin on for protection from aggressive heat. Salmon is firm enough to go either way, but benefits from skin, which is also much easier to get off after cooking. If you like to eat the skin, remove the scales. If not, the scales can stay on and they add another layer of protection from the fire. Small boned fish like trout, croakers, and perch are best grilled whole. Hard to cut fish like sheepshead and pompano are also best grilled whole.
Once you have chosen your fish and made the decision of which form you would like it in, you can ask your fishmonger to prepare it for you. If you choose to process it yourself, you may want to review the tutorial for filleting HERE and cleaning HERE. When your fish is ready, grilling a fish just takes a few simple steps.
Heat your grill. Skin on fish, and extremely firm fish can take high heat. Whole fish can take high heat as well, but will need more indirect heat and longer cooking times to allow them to cook all the way through. For softer fish, use lower heat. You will have opportunities to adjust the heat as the fish cooks, so the temperature to start is not that critical. I usually start with high heat to get some nice grill marks and char on the fish and then reduce the heat or switch to indirect heat later.
Oil and spice your fish. While the grill is heating, brush the fish with a coat of olive oil. Sometimes, for a change of pace, I use bacon grease, especially on trout. Coconut oil is also a nice choice, especially for a fish like mahi-mahi. For softer fish that are more prone to sticking, it helps to also brush the grill grates with olive oil. Fish are less likely to stick to a clean grill, so keep your grill as clean as you can. Then spice the fish however you like. Often, I just season my fish simply with salt and pepper because I buy extremely fresh fish and I like the fish to be the star of the show. For a little more depth of flavor, add fresh thyme to the mix or try some Cajun spices like cayenne, paprika, and garlic powder. You can season it with lemon pepper instead, but make sure you skip the salt as lemon pepper is mostly salt. For a Mexican flavor, try cumin and chili powder. There are also a lot of prepared spice blends that you can buy.
Grill the fish. You should start with a fish that has almost warmed to room temperature. I take fish out for grilling about 30 minutes before I start the grill. Don’t leave it out much longer than that though, as you don’t want it to spoil or degrade the flavors. For a boneless, skinless piece of fish, simply drop it on the grill. For a 1” thick fish, I usually expect to cook it about 5 minutes per side. It may take less though, so watch it. When it is cooked about halfway through, it is time to flip it. The second side should take roughly that same amount of time that it took on the first side. Try to only flip your fish once. If it starts to burn on the outside before it is cooked halfway through, reduce the heat under the fish and increase the indirect heat. If the fish feels stuck, but is not burning, be patient. It will often release from the grill grates when it is ready to flip. The fish is done when it is opaque all the way through and flakes easily in the middle. A fish with skin on can be cooked 100% on the skin side. If you prefer a little char on the top, you can sear it for just a minute or two on the meat side. If you plan to cook it just on the skin side, go a little heavier on the olive oil on the top. For fish prepared this way, you’ll need to season more heavily on the one side, since you can’t get anything on the skin side. Branzino is known for having a delicious, crispy skin. If you want to eat the skin, remove the scales, oil the skin and season it, then make sure that you serve the fish skin side up so it stays crispy once you take it off the heat. To grill a whole fish, use a fish with the guts and gills removed. The head is optional. If it bothers you to look your dinner in the eye, remove it. Make some cuts in the fish down to the spine roughly parallel to the ribs. This allows the fish to cook more evenly and also allows your chosen flavors to penetrate into the meat. Make sure to rub your seasoning into those cuts, and don’t forget to also season inside the cavity of the fish. It is a little tougher to determine when a whole fish is done, but it will definitely take longer than a fillet. The same techniques apply, just try to look at the flesh in the thickest part of the fish.
Grilled fish goes great by itself, with a great sauce, or with vegetable sides. A favorite meal at my house is a simply spiced, grilled fish fillet with a side of roasted beets and carrots. A grilled branzino goes very well served over a butternut squash risotto. A grilled mahi-mahi is a perfect fit to be topped with a mango salsa. A shortbilled spearfish goes will with a soy-ginger sauce and served with tempura vegetables. Grilled fish is also great in a fish taco.
