To Grill A Fish

About author / Amy Powell

World traveler; gourmet 30 minute meals; lover of exotic ingredients; winner on FoodTV's Chefs vs City; graduate French Culinary Institute. Her recipes will tantalize your taste buds.

To grill a fish I think is a cooking technique that brings even the most experienced grill masters a bit of anxiety. When asking an amateur barbecue buff in our beach neighborhood what his thoughts were on grilling fish, he said “None, really.” Meaning that he doesn’t really think about grilling fish unless he has to, like when his vegetarian neighbor wants something to eat while all the boys are running around gnawing on bones.

Personally, my best barbecued fish memory is one for the bone-gnawing boys. Although hardly a summer story, it involved running around in nature, starting a fire, and grilling our own catch in the great wide-open. I fail to mention that it was FREEZING (about 15 F) and our catch came from ice fishing (hardly a challenging sport), but the final product, a salt packed fresh water bass fired on the outdoor grill of a lakeside campsite, was moist, smoky, and somewhere close to line-caught perfection.

So come barbecue time, whether it's for a vegetarian neighbor or to cook up a fresh catch, there comes a time when every grill must leave the land behind and meet the sea.

A fish has so many more variables than a typical piece of grilled meat. Is the skin on or off? Is it firm fleshed or delicate? Whole fish or fillets? Two inches thick or paper-thin? It is no small wonder that grilling fish can be a daunting task for an experienced steak and ribs guru.

If you have ever eaten a grilled fish taco, then right there you have a pretty good idea of what makes the easiest fish to grill. Firm fleshed, thick cuts such as mahi mahi, swordfish, tuna, or salmon all make excellent cuts for direct grilling over medium-high heat. These cuts are also the same sorts that are perfect for cubing and skewering into kabobs.

Beyond fish tacos and kabobs, for skin lovers the barbecue offers a great opportunity for a smokier version of that crispiness you adore. On a lightly oiled grill over medium high heat a variety of thicker cut skin-on fillets can meet the fire. Sea bass and salmon are both excellent choices for this endeavor. The key here is to leave the fish skin side down for the duration of the cooking process. Put the lid on the grill, or lightly cover the fillets with foil, to trap in the heat. Depending on the thickness of the cut, the fillet may take 6-8 minutes until the fish is opaque and flakes to the touch.

If you really insist on grilling something as thin as sole, a special fish or vegetable grill is really necessary unless you want to lose your dinner to the coals. But for those delicate white fish lovers, that is probably when one would consider grilling the fish whole. Although whole fish lacks the bone-free convenience of a fillet, it does offer a world of opportunity for infusing the fish with aromatics in the cavity from fresh herbs to citrus.

Tacos, kebabs, whole, and crispy-skinned, even if you prefer the turf to surf, there might be a place for a creature of the sea on even the most carnivorous of grills.

Serves/Makes: 4

• 1 Serrano chili
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 4 limes
• 3 tablespoons tequila
• 4 mahi mahi fillets, 6 ounce size
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium Japanese eggplant
• 2 small zucchini
• 8 large crimini mushroom
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano