Grilling fish is one road many grillers do not want to go down. Many have gone down the road to only to find disaster and vowing never to venture down that path again. I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way. So dust off that bruised ego, and let’s try a better way.
The 5 Essentials for Grilling Perfect Fish
Choose the right fish
You can grill any type of fish, but what really matters is how you plan on grilling your fish. If you want to grill your fish directly on the grate, certain fish are better for that. Thick steaks such as salmon, tuna, and swordfish can be placed directly on the grill. Or thick fillets such as cod, tuna, and salmon work good too. If you want to grill a whole fish such as red snapper, salmon, and trout you can place them directly on the grate with no problem or you could also use grilling planks to bring out some wonderful flavors. What you need to watch out for is the tender fillets, such as halibut, flounder, and catfish. You will need a different approach when grilling these, as they would most likely crumble and fall through the grate. With tender fillets, I suggest placing them on foil with the sides turned up.
If you’re uncertain what to look for in a good quality fish, check out 6 Tip on How to Purchase the Best Fish. You need to pick up a quality fish, to make a quality meal.
Cleanliness
You need to have a clean grill or the fish will stick. Use a good brass bristle brush on the grate until it shines clean again. This is an often overlooked item; don’t forget it. Once the grate is clean rub on a bit of olive or canola oil, this will also help prevent sticking.
Heat
You need high direct heat when cooking fish. Again this will help with sticking. Make sure before you place the fish on the grill that it is hot already. If it isn’t hot when you place your fish on the grill, the chances are the fish will stick and crumble when you flip it or try to take it off.
Grilling the fish
If you decided to marinade your fish, you must wipe it off prior to putting it on the grill, otherwise it will stick. Prior to putting the fish on the grill wipe it dry and apply a bit of olive oil. Even if you marinade your fish wipe off the marinade, and apply a bit of olive oil. Again this is for sticking.
Now some of you might find this odd or backwards, but place your fillets on the grill skin side up first. I have found that the fish will flip easier when doing it this way, and also you will have the nice looking grill marks.
Flip your fish once and only once. Gently use a spatula to flip your fish. If you followed all the above so far your fish should turn without sticking.
Doneness
It is not going to take your fish long to cook, unless you have a larger whole fish on the grill. A general guideline to follow is to cook the fish 8-10 minutes per inch of thickness. So, your thinner fillets are not going to take much time, so watch them. You can visually tell when your fish is done by looking at the flesh. The flesh will be opaque through the thickest part but still moist when it is finished.
Preventing sticking and timing are the most important factors when cooking fish. If you followed the tips above it should lessen the odds of your fish sticking. Also keep and eye on your fish, it will cook quickly. No one likes an overcooked, dried out fish.
One thing you could do if you are worried about sticking and just want a simple method for grilling fish is to use a fish grilling basket. These baskets make grilling fish easy, and clean up in a snap too. Check out Steven Raichlen’s Flexi Basket, it works great for grilling fish and also other meats and vegetables.
Also if you would like to impart a nice smoky aroma and flavor to your fish, try using a grilling plank. They work great with salmon and other fish. You can find various planks here >> Grill Planks