Grilled Whole Fish Recipes

GRILLED WHOLE FISH RECIPE

Steps:

• As you choose your fish, pick fresh fish on ice at your grocery store. Choose fish with clear eyes (fish that have cloudy eyes are less fresh). If you can smell the fish, it should smell like the sea and not fishy. Have the fishmonger clean the fish, also removing the gills and tail.
• Dry your fish with paper towels and use a knife to cut 3 slits on each side of the fish. Each slit is about 1 inch deep.
• Add salt and pepper all over the fish (on the skin, slits, and inside of the cavity).
• Add minced garlic in the cavity and the slits.
• Add the lemon wedges and green onions in each of the slits and the cavity.
• Finish stuffing the fish with leeks, scallions, shallots, rosemary, and parsley.
• Use the soaked toothpicks to keep the stuffing inside the cavity.
• Add a generous amount of vegetable oil all around the fish.
• Heat your charcoal. I like to use natural chunk charcoal and fill about 50-60% of my chimney starter. This fills about 40-50% of my small charcoal grill with about 2-3 inches distance from coals to the fish.
• Once your coals have a nice white coat from heating up, they're ready to pour onto the grill. If the coals aren't covered in white yet, they may not get hot enough on the grill and if you heat them for too long before pouring out, their life is shortened. Cover the grill for a few minutes so it warms up.
• Scrub the grill grates on the top and bottom with a metal grill cleaner.
• Whole fish directly on the grill: Place the fish directly onto the grill and sit tight (don't try to move the fish around before it crisps and cooks or you'll end up breaking the skin). Each side takes about 6-8 minutes with the lid covering the bbq. Once the first side crisps and is easier to lift, you can carefully turn it over. Once the whole fish registers with an internal temperature of about 145°F or the meat is firm and opaque, then it's finished. Whole fish in foil: Wrap the fish with foil and place it onto the grill. Each side takes about 6-8 minutes with the lid covering the bbq. After about 7 minutes, carefully turn it over. Slightly open the packet and use a thermometer to check the fish. Once the whole fish registers with an internal temperature of about 145°F or the meat is firm and opaque, then it's finished.
• Serve the fish fresh off the grill with some rice and garlic noodles.

GRILLED WHOLE FISH

Steps:

• Preheat grill for direct-heat grilling over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, drizzle cavity of each fish with 1 tablespoon olive oil, then season generously with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Aromatics help keep whole fish moist while grilling. Stuff 1 fish cavity with lemon slices and dill and the other with lime slices, basil, and Thai chiles. If using just 1 filling, double amounts called for.
• Fasten each opening with a wooden skewer or toothpicks that have been soaked in water so they don't burn. This keeps the aromatics inside and also makes fish easier to handle on the grill.
• Using a paring knife, make long, 1/4-inch-deep diagonal slashes at 2-inch intervals on both sides of fish so they cook evenly throughout. This also allows any seasonings on skin (see step 5) to penetrate.
• Rub both sides of each fish with remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper, working all into slashes as well as heads and tails -- both are edible, and the tail becomes delightfully crisp when grilled.
• Brush hot grill with vegetable oil; immediately place fish on grill. Cook, undisturbed and uncovered, until undersides are charred and flesh along gills on undersides turns opaque, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Turn fish with 2 large spatulas. If they stick, wait a few seconds until skin sears enough to release cleanly. Grill on other side until charred and fish are just cooked through and opaque, 5 to 7 minutes more.
• Serve fish with lemon and lime wedges and more herbs. To serve, cut fillet free from top side of fish and remove with a spatula. Remove bones to free other fillet.

GRILLED WHOLE FISH, GREEK-STYLE

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to medium-high.
• Rinse the fish well under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Season the fish all over inside and out with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Brush each fish generously with 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil and place directly on the grill. Cook, turning occasionally and coating with more olive oil if necessary, until flesh flakes easily and fish is cooked through, about 6 minutes per side. Place fish on a platter. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine remaining olive oil with the lemon juice, parsley, and oregano. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve fish drizzled with the olive oil-lemon mixture.

WHOLE GRILLED FISH WITH LIME

Steps:

• Build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill, or heat a gas grill to medium-high. Score fish: Cut 1 slash lengthwise down to the bone, then crosswise in 2 places, spacing apart; repeat on other side. Season fish cavity and skin with salt; drizzle fish with 1/4 cup oil. Stuff some of the lime slices (reserve a few for garnish) and herb stems inside fish.
• Clean and oil grill grate well. Grill fish, resisting the urge to turn it, until skin is nicely crisp and charred and flesh is flaky and opaque down to the bone. (This can take 6-15 minutes, depending on size of fish. Don't mess around with it until it's ready.) Place a metal spatula underneath fish (a pair of metal tongs on top of fish also helps for support), then lift and gently roll over to the other side. Cook until flesh is flaky and opaque down to the bone, 6-15 minutes. Use a small knife to check for doneness; if it slides easily through the thickest part of flesh, fish is done. If not, finish cooking fish on grill or in a 450°F oven.
• Place fish on a serving platter; drizzle oil and lime juice over. Garnish with reserved lime slices, basil leaves, and cilantro.

GRILLED WHOLE BRANZINO

Steps:

• For the Salmoriglio sauce: Whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil in a medium bowl. Add garlic, capers, herbs and lemon zest. The sauce should be loose in consistency with high-acid flavor. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• For the fish: Preheat the grill for cooking over high heat (around 450 to 500 degrees F).
• Bring fish to room temperature, 30 minutes, then wrap fish briefly in paper towels to dry out skin, which will help keep the fish from sticking to the grill.
• Stuff the inside cavity of the fish with herbs, garlic and lemon slices, and sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper. Brush the outside of the fish with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brush a fish grill basket with oil or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place fish in fish grill basket and secure shut. (If you don't have a fish grill basket, place the fish between 2 wire cooling racks and secure the racks together with wire.)
• Place basket on the hottest part of the grill. Cook until the eye turns white and skin is charred, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Let rest 5 minutes.
• Place fish on a platter and dress with the Salmoriglio sauce.