Grilled fish is sooo yummy, but it can be kind of nerve-wracking, sticking to the grill grate and falling apart when you try to flip it and all. Get your grilling technique down pat with these tips from Barbecue Bible author Steven Raichlen.
• Season fish on both sides, then transfer to an aromatic cedar or alder wood plank (found at many cookware stores). Set up your grill for indirect grilling—you don’t want the plank directly over the heat source—and grill until the fish flakes easily when pressed with a finger. There’s no need to turn the fish. You can serve the fish directly on the plank or transfer it to a platter or plates.
• Wire or mesh grill baskets (available from cookware and grilling equipment retailers like www.grilling4all.com) can hold whole fish or delicate fillets and eliminate turning or sticking problems. Oil well before using.
• Take a cue from some of the world’s oldest grilling cultures: Enclose fish and aromatics in banana leaves before direct grilling. If you can’t find banana leaves, substitute aluminum foil.
• Skewer chunks of steak-like fish (tuna, halibut, swordfish, etc.) on long metal skewers, leaving at least two inches free on either end. Suspend the skewers between bricks positioned directly on the grill grate.
• If you insist on cooking fish directly on your grill grate, make sure the grate is squeaky clean, well-oiled, and screaming hot. Turn the fish only once with a wide, thin-bladed spatula.
Nestpert: Steven Raichlen is the host of Primal Grill™ and Barbecue University™ on American Public Television, and a multi-award-winning author. Raichlen wrote the best-selling Barbecue Bible cookbook series (Workman Publishing -- more than four million copies in print), including his authoritative new book, the 638-page Planet Barbecue documenting two million years of grilling in 60 countries on six continents. www.barbecuebible.com
-- Erin Walters
Jul 28, 2010
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