How to grill fish like a professional (according to an executive chef)

Fish isn’t always the first ingredient that comes to mind when planning a dinner hot off the grill. We tend to gravitate more toward the classics; burgers, chicken, steak, and brats. And while seafood is wildly popular, it can sometimes seem a little bit intimidating to cook at home. After all, fish can be a touch delicate. The process isn’t exactly slapping a huge chunk of meat and bones on the coals and letting the fire have its way. Cooking fish takes a lighter, more tender touch.

Contents

Select the right fish
Have the right tools
Tips for how to grill fish–according to Chef Carter
Grilled mackerel with escalivada & toasts
Ingredients
Method
Some final tips for grilling fish

So let’s explore the gentler side of grilling. With our guide to grilling fish, seafood will drastically climb in the ranks of meats you want to grill. Grilled fish is not only delicious, but it’s also good for you, delivering a dose of healthy fats and proteins.

Related Grilling Guides:

Select the right fish

Although most fish is delicious, not every type is right for grilling. Fattier fish like salmon, swordfish, tuna, mackerel, and trout tend to hold their moisture better and are great for grilling. Leaner fish like monkfish, branzino, snapper, and halibut also grill well because of the density of their meat. Whichever type you prefer, try to go with a thick-cut filet that will hold up better to high temperatures.

Have the right tools

Before you start grilling, you’re going to need the right grilling accessories. After you fire up the grill, have your grill brush ready and give the grates a hard scrub down to ensure the grill is clean. You don’t want any old, burnt food sticking to your fish. You’ll also want a flexible fish spatula to maneuver under the fish and flip it. Stay away from tongs, as they will very likely cause your beautiful filet to crack and crumble. Depending on the fish or the recipe, it’s good to have some heavy-duty foil available.

Tips for how to grill fish–according to Chef Carter

Grilled Branzino — Photo Credit: Ovi Mustea

Thoroughly clean, then light the grill and turn to full flame to get it hot while prepping the fish.
Make sure the grill is plenty hot. A good minimum temperature is 300 degrees Fahrenheit. You want it high enough to cook the fish thoroughly, but not so high as to cook it too quickly and dry the fish out.
Depending on the fish, you’ll need to filet or descale or score the skin.
If you’re grilling whole fish, most likely the fish will come from a market, in which case the scales and guts should have been removed prior to purchasing. If not check out how to clean a fish.
If you’re grilling filets with the skin on, we recommend making a small slit or two in the skin, so the fish doesn’t curl while cooking.
Use a very light coat of olive oil to help keep the fish from sticking. However, too much oil will cause the grill flames to flare up, making the fish not so tasty.
With skin and without, place seasoned fish on the hot grill – after about 25 seconds, turn a 1/4″ and cook for another 25 seconds, then flip and repeat.
Resist the urge to move the fish too soon. If you don’t allow enough time for the fish to be seared on the grill, the fish will stick and be more difficult to handle.
Once the fish is marked from the grill, shift to a cooler side to finish cooking.
When the fish is at desired doneness, remove it from the grill and plate.
Whitefish, we recommend cooking until the flesh is no longer clear and opaque in color. Tuna, we like to sear more on the rare side and slice. Salmon, we like to cook medium-rare to medium, which should be firm outside with a light spring and pink in the center of the filet.

General fish grilling tips are all well and good, but sometimes a man prefers to have things spelled out for him. If you’re the kind of fella who likes to follow a recipe, check out this awesome recipe for Grilled Mackerel with Escalivada & Toasts. This recipe is courtesy of the BBC Goodfood app, one of our recommended recipe apps to channel your inner chef.

Grilled mackerel with escalivada & toasts

Ingredients

For the escalivada: (You can make and chill up to 3 days ahead; the flavors will intensify as it matures. Serve it warm, with the parsley folded through it.)

3 very large or 4 medium peppers a mix of colors
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 medium eggplants
zest 1 lemon, juice of ½
1 rosemary sprig, finely chopped
2 tbsp small capers, drained
small pack flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

For the fish and toasts:

2 rosemary sprigs, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve (optional)
1 large olive ciabatta, cut into 8 slices
¼ tsp chili flakes or hot paprika
4 mackerel fillets, pin-boned and cut in half if large (or 8 butterflied sardines)

Method

Heat the grill to high heat.
Line the grill pan or a large baking tray with foil.
Using a potato peeler, remove most of the skin from the peppers, then remove the seeds and julienne.
Toss with the onion and 1 tbsp oil, then grill for 15 mins, stirring halfway, until soft and charring here and there.
Cut the eggplant into .5 inch half-moons and brush sparingly with 2 tbsp oil.
Lay the slices over the peppers, season well, then grill for 5 mins until golden.
Turn the aubergines over, scatter with the lemon zest and rosemary, then grill for 5 mins more until golden and soft in places.
Stir the capers and the lemon juice into the vegetables. Season and set aside.
For the toasts and fish, mix the rosemary, crushed garlic, oil, and some seasoning.
Brush half of this over one side of the ciabatta slices.
Mix the chili into the remainder, then brush over the fish and let it marinate for anything from 5 mins to 1 hr in the fridge.
Grill the fish, skin-side up (or barbecue skin-side down), for 4-5 mins, depending on the thickness of flesh until just cooked through and the skin is crisp.
Grill the bread until sizzling and golden.
Top the toasts with the escalivada, followed by the fish, and serve with another drizzle oil, if you like.

Some final tips for grilling fish

Only heat one side of your grill to high heat so you can transfer fish to the low heat side after searing to finish cooking, preventing overcooking.
Grilling baskets are great for whole fish – they make it easier to flip and cook without charring as much.
Using cedar planks soaked in water is another good option for grilling. Lightly oil the cedar plank and place the fish on top. Place the cedar plank with the fish on the grill and close the lid. The fish will cook this way without any flipping required. (You can read more about using cedar planks here.)
If grilling a whole fish, wrap the tail in foil to prevent burning for better presentation.
When it comes to grilling, the skin is your friend. Most fish skin is edible, and it’s always best to start skin-side down to let the fish cook a little and firm up before flipping.
Try using pre-soaked wooden skewers for shrimp and scallops. Soaking the skewers in water before attaching shrimp or scallops will allow the meat to cook without the skewers burning. The skewers will also make it easy to move your shrimp and scallops as needed.