The Secret To Grilling A Show-Stopping Fish Dinner
Grilling is a great way to upgrade your fish, taking it from bland and boring to smoky, charry, and delicious. Understandably, many people opt to grill fish fillets since they're easy to eat. But for truly restaurant-quality fish that's sure to impress your loved ones, grill a whole fish instead. Don't be put off by the idea of your dinner staring back at you. Serving a whole fish that's been charred to perfection has loads more presentation quality than fish fillets, not to mention tremendous flavor and crispiness that only grilling a fish with the skin on can achieve (and according to chef José Andrés, the skin is the best part of grilled fish).
The charred, crispy, savory skin tastes delicious and also plays an important role in keeping the fish flesh tender, locking in the juices as it grills. The thin layer of fat on the skin adds moisture and flavor to the fish meat, and it's packed with omega-3 fatty acids. In addition to deliciousness, it's arguably easier to grill a whole fish since it won't fall a part as you flip it, as fillets often do. There are a few tips to consider to achieve the tastiest fish imaginable, including choosing the absolute best type of fish to grill and the best prepping and grilling techniques. In no time, you'll have a perfectly grilled fish that can be served whole on a platter and picked at with a fork (just watch out for bones).
Choosing and prepping your fish for the grill
The first step toward a tasty grilled seafood dinner is choosing your fish. The good news is that you can select almost any fish you prefer, as long as it fits on your grill and can be flipped relatively easily. A few favorites among fish grillers include red snapper, branzino, sea bass, and Atlantic char (similar to salmon, but not as big). Mild-tasting branzino is especially popular for grilling whole since it's not overly bony, making it super easy to eat. Red snapper is also an appealing choice if you're going for presentation quality, given its bright pinkish-reddish hue.
Whatever fish you choose, it should be cleaned before cooking, meaning it's scaled, gutted, and gilled (the gills can give an off-putting flavor to your fish). Cut a few horizontal slits in the sides of the fish so that you can stuff it with herbs, spices, lemon wedges, and other flavor enhancers. Alternatively, you can stuff the cavity of the fish with your preferred aromatics. Season the outside of the fish with plenty of salt and pepper as well as a generous amount of oil which will impart delicious flavor to the skin, help it get extra crispy and create a nice sear, and prevent the fish from sticking to the grill.
Tips for grilling your whole fish
There's not much that can go wrong when grilling a whole fish. The biggest issue you could face is the skin sticking to the grill when you try to flip it. A simple tip for preventing this dilemma is to clean and oil the grill grates before cooking, and, as mentioned previously, oil the fish as well. Also, after the fish has been cooking for a few minutes, if you gently lift it and it's still sticking, let it cook on that side a tad longer. Once it's well-seared, it should lift easily.
You can always use a fish basket to make it super easy to flip and keep your fish and any aromatics intact. However, as long as you use enough oil, using a basket isn't necessary. Placing it directly on the grill is also the only way to achieve those nice grill marks.
Another popular option for grilling or smoking your fish is to use a cedar plank. Laying your whole fish on a cedar plank or wood board that can go on the grill will remove the difficulty of trying to flip the fish. You won't get the same char that you would by placing it directly on the grill, but it'll still have a wonderfully smoky flavor. Just make sure you follow the correct way to prep cedar planks for grilling, including soaking it in water for 30 minutes before using it so that it doesn't ignite.