Whole Grilled Fish Recipes

WHOLE GRILLED FISH

Steps:

• Prep the fish before cooking by scaling, gutting and scrubbing clean. Pat it dry with paper towels and bring to room temperature. This step is essential; otherwise any moisture will release steam on the grill and cause the skin to stick.
• Score the flesh of the fish by making 3-4 vertical slashes through the skin and meat, down to the bone. The cuts should be about 2 inches apart.
• Clean the grates of the grill and season them with oil to prevent sticking. Pre-heat the grill or burn down coals to moderately high heat.
• Drizzle enough oil over the fish to fully coat the sides and inside the cavity. Sprinkle the fish with your favorite Creole spice mix, making sure to season the meat in between the slash marks. You can stuff the cavity with wedges of lemon or herbs if desired.
• Lay the whole fish down and grill over direct, high heat. Resist the urge to move the fish around because the skin needs to develop a crust so that it doesn't stick. After several minutes, once the fish will lift freely, carefully slip a spatula underneath and roll over to cook on the opposite side.
• Keep the fish on the grill until a crust has developed again. A small trout may only need about 8-10 minutes total, but bigger fish can take up to 20 minutes. To avoid burning the skin of a thick fish that hasn't cooked through, reduce the heat (or slide over to indirect heat) and cover with foil. Be cautious not to overcook. You don't want dry fish, nor do you want the meat to fall off before removing from the grill. Check for doneness by pricking with a fork; the meat should flake apart easily.
• Serve the whole grilled fish with a spoonful of the Cajun verde sauce.
• Cajun Verde Sauce
• Measure out about 3/4 cup of leaves from the celery. Substitute with parsley to reach the amount of herbs needed. Finely chop the green bell pepper and celery leaves and set aside.
• Pre-heat a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and minced garlic. Toast the garlic, occasionally stirring, until the garlic is close to turning golden in color. Remove from the heat and allow the oil to cool. The garlic will continue to cook in the oil. Be sure to remove the garlic before it burns. If that happens, start over.
• Squeeze the lemon juice into a medium bowl. Slowly drizzle a thin stream of the toasted garlic oil into the bowl while constantly whisking until the oil has been fully emulsified. Whisk in the sliced green onions, chopped celery leaves and green bell pepper. Taste and season with a few pinches of salt and pepper. If the lemons are bitter, squeeze a small dollop of honey to balance the sour if needed.
• The sauce can be made in advance and served cold. Store it in a jar and shake to re-emulsify when ready to serve. This recipe yields about 1 1/2 cups and will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

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 FIESTA FISH

Steps:

• Add the cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, orange zest, lime zest, lemon zest, grapefruit zest, orange juice, oil, lime juice, lemon juice, grapefruit juice, agave, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 tablespoon pepper to a large re-sealable plastic bag and mix well.
• Add the fish and turn to coat, allowing the marinade to get inside the fish as well. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes, flip over and refrigerate 15 minutes more.
• Preheat the grill to a low heat setting. Using a paper towel, rub the grill grates liberally with the canola oil 7 to 10 times.
• Remove the fish from the marinade and stuff the cavity with the lemon slices, if using, and a couple tablespoons of the marinade and place on the hot grill. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, carefully turn over using a fish spatula and cook for an additional 10 to 12 minutes, or until the fish is flaky.
• While the fish is cooking, place the lemon halves cut-side down on the grill until lightly charred.
• Remove from the grill and cut the meat from the bones. Serve the fish with grilled lemons squeezed over top.

EASY GRILLED WHOLE FISH RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Rinse fish inside and out with cold water, pat dry with paper towel.
• Stuff cavity with salt, pepper, lemon, parsley, or any favorite herbs or spices.
• Drizzle skin with olive oil. Place in a loose pouch of heavy duty aluminum foil and splash with white wine. Roll the foil shut so that liquid or air can't escape but leave a space between the top of the fish and the top of the foil pouch.
• Cook on medium-high grill for 12-18 minutes depending on size of the fish.
• Enjoy!

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.