The Chef Table

Tag : Striped Towel

Q. I would like to try to grill fish whole. I've heard it is prettyeasy, but I have never done it before and I'm a little nervous. Doyou have a foolproof method or recipe for cooking whole fish?-Regards, Harry S.
A. It's funny what makes some people nervous. I get nervous everytime I fly; it's something about not having any control over thesituation. But, I'm still here (contrary to some people's wishes).The good news for you, Harry, is that when you grill fish you arein control and it truly is very easy. So just like everyone tellsme on a plane - relax.
Some people may wonder why bother to cook a whole fish. We do itfor the same reason that we cook a whole chicken or any other pieceof meat on the bone; the final product is much juicier andflavorful.
Before we light the grill, let's make sure we are choosing the besttypes of fish for cooking whole. Flat, firm textured fish likeblack bass, striped bass, snapper, pompano, trout, branzino and seabream work extremely well. I like to serve one fish per guest, andI try to buy fish that weigh between one to one and a half pounds.The fish needs to be fresh with bright red gills and no fishysmell.
Your fish needs to be prepped by having it gutted, scaled, and thegills and fins removed. I would suggest that you have yourfishmonger do this for you, but to be honest with you I haven'tseen too many fishmongers around lately. The 17-year-old behind thecounter at your local market doesn't quite hit the mark. It reallyisn't hard to prep fish, however, and you can get four fish readyfor cooking in about 20 minutes. Right before cooking, give themanother good rinse to get rid of any blood that you see. Dry thefish well with paper towels inside and out.
Whether using a gas or charcoal grill, make sure you heat the grillgrates long enough in advance to burn off any leftover residue andthat they are very clean. This will help prevent the fish fromsticking. Then just follow these steps and you will have nerves ofsteel while you cook your fish.
1. After starting your grill with a very hot flame, turn it down orburn it down so that it is medium-hot to medium.
2. With a sharp knife, make three to four horizontal cuts into eachside of your fish, about a half to one inch deep. This will helpprevent the fish from curling up so it will cook more evenly. Italso makes it easier to tell when the fish is done.
3. Oil your grill grates extremely well.
4. Season the fish inside the cavity and then generously oil theoutside of the fish.
5. Place the fish over the heat and then do not touch it for aboutfive minutes. On average, a fish will grill for about 10 minutesfor each inch of thickness. A one pound fish, after making yourcuts into it, will be about an inch thick.
6. After five minutes, check the skin on the grates and if itappears nice and crispy, carefully lift the fish using two metalspatulas and gently roll or flip it over. If for some reason itsticks and/or falls apart, it's no big deal. Put it on a sheet panand finish it in a 375-degree oven. It will still taste great.
7. To check to see if it is done, poke around the slits you made inthe side of the fish. The flesh should be opaque. You can alsocheck by inserting a knife between the backbone and the top fillet;the flesh should easily separate from the bone - if not, cook a fewminutes longer.
Harry, I hope you are nice and calm when you try the followingrecipe. I'm on my way to the airport - I'll be thinking of youwhile I'm on the plane.
HARRY'S EASY GRILLED WHOLE FISH
4 fresh whole fish about 1 to 1 { pounds each, scaled, gills andfins removed
Oil for coating the grill grates 2 lemons, sliced 4 fresh rosemarybranches
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lemon wedges
Extra virgin olive oil to serve
Heat the grill until it is very hot. Turn down to medium-high ormedium heat. Moisten a towel with some oil and rub the grill downto prevent the fish from sticking. Salt and pepper the cavity ofeach fish, and place in each the rosemary branches and slices oflemon. Oil the outer skin well. With a sharp knife, score the fishhorizontally on each side, slicing it from a half inch to an inchthick. Grill the fish about 5 to 6 minutes per side for each inchof thickness. The fish should remain moist but flake easily once itis done. Serve whole, or run a knife or fork along the spine andgently peel back the top layer of skin. Using a large fork removethe fish into segments onto plates. Once the first side iscomplete, gently lift off the skeleton, and remove the remainingfish onto plates. Drizzle the plated fish with the extra virginolive oil, and serve with slices of lemon.