Grilling Fish

How to Grill Fish

Buy the Right Fish
That means you buy fresh, and buy the fish you need for the dish you plan to present. Avoid very thin flatfish -- like flounder or sole -- altogether. For kebabs, choose a fish with a lot of muscle, like tuna, swordfish or salmon. Whole fish have to fit on the grill, and your best bet will be something like red snapper or a smaller salmon.

How to Grill Fish

Use the Right Tools
You'll find a spatula -- two of them, in fact -- much more useful than a grill fork or even your trusty tongs. Foil can help avert disaster when dealing with particularly delicate fillets -- but if you're planning on making grilled fillets a frequent dish, it's worth looking into buying a fish basket.

How to Grill Fish

Clean the Grill
The No. 1 thing people complain about with fish is that it sticks to the grill and falls apart. You can alleviate a lot of the problem by cleaning the grill thoroughly, so that none of those burned-on bits grab a hold of your precious meal before you ever get a chance to.

How to Grill Fish

Grease the Grill
Once you've got a clean grill free of those nasty, clingy bits, you need to offer a little lubrication. Using a wadded up bit of paper, rub a light coating of cooking oil onto the section you plan on cooking on. Note that we said light – the last thing you want is a lot of dripping fat causing a flare-up. If you're using a fish basket, everything here goes for that, as well. Grease your spatulas, too.

How to Grill Fish

Keep the Heat Moderate
If the grill's too hot, your fish will dry out, burn up, stick to the metal and fall apart. Most fish call for medium-low to medium-high heat -- almost never extremely high heat.

How to Grill Fish

Keep the Skin On
Fish have an annoying tendency to fall apart as they cook. Keeping the skin on one or both sides will help keep the meat from disintegrating and make it immensely easier to handle on the grill. You can always remove the skin just before you serve.

How to Grill Fish

Even Out the Thickness
The powers that be decided, in their infinite wisdom, that it was better not to make fish perfectly cubical. Sure, they look prettier that way, but that uneveness can mean that one side of your salmon fillet is overcooked while the other side is raw. You can take care of this a couple of ways. One, you can cut a larger piece of varying thickness into several smaller pieces of uniform thickness. Or two, you can fold over thin areas on themselves so that the doubled-over parts cook at the same rate as the thicker parts.

How to Grill Fish

Lightly Oil the Fish
Remember what we said about stickiness? If you're not marinating the fish in an oil-based marinade, it's helpful to brush the sides of your fish with a light coating of cooking oil to keep it from sticking to the grill. Another tip to keep fish from sticking from each other: Separate the pieces with slices of lime or lemon, which will also serve to nicely flavor your meat.

How to Grill Fish

Cook It Fast
Generally speaking, fish is a fast-cooking meat, and you'll want to keep it over heat for a short period of time. A good rule of thumb is between 3 to 5 minutes per side per inch of thickness (if you're flipping), or about 6 to 10 minutes per inch of thickness total.

How to Grill Fish

Once It's on the Grill, Leave It Alone
There's not surer way to make your fish fall apart than by handling it too much. Once it's on the grill (usually skin-side down first), let the fish cook in peace until it's time to flip it. It's the only way you'll get a nice, crispy exterior. You don't even need to flip most fillets.

How to Grill Fish