Tips to barbecue fish and Mediterranean Sea Bass recipe

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barbeque, braai, cod, fish, grill, how to cook fish, how to grill, mediterranean, sea-bass

Fish is one of the healthiest and most delicious foods you can prepare for yourself. Unfortunately, it also has a reputation for being difficult to barbecue. If you love fish but are apprehensive about putting it on your grill, don’t worry, I am going to make it easy.  My tips for barbecuing fish will have you feeling confident and ready to grill your favourite fish recipe for your next meal.

While each technique is unique, the preparation for grilling both variations is the same.

Preparation
First step when grilling anything, especially fish, is to preheat your grill on high. This does a number of things. Bringing the grill up to temperature will help in caramelizing the fish and provide the defined grill marks that supply the immense flavor you love. Having the grill preheated will also lessen the amount of time your fish is on the grill, resulting in less opportunity for your fish to dry out. Lastly, preheating the grill will prevent the number one fear …sticking. Even though fish is very lean, it will naturally release itself from the cooking grate when it is finished cooking if the grill was preheated correctly.

Another constant when it comes to grilling fish is the temperature. Whether skin is on or off, the temperature should be at a medium to high heat, depending on the recipe, around 200-225 Celsius or 400-450 degrees Fahrenheit.  Now that your grill is preheated, you’re almost ready to start grilling your fish. The last thing to do is clean the cooking grates with a stainless steel brush to remove all prior cooking debris that may still be left over. Just a good rule of thumb, clean cooking grates are a necessity no matter what you are grilling to aid in easy removal of your grilled cuisine.

If you’ve experienced fish sticking to the grates in the past, chances are you didn’t preheat your grill to the correct grilling temperature or clean your cooking grates properly.

Technique
Check out the tips below to perfect your favorite fish dish.

Skin on:

• Allow your fish to sit for five to ten minutes to bring it up to room temperature before generously oiling and seasoning it prior to putting it on your cooking grates. This will help to eliminate the possibility of sticking.
• If you want to sear the flesh side, first be sure to oil the flesh side of the fish and place it flesh side down directly on the grate and grill according to recipe. The fish will naturally release itself from the cooking grate once it is finished being grilled on that side. If searing is not on your grilling game plan, simply place the fish skin side down directly on the grate.
• Be sure to stick with the general rule of thumb that allows for eight to ten minutes of grill time per inch of fish. Therefore, if your fish is an inch in thickness, grill each side for about three to four minutes. However, always be sure to consult the instructions on your recipe.
• When it comes time to take your fish off the grill, slide your spatula in between the area where the skin and flesh meet. Using a side-to-side motion, make your way between the two areas so that the layer of skin remains on the grate and only the flesh piece is removed from the grill.
• As always, make sure you allow adequate time for your fish to rest after it is off the grill. Three to five minutes is a sufficient amount of time to let the fish relax and allow for the juices to run back into your cut of fish, making it more tender.

Skin off:

• Allow your fish to sit for five to ten minutes to bring it up to room temperature before generously oiling both sides and seasoning your piece of fish prior to putting it on your cooking grates. This will help to eliminate the possibility of sticking.
• Be sure to stick with the general rule of thumb that allows for eight to ten minutes of grill time per inch of fish. Therefore, if your fish is an inch in thickness, grill each side for about three to four minutes. However, always be sure to consult the instructions on your recipe.
• Only flip your piece of fish once while grilling. Do not repeatedly turn and flip it. This will heighten the chance of it breaking apart while being grilled.
• When it comes time to flip your piece of fish, do not force your piece of fish off the grill. Be patient and allow your fish to naturally release itself from the cooking grate on each side. This will indicate that the fish is done being grilled.
• As always, make sure you allow adequate time for your fish to rest after it is off the grill. Three to five minutes is a sufficient amount of time to let the fish relax and allow for the juices to run back into your cut of fish, making it more tender.

Always remember to grill with your lid down. Each time you open the lid, you add additional cooking time to your meal.

With these tips, you’ll be grilling up a flawless fish dinner that will impress even the pickiest seafood lover at your dinner table. It’ll be easy to bring the taste of the sea to your backyard barbecue any time you desire. *

 

RECIPE
If you cannot find sea bass, this works beautifully with cod or halibut as well.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 skinless sea bass fillets, each about 170g and 2 1/2 cm thick (6 ounces and 1 inch)
• Lemon wedges (optional)

Preparation:

In a small bowl whisk the first 6 ingredients
Spread the paste evenly on both sides of the fillets
Allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes
Grill the fillets over direct high heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until the flesh is opaque throughout and starting to flake, 5 to 7 minutes, turning once
Remove from the grill and serve warm with lemon wedges
Enjoy!

 

*From Weber International website

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Baked Fish with lemon and olives

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capers, cod, fish, lemons, olives, sea-bass

This is one of my go-to fish recipes. It is so quick and easy yet tastes just like something you might be served in a nice restaurant.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 skinless white-fleshed fish fillets (sea-bass or cod), about 225g / 8oz each
Olive oil
1 lemon, preferably organic
2 tablespoons capers
Kalamata olives, pitted – about 20
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F
Pat the fish dry and place in a single layer in a shallow oven proof dish
Brush with some olive oil
Sprinkle with the capers
Chop the olives into small pieces and distribute evenly on the fish
Add salt and pepper
Cut the lemon into thin slices and place a few on each fillet
Bake until the fish is just opaque about 10 to 15 minutes (depends on thickness of the fillet)
Drizzle with some olive oil and serve
Enjoy!

Turbot au beurre blanc

Tags

beurre blanc, classic french recipe, cod, fish, turbot

 

Turbot has been called fish royalty, the king of fish.

What more could you ask for? Adding a beurre blanc sauce maybe – perfection on a plate.

This classic french dish is made with turbot, (it has gleaming flesh that retains its bright-white appearance when cooked and the firm meat has a large flake and an excellent mild flavor), but you can use nice pieces of flounder, halibut, or at a push, cod instead if you cannot find turbot.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 fillets of turbot
• handful spinach
• 1/2 cup garden peas
• about 6 baby potatoes
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
• 50 g shallots, very finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons white wine or champagne vinegar
• 4 tablespoons dry white wine or vermouth, such as Noilly Prat
• 6 tablespoons water or fish stock
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 175 g chilled butter (in small cubes)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

• First prepare the crushed potatoes. Scrub the potatoes, put them in a saucepan of cold water, add a good bit of salt, cover and bring to the boil. Leave to boil for 15 minutes and then drain. Crush the potatoes with the underside of a fork until the skin splits and you are left with an assortment of different sized pieces. Dress the potatoes with the olive oil, the freshly squeezed lemon juice and parsley. Keep warm.
• To make the beurre blanc, put the shallots, vinegar, vermouth, water or stock in a small saucepan and simmer until reduced to about 4 tablespoons.
• Add the cream and boil until reduced a little more.
• Lower the heat and gradually whisk in the butter, a few cubes at a time, until the sauce is thick and creamy.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper
• To prepare the spinach and peas, place the spinach in a small frying pan with a little butter and allow the heat to wilt the spinach. Season with salt and pepper. The peas can be cooked in the same way.
• Season the turbot fillets with salt and pepper. Heat some olive oil in a pan and add the fillets flesh side down and fry for two minutes. Using a spatula, carefully flip over the fillets and fry with the skin side down for one minute.
• Turn the fillets one more time onto the flesh side and add a knob of butter to give the fillets a beautiful golden colour.
• Just before turning off the heat, squeeze the juice of half a lemon onto the fillets.
• To serve, carefully pile the crushed potatoes using a chef’s ring in the middle of a warmed plate. Place a layer of the wilted spinach on the potatoes and then the turbot with the golden flesh side up. Scatter some peas around the potato, spinach and turbot tower. Drizzle the champagne beurre blanc on the fish and around the tower.
• Enjoy!

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