| I came home from a little bottom-fishing expedition a few days ago with a few yellowtail and mangrove snapper, some of the tastiest fish that swim the reefs. They’re especially great on the grill. They aren’t as strongly flavored as traditional grilling fish like salmon, tuna or mackerel, but their flesh is firm enough that they don’t tend to fall apart. Still, I have developed a little technique that allows me to grill just about any white-fleshed fish, including delicate sea trout.
While I prefer a charcoal grill (mine is a Big Green Egg) for most grilled meats, the secret of my technique is to use a gas grill. That’s because you can turn it on and off easily. The trick, I’ve found, is to get the gas grill good and hot. Then, just before laying the fish on the grate, I turn off the gas then spray the grate thoroughly with Pam or Crisco cooking spray. The grate will produce some smoke for a few seconds, but the absence of open flames lets you coat the grill thoroughly without the danger of playing with a flamethrower.
As soon as the smoke dies out, lay the fish on the grill, crank up the gas and relight it. Be patient and don’t mess with the fish until you’re pretty sure it’s time to turn them over. The more you mess, the greater the chance you’ll tear up the fish. Roll them over using two wide spatulas to keep even pressure on them. Let them cook another few minutes, then take them up carefully with that wide spatula.
I learned about rubs years ago and use them to flavor almost anything I cook on the grill. One of my favorites for fish is a rub I found in Mastering The Grill: The Owner’s Manual for Outdoor Cooking by Andrew Schloss and David Joachim. The recipe is called “Cumin-Crusted Sea Bass with Lime-Cilantro Butter” and while the sea bass of the title is great, so is just about any other white-fleshed fish. You’ll want to use whole fish, scaled, gutted and gills removed. Cut four or five deep slits vertically down the length of the fish’s body. This not only helps it cook more evenly so that you don’t burn the outer flesh before the meat next to the gone is done, but it provides some handy little pockets for holding the rub.
The rub is easy to prepare: 3 tablespoons of cumin seeds, toasted for a minute or so in a frying pan and then ground up (or 2 tablespoons of ground cumin if you’re in a hurry); 2 tablespoons each of minced garlic and ginger; 1 tablespoon each of sugar and kosher salt; ½ cup of chopped cilantro and 1 teaspoon of ground dried lemon peel or a tablespoon of grated fresh lemon zest. I add a tablespoon or two of olive oil to make a paste rather than a true dry rub; the paste sticks better. Rub the paste all over the fish being sure to push some into the slits you’ve cut. Then you’re ready to grill.
Serve the fish with lime-cilantro butter. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter and sauté a couple of minced garlic cloves for a few minutes. Add the grated zest and juice of one lemon, ¼ cup or so of shopped cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. Serve it warm over the fish. |
