Grilling fish (for Charlie Fu and everyone else)

Never really had a sticking problem. Sticking tells me you are leaving it on too short or too long. That may not be helpful but if you try to get it off and it sticks but does not fall apart, you aren’t cooking it enough. If it falls apart and all the little pieces are stuck, you left it on too long.

I will note that I cook fish skin side down, NO FLIPPING. About 6 minutes, 8 if it is really thick, 4 if not.
You’ll get a feel for this. In the meantime take a fork and gently, gently, see if you can get the fish to flake while on the grill. As you are cooking from the bottom up, you will be testing the medium to rarer portions. The second it seems to be coming apart, get it off and let it rest a few minutes, serve.

The skin side down, no flipping, was my reaction to flipping fish and having them fall apart. Not only does it prevent that, but the skin gets consistently crispy, and I feel I have more control as I don’t need to open the grill, causing cooling off, flip and restart the timer. My fish is now perfect from the grill.

The less you handle it the better. The skin also helps, maybe??, with the sticking aspect. If no skin, just pick a side to have down and go from there.

I DO flip scallops (U10, 60 seonds a side) and shrimp (no shell or tail, 90 seconds a side). I do not flip fish filets, lobster tails (shell side DOWN 8 minutes for 6oz tails). I never do fish steaks, I like filets better. YMMV.

I note that I have cast iron grates and do fish at about 425F.

For a herb mixture? I don’t have any special one. Always salt and pepper. And maybe that’s it. Sometimes I go with a crushed sundried tomato powder. Sometimes some garlic powder. I do a LOT of dry rubs for fish, rarely a wet marinade. No clue why, that’s just what occurrs to me and sort of one of my kitchen specialties. I’m working on rubs from around the world.

You might lightly oil your fish to keep it from sticking. I’ve not found that need, yet. But I don’t see the harm.

I’ll also note, just try it. Not with a date of course the first time. But practice practice. The no flipping was after 2 summers of working with salmon trying to figure out why I was inconsistent. I grill 300+ days a year. It just takes practice, some creativity and asking questions when something seems odd.

thank you sir!

i use a little light EV OO with fish steaks to combat any “sticktoitness” and this does well with what i grill.

There is a point at which all foods “release” if they are either oiled properly beforehand or if you surface is treated. You can learn it with practice.

Another factor is that if the heat is very high then the window of release is really quite small… the skin cooks, crips, and then burns in a short amount of time. If you cook fish on high heat you can use the Gordon Ramsay method which is to baste with the hot oil or butter, but of course this doesn’t work on a grill.

I also suggest getting a proper ‘fish slice’ - a thin metal utensil to separate the skin from the hot pan (or grill).

Indeed, perhaps I did not point it out sufficiently, but my grill has cast iron grates. Pretty wide grates. Cast iron self seals once seasoned/cured and it makes a great “treated surface” for this.

this is just learning your grill, learning how to estimate for different typesof fish and different cut thicknesses. Practice practice practice. It’s tough work eating all that tasty fish but worth it

I’ve never found the need, I serve with the skin still attahed. But this is a preference more than anything else.