How to BBQ Fish

Do you have a nice whole fish and want to know how to BBQ it properly, or do you just want to cook it but not stink out the house? The following how to explains how to get a perfectly cooked fish from your BBQ. Note the following does not apply to tuna it is more red meat like.

Steps

1- Cut your fish to size. Does your whole fish fit in the BBQ? If not, although it’s nice to present a whole fish as a whole fish, start by removing the head just behind the gills, and the tail where the flesh ends. Should the fish still not fit, try and cut it into equally thick chunks.

2- Place lemon and dill in the belly cavity (lemon and any combination of other appropriate herbs will suffice, although appreciate that the taste of fish, in general, is very delicate, so don’t over-power it).

3- Place in the fish basket or wrap in oiled kitchen/tin foil. Fish grips are perfect for smaller fish, but should you be dealing with larger fish or fish that tends to dry out when cooked, it’s best to wrap it in oiled kitchen/tin foil.

4- Place the BBQ on a lower setting, or the fish on a higher rack, and close the lid. You want to half grill your fish and half oven it in order to ensure that it is cooked throughout. To do this, place the fish (foil joint upwards) in a higher rack or have the BBQ at a lower setting, and close the lid.

5- Turn twice. The cooking time depends on the thickness of the fish, but in general, I usually turn after 20 minutes for a 4lb fish. I’ll then turn back over 20 minutes later and cook for a further 5 minutes. Should you be using foil, open up the top of the foil to expose the fish after the second turn in order to allow some moisture to escape.

6- Serve!

Tips

Fish can be placed in marinades that are not acidic. Try slitting the sides of the fish and rub the marinade in.

Rubbing tandoori paste into the fish is my favourite approach to BBQing fish. The tandoori gives it a kick in the immediate effected areas, but the fish retains its delicate flavour.