How To Grill Fish
from Italian Traditional Food

Advice on how to grill fish

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Here are some useful tips on how to grill fish.

Grilling is a good way of cooking fish

Grilling is a good and attractive way of cooking small whole fish (round or flat), particularly the rich and oily variety such as herring and mackerel. The intense heat crisps the skin making the fish especially appetising. Also excellent as straightforward grills are sole and halibut, turbot and salmon steaks.

Information on how to grill fish:

Like meat, fish should not be salted before grilling but served with various savoury butters, such as maitre d'hotel, anchovy, or orange, which give all the seasoning necessary; watercress makes a good garnish.

Unlike oily fish, white fish needs to be well brushed both before and during the cooking, with ordinary melted (or for a better colour - clarified) butter. When grilling round fish score, ie. make a diagonal cut to slit the skin, in 2-3 places to allow the heat to penetrate more easily and so shorten the cooking time. It is not necessary to do this scoring with flat fish unless they are very large.

Grilling times depend on the thickness of the fish, not the weight.

Mackerel

These run largerthan herrings and a big one can weigh over a pound. They are excellent grilled whole or filleted. Score fish 3 times on each side. Brush with oil or melted butter. Allow longer grilling time than for herrings: whole fish 10-15 minutes, filleted 8 minutes on the cut side and 3-4 on the skin side. Serve with maitre d'hotel butter and/or quarters, or slices, of lemon.

More information on how to grill fish:

Herring

Grill these whole, or split open (in which case the backbone and many of the side bones may be removed). If grilling whole, cut off the heads and score herring twice on each side. Brush with oil or melted butter, then grill on full heat. Allow about 4-5 minutes on each side, 8-10 minutes in all.

For split, or filleted; herring brush with butter and grill on cut side first for 5-6 minutes, then turn and allow a further 2-3 minutes on the skin side.

Dish up and serve piping hot with maitre d'hotel butter or mustard butter.

Sole and plaice

The best type for grilling is black or Dover sole. These may be in the form of small slip soles (8-10 oz each), or larger, one of which is sufficient for 2 people.

Ask your fishmonger to skin the sole both sides. Grill with the head on, first brushing well with melted or clarified butter. Brush again from time to time and turn after 5-6 minutes. When nicely brown dish up and pour over any juices from the grill pan.

Put a pat or two of maitre d'hotel butter on each sole before serving.

Treat plaice in the same way but fillet before skinning. Serve as for sole.

Salmon steaks

(4 - 6 oz steak per person) While grilling salmon steaks keep them succulent by brushing frequently with ordinary melted or clarified butter. Serve with maitre d'hotel or orange butter.

Halibut or turbot steaks

(6 oz steak per person) Of all the white fish, with the exception of sole, these are the best for grilling as they are firm-fleshed and less likely to break up when being turned.

For a good even colour, first dip in a little milk and then roll in seasoned flour before brushing with ordinary melted, or clarified, butter. The steaks must be kept well brushed and basted with the butter while grilling. Allow 8-10 minutes in all for steaks 1 inch thick, turning once.

Dish up, top each one with a pat of savoury butter (maitre d'hotel, anchovy or orange).

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