Grilling fish at home is one of the greatest culinary adventures you can take on. There are so many ways to grill your fish! Whether it’s fresh or frozen, thick cut or thin cut, white meat or dark meat- all taste great when cooked properly.
One of our favorite grilled fish recipes is Pan Seared Salmon with Wasabi Sauce. It is full of flavor and looks beautiful. This recipe could not be done easily back in the days before most people had their own grills!
Luckily now that we do have our own grill, this recipe is easy to make. In fact, some say it is easier than cooking “regular” salmon because there is no broiler involved. We agree!
In this article, we will go over another foolproof way to cook delicious grilled fish every time. Keep reading to see how to cook trout, snapper, cod, flounder, and even shark steaks without using an oven or stove top grill.
Brush fish with oil
After washing your fish, you will want to brush it with olive or vegetable oil so it does not stick in the grill. This is particularly important if you are cooking thick fillets like salmon!
Olive oil can be used as well as most any kind of fish. When using an oven-baked plate to cook the fish on, make sure to coat both sides of the fish. The leftover oil can also be mixed into your marinade or brushed onto the cooked fish.
Remember, when grilling meat, keep the flame very low and avoid burning it. With water and bread, making grilled cheese isn’t too difficult. Same goes for baking potatoes! For fish, however, we have tips here for you to try out.
Put on a grill-friendly coating
After deciding whether or not you want to cook your fish like steak, you will need to decide how to coat the grill before cooking it. There are two main types of covers used for grilled foods: hot plate covers and foil packets.
Hot plate covers are fabricated out of heavy duty material that is designed to stay in place while also conducting heat well. These are typically made of silicon or aluminum and fit over most conventional stovetops.
Foil packets are likewise manufactured from high quality materials but they have thicker walls than hot plate covers. This allows them to keep their shape longer which can be helpful if you need to take a break during the grilling process.
Cooking with either type of cover is very similar. You simply have to make sure your food does not stick when using a plastic cover as some people recommend leaving it off until the meat juices seep into the cover. That could potentially burn you later!
With foil packets, once the packet is closed, you cannot add anything to the inside unless it is sealed tightly so remember to check that before putting the cover onto the grill.
Know the difference between grilled and burnt fish
When grilling fish, there are two things that matter more than how hot your grill is.
The first thing is whether or not your fish gets warm or cold as it cooks. If it gets warm, then that’s okay! Most fishes will continue to cook slightly after being cooked on a cool surface, so if you like your fish medium-rare, let it sit for a few minutes before slicing and eating it.
But if your fish becomes very warm or even touches another hot item immediately after cooking, then it has been overcooked and should be returned or thrown away. This can sometimes be tricky since most people don’t usually have issues with this until they try grilling fish.
Another factor in whether or not your fish is over or undercooked is whether or not the fish has dried out. As mentioned earlier, most fish will keep cooking (barely) once removed from the grill, but if it is dry and flaky then chances are it has enough internal moisture left to make it taste bad and/or cause food poisoning.
Cook fish properly
When grilling fish, there are two main things you should be careful about. The first is how high your grill temperature gets. A hot grill can actually burn part of the surface of the fish instead of toasting it.
The second thing is making sure that the cooked side is thoroughly dry. If the cook time is longer than needed, then the wet flesh will continue cooking once back in the kitchen! This could result in raw or overly salty meat.
Cooking times for different types of fish vary slightly, so use those as guidelines rather than rules.
Use the right cooking method
Grilling fish doesn’t require an actual grill, nor do you need any special equipment other than a good set of tongs and a plate or bowl to put the cooked fish onto.
In fact, there are several different ways to grill fish without using a stove top or barbecue grill.
Serve with your favorite spices
When it comes time to cook fish, you can either broil or grill it! Broiling is cooking the meat under high heat for an extended period of time, whereas grilling is exposing the food to heat source directly next to it.
Grilling is usually done using a flame (like from burners in a stove) or a hot plate. Since most people don’t have access to an indoor grill, we are going to show you how to make fish grilled without one!
By adding some flavorings and having salt as a condiment, this way of cooking will still give your guests all of the rewards that a outdoor grill would normally provide.
Serve with a side of crusty bread
Grilling fish is one of our favorite ways to prepare it. When baking or broiling fish, there are several things that you can do to make it more like traditional grilled meat.
One of these is to use dry heat to cook the fish. This means using a grill pan, stove top griddle, or even the oven!
When cooking the fish in the grill, oil the flesh well and then season with salt and pepper. Then, just put the grill pan over medium-high heat and let the fish cook for about five minutes per half inch of thickness. Make sure to check it every few minutes as each type of fish will need different times.
Once done, turn the cooked piece skin up and serve with some vegetables and bread to soak up all the delicious fat.
Eat it immediately
When cooking fish at home, your timing is very important! The best way to cook most types of fish is by “dry-toast” or dry-heat grilling. This means that you should never add any oil to the grill when baking or broiling fish.
When cooking white meat like trout, flounder, or cod, make sure to cover the cooked fish with utensils so that it does not stick to the pan. For oily fish like salmon or tuna, there are many recipes and tips for how to roast or toast the flesh without adding extra grease to the finished product.