Spring
is in the air and with you can find those of us who simply can't wait any
longer to start grilling. Well, I've
given up almost all red meat but eat my weight in chicken and seafood/fish. Most of the time I cook my fish in the oven
but love the taste that grilling, especially with charcoal gives to any meat
and even vegetables. This year I plan on
trying my hand at grilling fish and to do that I did a little research so I can
get it right the 1st time, I hope. Here
is what I found.
1. Use a hinged grill basket to keep delicate
fillets or whole fish intact as you turn.
But before adding your fish to the basket, spray it inside and out with oil. (I've seen these
baskets in many of my local stores but never really paid attention as to what
they were used for. I feel sure they
would work well for shrimp too as well as vegetables. For my oil spraying I think I'll use
non-stick spray. It works very well when
sprayed on the racks of the grill so I'm sure it will work great with the
baskets. And clean-up should be a breeze
too.)
2. Cook fish or seafood 4 - 6 inches from the
heat, turning only once and brushing occasionally with oil or marinade to
prevent drying. (I've
never used a marinade on my fish when cooking them in the oven but I can see
why it would be needed on the grill. I
would think a little lemon and maybe some herbs would be good.)
3. Be careful not to overcook fish as it will
become tough and dry.
(I have a feeling this is something I'll have to play around with. I know when fish is done when cooked in the
oven so it shouldn't be too hard to determine on the grill.)
4. Don't use leftover marinade from raw fish or
seafood on your food unless it has been thoroughly heated first. (I feel sure this is
for the same reason as chicken and any other meat. What I usually do when I marinade any meat is
make up just a little extra for basting.
This should work with fish too.)
5. To test for doneness, press the flesh of the
fish with your fingertips. When the fish
is done, it is "just firm" - raw is soft and overdone is hard and
firm. (This
method works for me with fish no matter how I cook it. I did find that the general rule for cooking
fish on the grill is 10 minutes for each 1" of thickness.)
Now
that I know a little more about cooking fish on the grill, you can bet I'll be
giving it a try and soon. My
favorite? Nice thick slices of Cod. Nothing better in my opinion, unless you
offer me flour battered, deep fried like you find at Captain D's! With a little Malt Vinegar of course.
I did run across a Rosemary-Thyme Marinade that I plan on trying so I thought I would share it too.
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
Combine all ingredients, mix well and set aside until ready to use.
I did run across a Rosemary-Thyme Marinade that I plan on trying so I thought I would share it too.
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
Combine all ingredients, mix well and set aside until ready to use.
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