Grilled fish: how to cook it perfectly. Cooking juicy fish on the grill

It’s already spring outside, the summer season is open and everyone who likes to catch and cook fish will agree with me that grilled fish is a simple and quick preparation with an indescribable aroma and taste.

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Grilled foods are very healthy because they are processed only with spices and temperature, with a minimum amount of oil. A distinctive feature of the grill is that no fat is needed when grilling. A large number of meat and fish dishes are prepared on the grill, vegetables are fried, and fruits are baked. Grilled fish dishes are always tasty, original and festive. Grilled fish and meat are the healthiest forms of preparing and eating them.

Selecting fish and preparing carcasses for grilling

The housewife will definitely have a question - what kind of grilled fish is best to cook? The best fish for grilling should not be too dry (hake, pike perch, pike), nor too fatty (butterfish, halibut). You need to choose something in between. Any grilled red fish, mackerel, herring, sea bass, etc. are great.


Small or medium-sized fish are especially easy to prepare: simply scale them, gut them, and place them whole on the grill. For large fish, it is better to fillet or cut steaks. It is very good to combine small pieces of fish or shellfish with vegetables or fruits, making small kebabs.

How to marinate fish for grilling

How to marinate fish for grilling is a matter of your taste. Use salt, pepper, lemon juice, vegetable oil, garlic and any aromatic herbs for the marinade: thyme, rosemary, cilantro. They perfectly enhance the taste of fish; with this marinade you will definitely get delicious grilled fish. It is better to use not greens, but their stems, they are more juicy. You can marinate fish without greens: just pour lemon juice over the flesh and add a little crushed garlic to it.
For quality marinating, 20 minutes is enough.
If you don’t have time to marinate the fish, you can stuff the fish with herbs and garlic. Or fry the fish, wrapped in slices of lard, spinach or grape leaves. They help the fish keep its shape and not fall apart. Do not overdo it with spices, you can ruin the dish. The taste of spices can overpower the taste of fish and significantly change it.

Ideal marinade for grilled fish

An ideal marinade for fish: juniper berries should be crushed under pressure and heated with olive oil, then add more cold olive oil to the finished mixture. The marinade can be seasoned if desired with dill, parsley, sage and bay leaf, as well as a small amount of onion. Lemon balm adds fruity freshness. The marinade should sit for at least two days. It can also be prepared in reserve. Covered tightly, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three months.

How to cook fish on the grill - 7 recipes with photos

1. Grilled fish in grape leaves

I will share a very simple but incredibly tasty recipe.

Compound:
medium-sized fish, preferably sea fish (Black Sea mullet)
grape leaves (salted, but if you have fresh ones, scald them with boiling water first)
lemon
salt, black pepper
Vegetable oil

Preparation:



Wash and clean the fish. Salt and pepper.



Arrange the grape leaves like this.



Place the fish, spread it with vegetable oil and put a lemon cut into slices (3 slices) into the belly.



Wrap in leaves.



Coat again with vegetable oil and place on the grill to bake.



It took about 10 minutes on each side (it all depends on the fish and grill, thin ones cook faster).


It is delicious! Bon appetit!

2. Grilled dorado with rosemary and lemon

Juicy fish with a delicious golden crust and a smoky aroma.
Of course, you can simply bake the fish in the oven, but it will have a completely different taste.

Ingredients for 4 servings:
3-4 sea bream (or trout, sea bass, pike perch)
3-4 sprigs rosemary
lime or lemon
salt
vegetable oil

Preparation:

Cut the lime into circles, cut each circle into two parts.


Clean the fish, remove the entrails and gills. Place rosemary inside the fish.


Also, put 1-2 lime wedges inside the fish. Salt the fish.


Grease with vegetable oil.


Place fish on grill grate.


Fry over hot coals until golden brown (about 7-10 minutes).



Serve with country-style potatoes. Bon appetit!

3. Grilled trout with vegetables step by step recipe with photos

This is a wonderful savory dish. Light, tasty. Just a delight. The fish can be replaced with any other red fish, but the taste will change slightly. The dish does not require a side dish, as it is prepared immediately with it. It’s the pickled onions that add piquancy.

Compound:
FOR A DISH for 4 servings
400 g trout (or salmon)
300 g potatoes
250 g eggplants (or zucchini)
200 g carrots
salt
pepper
vegetable oil
greens to taste
FOR ONION
100 g onion
10 tbsp. vinegar 6% (apple)
15 tbsp. water
3 tbsp. Sahara

Preparation:


Cut the onion into rings. For the marinade, mix water, vinegar, sugar.


Place the onion in the marinade, leave for 15-20 minutes, then remove the onion.


Cut the eggplants into cubes.


Cut the carrots into cubes.


Cut the potatoes into cubes.


Finely chop the greens.


Fry the carrots in vegetable oil for 2-3 minutes.


Add potatoes, fry for 3-4 minutes. Add eggplants. Salt and pepper.


Pour 50-100 ml of water, cover with a lid, simmer until tender (about 30 minutes).


Add greens to the prepared vegetables.

Salt and pepper the trout on both sides. In a grill pan (or in a regular frying pan), fry the trout in a small amount of vegetable oil (trout fry quickly; as soon as the meat begins to lighten, it is ready).


Turn over and fry on the other side.
Place vegetables on plates, place trout on vegetables, place onions on trout.

Bon appetit!

4. Grilled fish recipe: leeked salmon fillet

Due to the juicy filling and leaves that retain the juice inside during frying, the fish turns out juicy with a smoky flavor.

Compound:
Salmon (fillet) – 300 g
Soy sauce
Leek - 1 piece
Tomato – 0.5 pcs.
Sour cream (thick, not sour) - 1 tbsp. l.
Dutch cheese (any hard) - 50 g
Green onion
Greenery
Spices

Preparation:


Mix sour cream with spices and sauce. Finely chop the greens, tomatoes and green onions. Grate the cheese on a fine grater. Mix all.



Cut the fish into three pieces and fry a little on both sides. Disassemble the leek into leaves and blanch a little. Drain the water, wait for it to cool down and lay it out overlapping each other to make three onion mats. Place a little filling in the middle of each. Place the fish on it and fill it again.



Carefully wrap in leek and secure with thread. Now you can put it in a bowl on its edge and safely take it to a picnic.



Bake on the grill for 6-8 minutes. from each side. Remove threads.


The fish is ready.



Bon appetit!

5. How to cook sturgeon on the grill

Sturgeon is a very fatty fish; it turns out great on the grill.

Compound:
Fish (sturgeon)
Salt (coarse)
Spices
Lemon juice

Preparation:



Sturgeon does not have scales, so the fish only needs to be thoroughly washed to remove mucus. Cut into large medallions and marinate for 1-2 hours in spices and salt.



We use the following spices for the marinade: lemon juice, salt, herbs de Provence (sold directly in bags, there is basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, savory, thyme, mint) and ground black pepper.


We put the medallions on the grill and go to the grill. You don’t need to create coals like you would for a barbecue, but you shouldn’t have an open fire either. A small flame is needed, because the fish is oily, and droplets of fat flow down and brown the medallion, making an appetizing crust. Cooking time: about 25 minutes in good heat.

A side dish of vegetables is ideal for this dish; you can top the fish with finely chopped garlic and herbs. The advantages of this fish are obvious; whoever loves fatty fish, in general, a lot of good things have been written about sturgeon, as well as the almost absolute absence of bones, except for the backbone! The downside of this fish is, of course, its cost :). Bon appetit!

6. Grilled salmon in foil with lemon

The fish turns out just right - not dry and with sourness. Picnic option.

Compound:
Salmon – 1 kg
Lime – 2 pcs.
Tomato – 4 pcs
Basil (fresh or dried) - 3-4 pcs.
Black pepper (ground)
Salt
Seasoning (Italian herbs)
Vegetable oil - 3 tbsp. l.

Preparation:



Remove scales from the fish, cut into steaks 1.5-2 cm thick. Salt and pepper each steak, pour over the juice of one lime, put in a bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.


There were no fresh limes on hand, only juice in a bottle and lemon.
Make an incision crosswise on the tomatoes, place them in boiling water for 30 seconds, remove the skin, and finely chop the pulp.
Scald the lemon with boiling water, finely chop along with the zest.
Cut the foil into squares and grease with vegetable oil.


Place salmon steak in each square, top with chopped tomatoes, finely chopped basil and lemon, season with Italian herbs to taste.
Instead of fresh basil it was dried.


Wrap the foil in an envelope and bake on the grill for 5-7 minutes on each side until done.

Bon appetit!

7. Crucian carp “Appetizing”, fried on a grill over coals

Fried stuffed crucian carp, cooked smoky in the fresh air, will not leave you indifferent! Simple and quick preparation, indescribable aroma and taste.
Crucian carp baked in foil is very healthy. It contains iodine, zinc, calcium, fats and vitamins.

Crucian carp (fresh) – 3 pcs.
Soy sauce (Teriyaki TM Kikkoman) - 3 tbsp. l.
Onion - 1 piece
Lemon - 3 dollars.
Bell pepper - 0.5 pcs.
Lovage (fresh) - 1 handful.
Bay leaf - 3 pcs
Allspice (to taste) - 1 g
Olive oil - 1 tsp.
Salt (to taste) - 1 g

Preparation:



Clean the crucian carp, remove the entrails and gills.



Cut the crucian carp on both sides every 1-1.5 cm.
To avoid being bothered by fish bones while eating, make cuts along the back and between the gills. During the cooking process, the bones will become non-prickly and therefore not dangerous.




Pour Teriyaki over the crucian carp, rub in lightly and leave for 15 minutes. Prepare the filling.



Take a sheet of foil, grease with oil, place the crucian carp on the oil, put inside a slice of lemon, 2-3 onion rings, a little bell pepper, bay leaf, a couple of lovage leaves. Grease with oil, add salt, sprinkle with allspice through a mill.



It is good to pack the crucian carp in foil.
Pack other crucian carp in the same way.
Fry on a grill over hot coals (you can place directly on the coals) for 5-7 minutes.
Then take a toothpick, pierce the foil of each fish in several places (to saturate it with smoke and fry it) and fry for about another 3-4 minutes.

Carefully unpack the crucian carp and can be served directly in foil boats or transferred to a plate.


You can serve crucian carp with any side dish. This dish is especially suitable for a holiday table. You can bake crucian carp in foil on a weekday after work, because cooking this fish does not take much time and effort.

Bon appetit!

OK it's all over Now! The coals are already smoldering, and perfectly fried and juicy fish is already waiting for you on the festive table. All you have to do is invite your friends! Have a great May holidays!
Share in the comments and social networks (buttons at the bottom of the article) how you had a rest and which grilled recipe your company liked best and whether my article was useful.

Fish cooked over coals is not inferior to meat in popularity and is always present in the diet of summer residents. It is tasty, healthy and cooks faster. It is customary to place pre-marinated fish on the grill or grill.

General rules for marinating

How to marinate fish for grilling and is it necessary to do so? Some people prefer to enjoy the taste of the fish itself, while others want extraneous flavors. The main thing is to choose the right marinade: each type of fish will have its own.

Fish is more tender than meat, so different sauces are needed for grilling it - softer and less rich.

To prevent pieces or carcasses from falling apart during baking, it is not recommended to marinate them for more than an hour.

The most suitable dishes for aging fish are ceramic or glass. It is better to avoid containers made of plastic and metal.

It is better not to put salt in the marinade, otherwise the fish flesh will be dehydrated. You need to salt it after removing it from the grill when serving.

Marinating red fish for barbecue has its own peculiarities. It goes well with lemon, but its pulp loses its rich color due to acid and becomes covered with an unsightly coating. Experts advise not to add lemon juice to the marinade, but to sprinkle it on already baked fish or, before frying, make cuts in the flesh and insert pieces of citrus into them. You can add olive oil, garlic, and thyme to the filling.

To prepare a marinade sauce for fish, berry juices, white wine, lemon juice, vegetable oil, as well as herbs and spices are suitable.

You can add white wine, beer, lemon, tomatoes, thyme, garlic, and white pepper to marinades for white fish.

For fatty fish, ginger, mustard, orange juice, horseradish, tarragon, corn or olive oil, and beer are good options.

River fish can be sprinkled with lemon juice 15 minutes before baking.

Marinade recipes

With ginger

For 500 grams of fresh fish you will need:

  • ginger (fresh root) – 40 grams;
  • lemon juice – 50 ml;
  • soy sauce - a glass;
  • rice vinegar – 50 ml;
  • granulated sugar – 50 grams;
  • chili pepper - half a pod.

Grate the ginger root and cut the chili into pieces. Combine lemon juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar and mix, divide into two equal portions. Add half of the chopped ginger and chili pepper to one part, place the pieces of fish, put the remaining ginger and chili on top and pour in a second portion of the marinade. Leave for half an hour.


Ginger, chili pepper and lemon provide the fish with a piquant taste

Marinade for red fish

This fish is tasty even without marinade, but a properly prepared sauce will add piquancy to it, making it more tender and aromatic.

The filling contains the following ingredients:

  • olive oil;
  • garlic;
  • sesame;
  • sugar;
  • soy sauce.

Finely chop the garlic with a knife, place in a glass bowl, add sesame seeds, sugar, olive oil, soy sauce and mix. Immerse the fish in the marinade for 30-60 minutes.

Another version of the marinade sauce is very simple. Mix spices, chopped aromatic herbs, pepper and salt to taste and rub them on carcasses or pieces of red fish. Leave for 20 minutes, then place on the grill.

With honey

Experienced chefs have noticed that it is best to marinate fish without acid: this way it will not fall apart, its flesh will be dense and the carcasses will remain intact. To prepare this sauce you will need the following ingredients:

  • liquid honey;
  • garlic;
  • chilli;
  • olive oil;
  • salt;
  • fresh rosemary.

Place the honey in a bowl (if it is not liquid, heat it in a water bath), add chopped chili pepper (possibly in powder) and garlic pressed through a press. Add salt to all this, pour in olive oil and stir until smooth. Throw a branch of rosemary into the prepared marinade. Cut the fish into pieces and immerse in the sauce for half an hour.


Grilled fish marinated with honey and rosemary turns out juicy and aromatic

Universal

This sauce can be prepared for any fish. For 100 grams of sour cream you need to take a few drops of lemon juice, a little chopped dill, parsley and cilantro, ground pepper and salt to taste.

For mackerel

Four tablespoons of vegetable oil (olive is best), 100 grams of soy sauce, four cloves of garlic, a mixture of peppers and coriander.

For mackerel, a fragrant spicy filling is well suited, for which you need to take:

  • olive oil - two tablespoons;
  • adjika – tablespoon;
  • water - three tablespoons;
  • garlic - two cloves;
  • ground cumin - two teaspoons. spoons;
  • coarse salt - to taste.

Grind the garlic, add oil, adjika, cumin, salt, add water and stir. Place the fish in a bowl with the filling and leave for 15 minutes.

For zander

Finely chop one onion with a knife, add 4 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice.

For trout and salmon

Chop a bunch of dill and a bunch of cilantro, add three cloves of grated garlic and pour a glass of martini.

For another filling option, you will need the following ingredients:

  • soy sauce - half a glass;
  • Tabasco sauce – ¼ teaspoon;
  • dry white wine – half a glass;
  • garlic – 1 clove;
  • drinking water – half a glass;
  • onion – 1 head;
  • brown sugar - 2 tablespoons;
  • ground black pepper – ¼ teaspoon.

Chop the onion and garlic, add the remaining ingredients and mix. Place the fish pieces in a bowl with the marinade and leave for 20-30 minutes.


Soy sauce goes well with red fish, it turns out aromatic and salty

For cod

Add dried herbs (thyme, thyme) and a bunch of dill to the olive oil. Cod should not be marinated in “heavy” sauces, otherwise it will simply fall apart.

For coho salmon

Combine two tablespoons of olive oil, a teaspoon of regular mustard, a tablespoon of grain mustard, pepper, salt and a bunch of herbs.

For sturgeon

Sturgeon kebab is a delicacy. For a kilogram of fish fillet you will need the juice of one lemon, a teaspoon of turmeric and coarse salt. All ingredients are mixed, the fish is placed in the sauce and put in the refrigerator for an hour. Pieces of sturgeon are placed on a wire rack or strung on skewers.


Grilled sturgeon is served with vegetables and herbs

For sea bass, pike perch and dorado

Required:

  • olive oil – half a glass;
  • white wine (dry) – half a glass;
  • lemon juice - tablespoon;
  • sage - two spoons;
  • a bunch of parsley (chopped);
  • salt and ground pepper - ¼ teaspoon each.

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix. Pour the mixture over the fish carcasses and let sit for about an hour before putting them on the grill.


The traditional Mediterranean marinade for dorado always includes olive oil, herbs and lemon.

For catfish

You will need olive oil, four tablespoons of vodka, three tablespoons of soy sauce, two cloves of garlic, a teaspoon of any fish seasoning.

For carp

A spicy oriental marinade works well for carp or carp. To prepare it you need to take:

  • olive oil – ½ cup;
  • soy sauce – ½ cup;
  • garlic – 2 cloves;
  • paprika - teaspoon;
  • ginger root (grated) – teaspoon;
  • salt to taste.

Finely chop the garlic, add all other ingredients and mix. Soy sauce itself is salty, so it is important not to add too much salt. Before grilling, marinate the fish for about half an hour.

Well-chosen marinades will make the fish tastier and more tender.

Fish baked on coals is a ritual element of a picnic. If a trip to nature is limited to one day, it is wiser, without relying on fishing luck, to prudently buy fish in a store. For tasting it would be nice to bake 2-3 varieties. And whatever you’re lucky enough to catch from the river will perfectly complement the existing assortment.

If the fish is small and fits on the grill grate, any fish caught on a hook or bought in a supermarket will do. Carefully turn over without damaging the skin - everything will work out. But if the catch is large and you will fry it in pieces, that’s a different question.

Fish cut into portions or fillets with tender and loose meat (hake, carp) falls apart on the grill - after all, the skin cannot hold such meat. Any defrosted cut fish is guaranteed to fall apart at the first turn on the grill.

If you don’t have any other fish, but want fried fish, wrap it in foil. Before doing this, add salt, sprinkle with dry spices, and sprinkle with lemon.

Country cooking has long ago determined in practice which fish is best to fry on the grill.

River fish

Trout

This is the queen of barbecue and fish kebabs. The price in the store corresponds to the status of a delicacy. The structure of the meat is dense, the fish does not fall apart on the grill. It is so tasty that it does not require any spices. The taste will be emphasized by a slice of lemon.

Salmon

Delicious fish in any preparation, grilling is one of its culinary forms. By the way, the meat of this fish is traditionally used for sushi.

Som

Cut into steaks on the grill. Juicy dense meat with a lamellar structure holds its shape on the coals. Specifics of preparation: the catfish needs to be soaked for an hour in water with lemon juice (vinegar) and spices to eliminate the smell of mud.

Zander

Grilled steaks turn out delicious and juicy. One problem is that there are a lot of small seeds.

Pike

Also bony, but tasty, although the meat is a little dry. To preserve juices, wrap steaks or small gutted pike in foil.

Carp

The sweetish, tender meat in steaks will not hold its shape. Stuff the carp with herbs and wrap in foil.

Marine

Tuna

“Sea beef”, a classic grilled fish with tender and juicy meat. BBQ tuna is good with a sauce of fresh cucumbers, green olives, dill and lemon whipped in a blender with olive oil.

Flounder

Thanks to its natural flat shape, it is perfectly baked over coals. The meat is delicious.

Halibut

A meaty relative of flounder with delicious white meat. On the grill, we recommend frying in pieces in foil.

Sea bass

Dense, tasty white meat, but many small bones. If you cook it whole, feel free to put it on the grill after defrosting. The very dense, rough skin will prevent the carcass from breaking. The reddish color of the skin is preserved during frying and serves as an additional decoration for the seafood dish served.

Dorada

Mediterranean fish, popular on the menu at coastal resorts. That's the only way they cook it there, right on the streets - on a grill over coals. The meat is tender, with a sea flavor. Good with rosemary, sage, basil.

Swordfish

Rare in supermarkets, but sometimes found. The meat is very dense, just what you need for grilling. This fish is one of those exceptional species whose meat will not fall apart on the coals even after freezing. Before cooking, marinate for half an hour in soy sauce.

Mullet – taste of the Black Sea

Black Sea mullet cooked over coals is very tasty. Nowadays you rarely see them at the market, but there are red mullets and gobies.

Despite their small size, the fish have a surprising amount of sweetish meat and almost no bones. The thick skin holds the meat in place while frying and is then easily removed.

Red mullet on coals

You will need:

  • 0.5 kg of Black Sea mullet,
  • salt pepper,
  • lettuce leaves,
  • bulb,
  • lemon.

We light firewood in the grill. We clean and gut the fish (you can skip this operation).

Place the red mullet in a bowl, add salt and pepper, pour in lemon juice, and stir. We put it in the shade - let it marinate until the coals reach.

When it’s time to fry, place the red mullet tightly on the bottom grill, press it with the top one, and secure the mechanism.

Fry until crusty, turn the grill over. There you go.

Place the red mullet on lettuce leaves and garnish with Yalta red onion rings and lemon slices.

The bulls are prepared in the same way. There is no need to clean or gut them. Just wash, add salt and put on the grill.

Don’t forget to bring a few lemons, bunches of herbs, and a roll of foil for your fish picnic.

And next to the grill, you need to remember that fish is not meat; it cooks very quickly. 5-7 minutes are enough for frying.

On the one hand, a grill is a culinary device, a grate for cooking food over open heat. On the other hand, it is a way of preparing food. Its distinctive feature is that no fat is needed when grilling. When we prepare a product in this way, we add the word “grill” to it. It becomes clear what, for example, grilled fish is.

Grilled foods are very healthy because they are processed only with spices and temperature, with a minimum amount of oil. A large number of meat and fish dishes are prepared on the grill, vegetables are fried, and fruits are baked. Grilled fish dishes are always tasty, original and festive. Grilled fish and meat are the healthiest forms of preparing and eating them.

There are several ways to prepare such fish dishes: grilled fish in a frying pan, grilled fish on a grill, grilled fish in the oven, grilled fish in foil. These methods can be used to prepare grilled fish with vegetables or baked fish.

The housewife will definitely have a question - what kind of grilled fish is best to cook? The best fish for grilling should not be too dry (hake, pike perch, pike), nor too fatty (butterfish, halibut). You need to choose something in between. Any grilled red fish, mackerel, herring, sea bass, etc. are great. If you have fish that is not very suitable for this, marinate it. Marinated fish for grilling - this method of preparing the product improves its taste and texture when grilled. You can take marinade for grilled fish either ready-made from the store or prepare it yourself using recipes from our website. You can also show your imagination and come up with your own method of marinating, it definitely won’t get any worse. How to marinate fish for grilling is a matter of your taste. Use salt, pepper, lemon juice, vegetable oil, garlic and any aromatic herbs for the marinade: thyme, rosemary, cilantro. They perfectly enhance the taste of fish; with this marinade you will definitely get delicious grilled fish.

This is such a wonderful “grilled fish” dish; its recipe should enrich your culinary knowledge. And how beautiful grilled fish looks on the table! Her photo is so appetizing that it is impossible to refuse such a treat. If you want to cook fish on the grill, choose recipes with photos first. Prepare this dish for your guests and please your loved ones with a festive treat. By the way, not everyone has tried homemade grilled fish; everyone will definitely ask you for the recipe. In addition, grilling fish will also bring you pleasure.

You might be curious about some of our tips on how to grill fish:

If you lubricate the grill grate with vegetable oil before placing pieces of fish, they will stick to the metal less;

Experienced chefs recommend grilling fish in a so-called envelope. The main bones are removed from the fish, the skin remains. The carcass is cut so that the pieces can be folded in half: the pulp with spices and any filling is inside, and the skin is outside. The envelopes are placed on the grid. The fish turns out tender, juicy, and does not stick to the grill;

You can grill any sea and river fish. But each case has its own nuances, which become clear with experience. It all depends on the size of the fish, its fat content, and richness of taste;

You can try replacing thyme, rosemary, and cilantro with the more common parsley and dill. It is better to use not greens, but their stems, they are more juicy. You can marinate fish without greens: just pour lemon juice over the flesh and add a little crushed garlic to it;

For high-quality marinating, 20 minutes is enough;

Do not overdo it with spices, you can ruin the dish. The taste of spices can overpower the taste of fish and significantly change it.

There is nothing tastier than grilled fish, aromatic, tender, with delicious crispy stripes, rosy sides and juicy flesh. It would seem that there is nothing difficult in cooking fish on the grill - put it on the grill, and after a while it is ready. However, this business has its own subtleties and secrets, as with any culinary recipe. Let's talk about how to properly grill fish so that it doesn't stick to the grill and turn into mush, as sometimes happens with inexperienced and even experienced cooks. And the reward will be the increased appetite of your children and other family members, since no one can resist this dish!

Why is grilled fish so healthy?

Grilling is the oldest method of cooking, simple, natural and healthy. It is no coincidence that they say that everything ingenious is simple, and humanity has not yet come up with anything simpler than frying food on hot coals. Grilling preserves the natural flavor of the fish, which is complemented by the subtle aroma of herbs, spices and smoke if you cook outdoors.

Grilled fish is similar to fried fish due to the browned, crispy exterior, but without the disadvantages of fried foods. Everyone knows that when heated, vegetable oils emit carcinogenic substances that are harmful to health; in addition, fried fish becomes saturated with fat and becomes more nutritious.

Grilled fish retains not only all vitamins, minerals and trace elements, but also antioxidants, which strengthen the immune system and protect the body from premature aging.

Preparing fish for baking

Any fish with dense meat, not very bony and fatty, is suitable for grilling, for example, Norwegian salmon, swordfish, tuna, trout, mackerel, sea bass, sea bream, herring, chum salmon and pink salmon, but cod and halibut If they are soft, it is better not to cook them in this way, otherwise they will fall apart. Before cooking, the fish should be washed well, scaled and gutted, although it is more convenient to buy ready-made fillets or steaks in the store. Fish can be cooked in pieces 2.5–3 cm thick or whole, especially if we are talking about river fish. For piquancy, it can be marinated for 5–20 minutes; besides, the marinade gives even dry fillets softness and tenderness.

Before baking, you should grease the carcass or pieces with vegetable oil to prevent it from sticking to the grill grate. If you are going to cook a whole fish, make a few small cuts on it to allow the marinade and flavor of the spices to penetrate inside. You can stuff the fish with herbs, onions, garlic, mushrooms, vegetables, lemon slices, and grate with spices and herbs. If you wrap the fish in grape leaves, spinach, thin slices of lard, ham or bacon, securing them with skewers, it will turn out very beautiful and tasty, the fish will not dry out and will retain its shape. Fish kebabs with pieces of fruits and vegetables - zucchini, pumpkin, zucchini, sweet peppers, onions and avocado look very appetizing.

A few subtleties of preparing the marinade

Classic ingredients for marinade are vegetable oils, fruit juices, white wine, yogurt, soy sauce, garlic, salt, lemon, spices and aromatic herbs. At the same time, remember that fish does not like excess seasonings, from which it loses its special taste and aroma, so the marinade should be moderately spicy. The easiest way to marinate fish is to pour fresh lemon juice for 5 minutes and place garlic cloves on it. Some chefs say that the acid contained in lemon and wine makes soft fish loose and destroys the fish protein, so it is better to marinate the carcass and pieces in oil with salt, rosemary, cilantro and thyme. A pleasant aroma is provided by juniper, sage, dill and parsley stems. Interestingly, dry herbs are more fragrant than fresh ones, so they are best suited for marinade.

If you're grilling red fish, try making a marinade of honey, soy sauce, lime juice, ground coriander and sesame oil. For white fish, a marinade of lemon juice, grated ginger, garlic, turmeric and fresh chopped mint is suitable. An unusually tasty marinade is made from crushed juniper berries, heated in olive oil, with dill, sage, parsley, bay leaf, lemon balm and onion. This marinade should sit for about 2 days.

Sometimes the fish is rubbed with sugar, left in the refrigerator for half an hour, and then soaked in soy sauce with sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds, garlic, green onions and ground ginger. An excellent marinade is made from honey, cilantro, garlic and lemon, and in Georgia for barbecue they prepare a mixture of white wine, chopped lemons, cilantro and raw onions. With the help of marinade you can change the taste of fish, making it more piquant, bright and rich.

Preparing the barbecue or grill

At home, for cooking fish, a grill pan, an electric grill with infrared radiation, an air grill, a roaster, an oven and a microwave oven with a grill function are usually used, and outdoors a grill and barbecue are suitable for these purposes. Fish prepared by grilling is more tasty and aromatic, as it is saturated with the smell of fire and smoke. A poor choice of charcoal for a barbecue can ruin the taste of the fish, since pine charcoal has an intrusive pine aroma, unlike charcoal obtained from deciduous trees.

The barbecue or grill grate should be well cleaned and greased with oil so that the fish does not stick, and it is better to cook over high heat, making sure that the barbecue grate is far enough from the fire. Special racks for fish, in which fillets or carcasses are clamped, are very convenient - in such devices it is very convenient to turn the fish over. Delicate fish such as cod and halibut are best prepared this way.

The more tender the fish and thinner the steak, the stronger the heat of the fire should be, since it is the crispy crust that will protect the delicate fish flesh from turning into mush. The time when the grill is hot enough is easy to determine - the coals turn slightly white, and your hands over the grill are unbearably hot, and it is impossible to hold your palm for more than a few seconds.

Fry, fish, big and small

From the “Eat at Home” brand store they will help you add brightness to your dishes! By learning how to cook fish on the grill, you will delight your family with a delicious, light and healthy meal that will successfully compete with meat. The fish bakes instantly, has an endless variety of cooking options, and is eaten very quickly. You can serve the fish with herbs, vegetables, potatoes or rice, after sprinkling it with white wine. But true connoisseurs of this dish claim that grilled fish acquires a smoky flavor during the frying process and is good on its own without a side dish. As they say, there is no arguing about tastes!