While I have few recipes for cooking whole fish already on our website, this article is not really a recipe as much as it is just some friendly advice. So a moment for my soap box……Cooking and eating whole fish is awesome! It looks cool, the taste is better, there are different textures from head to tail, and lastly the fish is just more likely to be moist and flavorful. You know…like how chicken on the bone tastes better? And a bone in rib eye is better than a plain old rib eye…..ok…my soap box moment is over.
Tip #1: You want Fresh Fish. Weather you catch the fish or go by your favorite fish shop (I won’t say “fish monger”….sounds weird..right?), the biggest thing is fresher = better. I like to cook fish the night we get off the boat or as close as I can to it. A fresh fish can make what some folks consider to be inedible into a delicacy. Down here in the south there is a saying “There is nothing tastier than a mullet you caught today, and there is nothing worse than a mullet you caught yesterday”. I know that is a little harsh (I am not a big time mullet eater) but you get the point. The fresher the better.
Tip #2: Get your seasoning game on! Don’t short on the salt and pepper. Get it on the top, bottom, and the inside. Whole fish work really well with fresh herbs (stick them on the inside, people will think you are super cool). Lemon is a must, cut slices and place them inside and out.
Tip #3: Hotter = Gooder. For the actual cooking, go with a grill that you can get HOT. You need the grill real hot for a few reasons. One, it will keep the fish from sticking (don’t forget to spread some oil on your CLEAN grill grate with a paper towel and tongs…not too much oil..don’t light your towel on fire…). Two, it will get a good crispy crust on the outside (crispy skin is the JAM…no matter what kind of protein you are cooking). I am partial to my Green Egg for two reasons. The first is that I can open the top and bottom vents and get that sucker blazing like a jet engine. I can get that thing up to 700 degrees…. The other reason I like my Egg is that I use lump\wood charcoal rather than gas. Fish takes on the smoke and flavor of the wood and it makes it taste wonderful. While you can use gas, to me, it is just not the same. I always opt for wood or charcoal over gas (when I can)…I am not against gas, I fully understand the convenience, sometimes it is just easier to bust out some burgers and hot dogs on a gas grill when the time is right.
Tip #4: Control your heat. Ok, I like to pile the coals on one side and place the fish on the other (not too far away from the heat). I usually have the head of the fish closest to the coals as it is thicker and will take longer to cook than the thinner tail. Depending on the fish, you will have fat dripping from the fish (some fish are fattier than others). When you are directly over the coals you will get flare ups. Keep these to a minimum. No one likes a burnt fish.
Tip #5: Don’t Overcook! I use an instant read thermometer in the thickest part of the fish to tell me when it is done (145 degrees at the thickest part). Trust your thermometer…….you only want to flip that fish one time. Messing with the fish will result in a jacked up, busted up mess. If the fish will not let go of the grill grate don’t flip it…it’s not ready. Get good tongs, a big fish spatula (or have someone help you).
Tip #6: Sauce it up! I am always careful when cooking fish…there are so many ways to mess up. One of my saviors is using sauces to mask any mistakes in the cooking process. One simple sauce is a simple butter and lemon juice. Add some white wine, minced garlic, and black pepper….and you are now a big time fancy chef. Anyway, check our sauce below or google some simple fish grilling sauces (there are tons of recipes out there).
Be careful, hot grill + proper cooking time = a whole, intact, skin on, tasty fish. Go get to it!!!!!!!
Check out our recipes for Whole Roasted Flounder.
Pair any grilled fish with our Salsa Verde (this sauce has saved many a fish mistake for me in the past).
Thanks for reading and leave a comment if you would like.