How to Barbeque Fish

 

You need a firm textured fish such as salmon, cod or monkfish which should mean that as long as you’ve prepared the barbeque properly it won't fall apart - unless you’re my husband who suddenly becomes the 'BBQ King' (quite forgetting that normally he has trouble making toast)!

 

Make sure that the rungs on the grill are clean. There’s nothing worse than old bits of food burnt on the grill bars, not only does it leave a horrible taste but it will make the fish stick.

 

Get that barbeque really hot. If using a charcoal grill, use plenty of charcoal to build a really good fire that will retain plenty of heat.

Let the flames die down until you can see that the charcoal has become white, it should take at least ½ hour - this is where many people make a critical mistake. You know what they say - Patience is a Virtue - or in this case Patience will help you cook food that you can eat, not the usual burnt offerings!

 

As long as the fish (or any seafood or meat) is well oiled it won’t stick. Of course, it helps if you don’t prod it and move it around every 30 seconds, if you do you’ll end up with scrambled fish which isn’t much use to anyone except the cat.

 

Wait until the flesh is seared before turning it over.

 

Only turn it over once. The best utensil for this is a wide, thin spatula, big enough to lift the whole salmon or fillet in one go. An alternative is to buy a grill cage, the fish sits inside it and makes the whole turning over process child’s play.

 

Don’t salt anything before grilling. This will dry the fish out.

 

If you're using a traditional Chargrill a good idea is to use herbs or flavoured wood chips thrown on the charcoal to impart additional flavour.

 

Try barbeque rubs or marinades for extra flavour when cooking your barbeque fish.

I also like to paint some Thai sweet chili sauce over the fish before barbequeing, this is especially good with large prawn and shrimp and can be purchased at any good supermarket. These easy and simple ideas can help anyone learn how to cook fish on a barbeque.