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Grilled seafood is a summer soirée’s best friend. And learning how to grill fish for your next alfresco bash is easy with this guide. Fancy as it may appear, a gorgeous whole grilled fish, or even a simple fillet, can be a breeze to prepare with the right tips at your disposal. Below, we have methods for a variety of fish preparations.
For fish that’s crispy on the outside and flaky inside, we prefer direct heat cooking. In the world of grilling, this is how you achieve those textbook grill marks, says senior service editor Kelsey Jane Youngman. Allowing the fish to make contact with the grill grates—no matter if you’re working with a gas grill or charcoal grill—is ideal for imbuing the fish with a “stronger smoky flavor,” says Kelsey, and yielding delectably crispy skin.
No matter the type of fish bestowed upon you by your fishmonger (tuna steaks today, mackerel tomorrow, snapper for Saturday), the right preparation will bring out its very best. Because what’s better than a meal eaten in the waning sun, anchored by fresh seafood and good company? Just don’t skimp on the sides and icy bevs.
Before you start
Prep your grill: Picture it: You brace yourself for the big flip, only to find your precious fresh fish fillet stuck to the grates. Horrifying! But avoidable. For this reason, you’ll want to clean your grill between each use with a grill brush (or, amazingly enough, half an onion), then coat it thoroughly in oil.
Marinate after cooking: Fish (particularly white fish such as tilapia and the like) are remarkably fragile—more so than other types of meat. Marinating it in advance makes fish prone to breaking down and falling apart on the grill. A post-grill marinade, however, delivers flavor to delicate fish without compromising its texture.
How to grill a whole fish
The drama of serving a grilled whole fish can’t be denied. One crucial step allows the seasoning to fully penetrate the flesh of a mostly in tact fish: slashing it. Like in this recipe for Grilled Salt-and-Pepper Black Sea Bass With Curry Verde by cookbook author Andy Baraghani, you’ll make crosswise, diagonal slashes along the body every 2″ on both sides, cutting down to the bones. Then, season with salt and spices inside and out, drizzle with olive oil, and grill for about 10 minutes per side, depending on the size of the fish.
To flip, gently lift the fish on one edge using tongs or a spatula to check if it releases easily from the grate. Once it does, slide two large metal spatulas underneath and turn over. Senior reviews editor and grilling connoisseur Noah Kaufman likes Weber’s Wide Precision Spatula or this one from TEC for the task. “For a whole fish, I want something more like a shovel than a spatula; I use the widest thing I can get my hands on,” he says.
If you can learn how to cook a whole fish, you’ll have summer’s most impressive dinner in your back pocket.
When presenting a whole fish, here’s how Kelsey breaks it down: Using a sharp knife, slice between the head and body of the fish, through the flesh, but without cutting through bone. Next, use the tip of the blade to cut down one side of the spine and finish by slicing through the skin at the tail. Now, you should be able to easily run your knife (or a fork and spoon) along the rib cage and lift the top fillet off your fish. When the top fillet is cleared—you can remove it all at once or allow guests to pick at it as they wish—lift the tail, bringing the entire rib cage and head along with it, and discard it. Scrape any remaining small bones away to reveal the bottom fillet.
How to grill fish fillets
Cooking fish in individual fillets, like mahi-mahi or red snapper, involves minimal prep time. Minimalists can simply coat them with olive or vegetable oil and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper—you can add more spices via a rub if you choose. Grill over medium heat for about 4 minutes per side, until the fish is just opaque at the center, even if there’s some translucency remaining; the residual heat will take it to the finish line as it rests. Noah likes OXO’s fish spatula for flipping fillets. “It’s thin and flexible enough to get under a more delicate fillet,” he says. Garnish as you wish—perhaps a basil-shallot butter? For fillets with the skin still on, grill skin side down the entire time until the flesh is opaque and the skin is lightly charred, around 6–8 minutes.
This halibut recipe is perfect for warm weather. While the grill is fired up, throw on some asparagus or another quick-cooking vegetable for an easy dinner.
If you find yourself faced with a whole side of salmon or steelhead trout, this festive number—doused in a verdant and punchy green romesco laced with jalapeño, parsley, garlic, and lemon juice—is the logical next move. It’s called party salmon for a reason. (Prefer a plainer grilled salmon? We have a recipe for that too.)
For a whole fillet of this magnitude, you’ll season both sides and oil the flesh but not the skin. Salmon skin has enough fat stores to protect it from the heat; adding more with a piece this large could cause flare-ups that would burn the skin before the flesh is cooked through. Conversely, the flesh needs that extra layer of protection. Grill skin side down and let her rip for 20–25 minutes (4–6 minutes of cooking time per ½” thickness at the thickest part), or until the flesh is just opaque—no flipping required.
Using two fish spatulas, slide fish onto a platter. (To check for doneness, slide a butter knife into the thickest part of the fish, pull it out, and hold a flat side to the back of your hand; it should be very warm).
This impressive main is a breeze to make—the skin creates a natural nonstick barrier as it crisps up, so you’ll slide your tender fish right off the grill.
How to grill fish steaks
Grilling fish steaks follows roughly the same logic as grilling fillets. In this recipe for Grilled Swordfish with Tomatoes and Oregano, you’ll pat the steaks dry with paper towels, season them with salt and pepper, and let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Rub the fish with oil, then grill over medium-high heat, undisturbed, searing until grill marks appear. Carefully turn the swordfish over and cook on the second side until the fish is opaque, about 4 minutes.
There’s only a kiss of honey in the vinaigrette, but it’s an essential player. With all the briny flavors from fish and the capers, you need a touch of sweetness for balance.
