Something smells fishy around here: my blog is burning fish this time!

My blog is burning just in time to join in the fun, this time hosted by Wena of Mum-mum. I was invited to a barbeque party for my dear friend Anke's birthday, so I decided to grill a fish for the occasion.

This is a super simple way to grill a fish. I came up with this on many a summer vacation spent at my friends Pericles and Rena's summer house on an Island off the coast of Greece. We would get fresh fish from the local fishermen on the island, and cook the most simple but delicious grilled fish using the ingredients we have handy, like thyme and rosemary that grow like weeds all around the house, lemons, freshly pressed fruity olive oil.

Here's it is:
Simple grilled fish à ma façon.

Take a whole fish, anything will do, just make sure you get only impeccably fresh fish. Otherwise this would just be pointless. Clean it well, rub a bit of olive oil all over, inside and out, and salt and pepper well. Then, stuff the inside cavity with a handful of herbs, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, anything you have handy, with a few slices of lemon. If you have a fish roasting basket, rub a little oil on it and put the fish in there, you can add a few sprigs of herbs and a couple slices of lemon on the outside for taste and presentation.

The fish is now ready to be grill. Make sure your grill is hot before you place the fish down. If you didn't have a basket, then you would need to oil your grill very well so your fish wouldn't stick. Don't worry too much though, it wouldn't be the end of the world even if it did stick. You will just loose a bit of skin. The fish will still be entirely edible, and even yummy.

Depending on the size of your fish and the level of heat on your grill, the grill time will vary. Just do it until the fish is done. You can test the doneness very easily with a fork. If the meat flakes easily, then that baby is done.

I serve this with a little acidic vinaigrette on the side. I use about 1 part lemon juice to 2 part olive oil, adding salt and pepper to taste. I also add a little bit of mustard, usually a French one with a good kick, not the benign yellow American one. It is also nice to sprinkle a bit of chopped herbs in the vinaigrette, just use the same herbs that are inside the fish.

There you have it, simple grilled fish my way. Can't get any simpler than this. Enjoy.

Comments

[Wena]

:) Delicious!

i luv grill fish this way too. :)

[Reid]

Pim,

I love grilled fish and this looks absolutely yummy! I don't have a basket for fish, so I don't normally grill it. Instead, I'll steam it on a grill wrapped in some aluminum foil. By the way, what kind of fish is this?

[Jennifer]

Pim, this looks delicious, and oh-so-easy. The perfect addition to a summer barbeque, I think! Now of course I have to go out and get a fish grilling basket. Oh well, another kitchen gadget won't kill me, right?

[sher]

I agree with you Jennifer. I've always wanted an excuse for buying a fish grilling basket. The 4th of July would be perfect for grilling fish.

Sher

[Linda]

sounds wonderful :)

[elise]

Hi Pim,
I've never seen a basket for grilling fish but what a great idea! I love very fresh fish cooked simply with olive oils, herbs, and lemon. If done just right the fish just melts in your mouth. Delicious! Thanks for posting.

[Yish]

just my way of doing it! works well on a gas as well as a charcoal grill, though you might want to wrap it if using charcoal. One option is aluminum, but you can also try vine leaves or even fig leaves - for rough skined fish.

Oh, and I sprinkle the skin with some rock salt, just for fun.

cheers,

- Yishay

[Pim]

Thanks everyone. The grilling basket thing was actually very inexpensive. I think it was something like $7 at a chinese cookware shop. That's all.

Isn't it great?
Pim

P.S. Reid, it's California Stripe Bass, I think.