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Chef Richard Vellante
admits that seafood can be difficult to grill, and "leaves many people
frustrated because of its tendancy to stick to the grill."
The three most common mistakes he believes people make when grilling at
home are:
- Improperly preparing the grill. "It must be clean and lightly
oiled before you start," Vellante advises. So, keep your grill rack
spanking clean, oil it, and let it preheat before adding the fish.
- Not preheating th grill hot enough. Contrary to popular wisdom,
fish actually cook better when done quickly over high heat; it sears the
outside and cooks the center. Long, slow cooking is more likely to result
in dry fish that falls apart.
Thick dense fish fillets, such as tuna, swordfish, and shark, grill especially
nicely over high heat, while more delicate fish, such as snapper, salmon,
halibut, sea bass, and trout do best over medium-hot coals. "All of
our restaurants' grills use wood for the high heat and nice flavors it
imparts," says Vellante. Alder and apple woods, and even oak, are
especially nice with seafood."
- Being impatient and trying to move fish too fast. "Leave
it on the grill long enough for the skin to brown and begin to pull away
from the grill before trying to turn it," he suggests. "Then
, it will lift up easily and cleanly."
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Other fish grilling tips:
- Use a large spatula or tongs to turn fish, and don't turn it repeatedly
or it may fall apart.
- For easier grilling, use a hinged fish grilling basket that has been
oiled or a nonstick grilling tray that has been preheated on the grill.
These tools are especially helpful when grilling more delicate fish.
- Flaky fish, such as petrale sole, flounder, cod, catfish, and snapper,
are not the best choices for grilling because they're particularly prone
to sticking and falling apart.
- Grill fish just until it is opaque through the thickest part (take a
quick peek with a fork); don't cook it to dryness.
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