Mastering Grilling a Whole Fish Two Ways

 

Grilling a whole fish, complete with head and tail, on a barbecue grill can be tricky. In the YouTube video below, Eric Ripert shows us how he tackles grilling a fish whole — on slate over the open flames of an outdoor barbecue grill. Yes, slate. It is a piece of unglazed stone which you can purchase from the local Home Depot. The result is a grilled fish that’s evenly cooked, moist and succulent.

Adding a twist to Ripert’s approach, here is my hack — this time in the kitchen. Without the slate or firing up the barbecue grill outside, I try to grill a whole fish indoor for all seasons. Using a red-hot cast-iron pan on a gas stove, I started grilling. The goal is to get that unique smoky and grilled flavor in the fish, without losing the flesh that sometimes falls through the barbecue grates.

You can easily do this in most everyday kitchens, as I’ve fount out. All you need is a cast iron skillet and a stove. The clear advantage of stovetop grilling is the total control over the intensity of the fire and the flareups. Well, that’s critical when it comes to grilling something as delicate as a whole fish, and other not grill-friendly ingredients. Moreover, cleanup is easier when you grill just one fish or two.

Stovetop grilling does not only deliver the desired flavor and the char on the fish like that from an outdoor barbecue. Conveniently, you can instantly adjust the heat with a turn on the dial. The biggest problem, speaking from experience, is the likelihood of triggering the smoke alarm. No kidding! Therefore, it might be wise to temporarily disable the smoke alarm before the fire department shows up at your door. Don’t let the smoke throw you off your game.

 

Here is the link to Eric Ripert’s video on grilling a whole fish on an outdoor barbecue with slate:

https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/07/ho-to-grill-whole-fish.html.

By and large, there is no recipe really when it comes to grilling a whole fish. It has more to do about having a game plan and the right setup. The technique on grilling a fish, whole or fillet, outdoor or indoor, is quite straight forward. Apply heat to great ingredients. That’s it. Don’t take my words for it. Watch these videos and see for yourself how simple and fast it is to grill a whole fish, done to perfection.

Below is my video (the first of its kind on this blog) on how I grilled a whole fish on the stovetop in the kitchen. Finally I put this video together; there will be more.

 

 

A few general tips:

• Best fish to grill whole: snapper, sea bass or branzino, scaled and gutted
• Aromatics and seasonings: lemon, olive oil, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper
• Equipments: barbecue, slate, cast iron grill pan, flexible spatula, instant thermometer