Grilling whole fish -- tips?


 
S

Stewart M.

TVWBB Member
So I'm thinking of grilling a couple small whole fish on the kettle tonight: trout, maybe mackerel, whatever looks good when I walk up to the fishmongers this evening.

I've never done this before. Any tips or tricks I should keep in mind?
 
I have used one of those non stick fish baskets that you see on sale at Lowes/Home Depot. I just lay the rack on top of the grill grate, turn it a couple of times, while grillin, seemed to work pretty well for me.
 
photos! Post photos, i gotta sea this
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The best fish I ever had on the grill was a trout that I had caught about 5 min. before it went on the fire when I was camping on the Willowemok river in Debruce,NY. The fire was already going (birch and oak campfire) and tossed it on whole after I cleaned it. That was one TASTY FISH! The only tips I have for you are to put some oil and simple seasonings on the fish and oil the hot grill with a piece of paper towel soaked in oil. (Use tongs). The fish is done when it flakes easily and the meat is opaque. Sorry I seem to be rambling
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Good Luck!
 
Probably too late, but my best success grilling fish has been to plank them. I got a good buy on some cedar planks, cut them in half because the pieces of fish we typically use will fit on half a plank. I soak them about an hour, then put some seasoning on the plank, season the fish, and put them on the grill. I can get maybe two uses from each plank.

It's not direct grilling but you get a great smoky flavor, the aromatic from the cedar and no sticking on the grill.

Good luck!

Pat
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jim Lampe:
photos! Post photos, i gotta sea this
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</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Unfortunately, by the time I got to the store, the whole fish had been gutted (pun intended) and all that was left was a couple of trout that were so dissimilar in size that they never would have cooked easily together.

So I got a 1.65 pound steelhead trout side filet, laid it out on some foil, oiled it, sprinkled it heavily with Penzey's Northwoods and gave it a spritz of fresh lime juice. Cooked it indirect next to a hotel pan full of cubed summer squash and blanched chopped broccoli, also oiled and dusted with Northwoods.

Every bit of the fish was demolished, and the cats fought over the skin. The veggies were well-liked as well.
 
I actually went trout fishing last weekend. I cooked up four trout for myself and my brother on Sunday night. Two brooks and two rainbows. They were cleaned with just the heads cut off and then gutted. I melted some butter and mixed Wolfe Citrus with the butter and brushed that on the skin and inside the gut cavity. I then added some more wolfe citrus and a couple of dollops of butter to the outside. I then wrapped them in foil and cooked them for about ten minutes per side around 400 degrees. I then turned off the grill and let them sit in the foil and sizzle for about another 10. THEY WERE AWESOME. Only regret was I should have spritzed some lemon juice on them before cooking. Nothing like some VERY fresh caught trout!
 
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