FIAB Top 10 Tips for Successful BBQ’s
1. Get the heat going well in advance! At least an hour if using charcoal or wood. This will give you dependable high heat without the risk of flare ups
2. Preheat the bars of the grill. They need to be really hot to sear the skin and flesh of the fish almost immediately. A slow heat will only make delicate fish skin stick like glue! So heat the grill for at least 10 minutes before putting any fish on it. Oil the fish NOT the grill
3. Don’t try to move the fish too soon. It will take a couple of minutes for the bars to heat the skin so it can be turned over without leaving the flesh behind. BE PATIENT
4. Cook fish on fairly chunky BBQ bars, set nice and close together. Fine wire grill bars or square wire mesh is a nightmare—too much contact with the fish so more opportunities for sticking!
5. The special wire framed, fish shaped baskets and long handled sandwich grills are useful. They contain the fish and by turning the basket/grill over the fish is turned over too
6. If you are cooking whole fish, small to medium sizes are best so 250-750g. Whole Trout, Sardines, Sea Bass, Bream, Mackerel and Red Mullet are all excellent on the BBQ. Ask for the scaly fish such as Bass, Bream and Mullet to be scaled so the skin is edible when crisped
7. To steam your fillets or whole fish wrap in foil or newspaper, you won’t get crispy skin but guaranteed tender, moist flesh. If you are using newspaper soak it in water until sodden after you have wrapped up the fish. Cook on the BBQ until the newspaper is blackened, if it catches alight just sprinkle with water and continue cooking
8. To BBQ fish portions you need chunky squared off fillets at least 2cm thick with the skin on. Sea Bass, Bream, Salmon, Sea Trout, Turbot, Brill are all good. Avoid using the more delicate white fish like Pollack, Pouting, Cod and Coley which have fine and particularly sticky skin
9. Dry the fillets well first, lightly oil the fish and place skin side down on the grill
10. For shellfish such as prawns and scallops, again oil, season and grill for a few minutes each side