Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Preparing the barbecue
• Tips
• Warnings

Grilling fish on a barbecue is an excellent way to preserve the flavor and texture of the fish. It cooks quickly too, as fish fillets are only grilled on high heat for a few minutes on each side. If you would like to grill a whole fish, it will take a little extra time and care to ensure that the fish is cooked completely.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Preparing the barbecue

1. Clean the cooking grate. One of the trickiest parts of grilling fish on a barbecue is keeping it from sticking. If your grill grate is still dirty from the last grilling, the delicate skin of the fish and meat will stick to the grate and the fish will disintegrate. Clean your grill grate well with a hard barbecue brush. After you've scraped off all the larger food scraps, finish this job off by wiping off any leftover dust with damp kitchen paper.
   • If you're dealing with more grime than you can clean with a barbecue brush, try the following trick: cover the cooking grate with a piece of aluminum foil, then light the barbecue on the hottest setting (around 288 degrees Celsius). When the grime on the grill gets hot, it will break down and come loose.
2. Choose a fillet for grilling. Firm fish are best for grilling because they can withstand heat and won't break up when you try to lift them. Find a thick, steak-like texture and avoid flaky, delicate fish that just fall apart when you poke it. Here are some great types of fish for the barbecue:
   • salmon
   • Tuna
   • Halibut
   • Swordfish
3. Buy a fresh whole fish. Any type of whole fish will do fine on a barbecue. Since a whole fish is wrapped in foil before roasting, you don't have to worry about a fish with firm flesh. Look for a fresh fish with bright eyes and shiny scales, without bruises or discolored patches.
   • Have the fish cleaned and scaled at the fishmonger. The guts and scales are removed so that the fish is ready to grill when you get home.
   • You have to plan a little further ahead if you want to roast a whole fish. A whole fish takes about three times as long to cook compared to a fillet.
4. Place the fish on a plate. Carefully lift the fish off the grid and onto a plate, and garnish with lemon wedges and herbs. Before serving, remove the meat from the bone and divide the fish into portions, or let the guests serve themselves.

Tips

• A whole fish is another thing - just make sure you've greased both the fish and the barbecue before roasting. The general rule to know if a whole fish is cooked is very simple because you can expect more times.
• You can tell if a fillet is done by cutting it open slightly and looking in the middle. If the meat has just turned from transparent to opaque, the meat is perfectly cooked. Another way to find out if the meat is cooked if you don't want to cut the meat is to see how firm the meat is. When it is ready, it will be firm, but will give slightly.

Warnings

• Be careful around a barbecue and make sure that no children are loose around a barbecue.