Tag: Salmon

Grilling Fish Outdoors

Fish On The Grill

Fish, no matter what type it is has always been one of the most favorite items on the grill along with steaks, ribs and vegetables. For an outdoor grill, it would always be better with a few slices of salmon steak or sea bass. No matter how you cook, season or serve it, fish would always taste great on the grill most of the time. However, you should be aware that there are different cooking methods that are right for different type of fish.

You can classify fish according to size, whether it is firm or not and whether it is fillet or whole. This is because not all types of fish would fit into a single grilling method; different approaches are for fish depending on how it is classified. So for you to learn more about fish and how exactly you should grill them, here are some tips and tricks.

The Right Type Of Fish

While a lot of different types of fish would taste great on the grill, most of them are cooked differently and have different approaches to one another. Firm fish such as swordfish and tuna cook easier than other types of fish and are much better of cooked in steak cuts. The firm and meaty composition of these fishes make it easier for you to turn them every once in a while and make it harder for them to break apart and fall right into the grill.

When grilling fillets, make sure that it is at least 1 inch thick and reasonably large for consumption. When putting them on top of the grill, do not forget to turn them every 2 minutes or less. You will know if you are doing this right if you have a nice set of grill marks on the sides of the fish, this of which is the sign of a grilling master.

Keep Good Hygiene

There are just three things to keep in mind when it comes to grilling hygiene; that of which is it should be hot, it should be oiled and it should be cleaned. You can start of by having the grill cleaned every time before you start grilling. Make sure that you scrub all residues off the surface since these can fall inside the grill and cause flare ups or induce a different flavor into the items being grilled. You would not want to grill fish and have it taste like prime rib.

After that, you should make sure that the grill is pre heated even before throwing in the items to be grilled. This is the most common mistake people make especially for those who own gas grills as they would tend to throw items in the grill immediately after starting the fire. The last one is you have to make sure that the surface is oiled well enough to keep residue from sticking to the grills surface later on. You can do this by spraying small amounts of vegetable oil on the surface before grilling.

Grilling The Fish

You can use a lot of accessories for grilling fish. Accessories are made to make fish cook faster and make it cook evenly on all sides. These would include a wire basket, a metal skewer and a seasoned plank for causing a different pleasant taste to the fish. Take note that fish, unlike meats has to be well cooked but not overcooked to make it dry. To test if a fish is cooked, you can use the poke test to find out.

This involves having the top part pushed with something. If it crumbles or breaks, it is well cooked.

Tips For Grilling Fish Outdoors

Fish On The Grill

One of the most popular items that most people would always have on the grill whatever the occasion is would be any type of fish. It could be that large bass you luckily caught while on a fishing trip, a lovely salmon steak or whatever fish it is that would do great on the grill. This is because grilling fish recipes would please most of our tastes and as well as the one who is cooking it since fish is fun and easy to cook. It also matches greatly with other common items on the grill such as peppers and other veggies.

So to make grilling fish easier as well as better tasting for you and everyone else who would eat it, here are some helpful tips to make it so.

Grilling Methods

For whole fish such as trout, snapper or salmon, the best way to grill it is through a hinged wire grill fish basket. It is also the best way to cook fillets of tender fish such as catfish or flounder. This is because the hinged wire distributes the heat evenly on the fish and the slight pressure that it will have on the fish cook much better, not to consider those pretty grill marks it would make after. You could also add herbs, lemon and other flavoring in between the fish and the grill for added flavor.

For firm fillets such as tuna and salmon, these are still very nice on the grill just make sure to handle them well to prevent them from breaking apart and falling into the grill. Make sure that you turn them only once while grilling; turning it back and forth every now and then will cause it to break apart. Also make sure that you watch the heat and make sure that it is always turned on to medium, take not that fish cooks quicker than most common items on the grill.

Marinating Fish

When it comes to marinating fish, you can come up with virtually anything you can imagine as long as it would taste good on the fish, just take note that liquid marinades are easier to absorb and would seep deeper into the fish as compared to sauces. When marinating fish, put the fish and the marinade together in a container and allow 30 minutes for the fish to soak up. Refrigerating while marinating is also highly advised, only bring out the fish when it is ready to be cooked.

If the marinade used on the fish should be used as a sauce, have it boil by itself for at least five minutes. Since the fish was raw when it was soaked in it, it could have traces of bacteria which we would not want on the sauce. Boiling it eliminates bacteria in it.

Plating Grilled Fish

Grilled fish is best served with other grilled seafood such as scallops, shrimps, crabs or lobsters. It also would also do well with grilled peppers, asparagus and onions. Grilled fish looks very appetizing when it has grill marks on the side, this of which is commonly noted as the mark of an expert when it comes to grilling.

This does not only look appetizing but is also a good way of judging that the fish is cooked right. Serving it with a salad and a soup would have everyone eating it have a good memory with grilled fish.

The Best Items On The Grill

Meat A Classic On The Grill

When it comes to outdoor grilling, even the idea of it would never be complete without some association to some nice cuts of prime rib, t-bone or other nice cuts. This is because the best way to have them is in an outdoor grill and that they taste so good, an outdoor barbecue with the family would never be complete without some of them on the grill. Meat on the grill has become so popular that it has been decided to brand it as a classic.

It is so popular in fact; if you go to restaurants with grilled food any cuts of meat will never be out of the menu. The catch is it is quite fun and easy to prepare. Grilling meat is just like grilling any other item on the grill. The fun part is that it is not only limited to direct grilling but you can also do a lot of other methods such as smoking, roasting and searing it. With all that, it is no wonder that meat on the grill has become a classic.

Seafood

For those who would want to get some healthier options but would not want to sacrifice having some tasting pleasure, seafood gives them just the perfect option. Some lovely cuts of fish such as salmon, sea bass, swordfish and tuna are really nice on the grill considering you know just the right methods of cooking each of them. Grilling fish also gives them a different but pleasant flavor as compared to other ways of preparing them.

While fish is pleasant, there is more to just that when it comes to seafood on the grill. Some other lovely items you can toss on top of the grill are shells, squid, octopus and shrimps. These are really nice on the grill especially if they are cooked just right. If they are, you can taste the juices from deep inside them. Having seafood grilled the right way makes them taste more like themselves.

Poultry

Along with the others, poultry would also make up for some of the best items on the grill and could even be considered by some as a classic, although it is still not as popular as meat. With the many things you can do with poultry on the grill, almost all approaches of grilling would make chicken, turkey or duck taste much better. Take note that one of the best ways to serve poultry is by having them grilled.

Poultry however unlike other items on the grill, it has to be cooked evenly and cannot be served medium-well, medium-rare and all those. To see if it is cooked right, you can do the prick test. This involves having one side pricked with a sharp object which would cause juices to come right out. Through these, you would be able to tell if the poultry is cooked right.

Vegetables

To add a spin to the grill, you can also serve some nice peppers, asparagus and zucchini along with other items on the grill. These would not only give you more health benefits but they are also very nice when grilled and marinated with some oils, vinegar and spices. Grilling them also gives them a different taste, much different than how they are traditionally served.

The best part is that they go with almost every other item you can grill. With a good mix of vegetables and meats on the grill, outdoor grilling sessions are sure to be much better.

Outdoor Grilling Methods

More To The Grill

Before anything else, you should be aware that your outdoor grill is not limited only to direct grilling. Your outdoor grill can do so much more than just that, it could even be more versatile than your kitchen. While the classic method of direct grilling can already please most of us, just think about the other things that it could do. Other outdoor grilling techniques include searing, indirect grilling and smoking which turns ordinary meat into a tasting pleasure with a distinct flavor.

Different outdoor grilling techniques are to be used depending on what types of items you are to grill, for example; direct grilling is best for large cuts of beef and sausages, smoking on the other hand is best for whole fish and meats too. With experience, you will later develop a taste of what goes where in the grill enabling you to be an expert on it.

Have A Clean Grill

Even before starting out, you have to be sure that your grill is clean. The worst thing that could happen in a grill is to have a beautiful slice of prime rib and to later have it taste like grilled salmon. In cleaning the grill, make sure that you do it right after cooking and while the grill is still hot. In doing this, use a wire brush and scrub off all remaining residue that is left on the grill, these residue are what causes unpleasant flavoring if you dont clean your grill well.

More to that, these residues can also fall into the grill and can later cause a flare-up, this of which we would like to avoid. While your grill is clean, you would also want to prevent residue from sticking to it as much as possible. To do this, spray the surface of your grill with vegetable oil every time before you grill. This is even more important if you are using sugar based sauces like the common ones people use to coat ribs and barbecue.

Get Your Grill Hot

When grilling, it is also very important that your grill is hot before you place the items on top of it. For most of us especially for those who own gas-powered grills, we put the items in right after we start the fire. This is wrong as we have to wait around 15-30 minutes of having the fire turned on before putting the items to be grilled in while having all the items and cooking tools you will be needing standing by.

Also be aware that the surface of your grill is not equally hot on all sides. There are some sides that are hotter than others and some that are a bit cooler than others. Being good on the grill, you should know where these sides are and use them to your advantage. The most common grilling technique used here is indirect grilling of which you would need to know where the cooler side is.

Having Ingredients Ready

Even before you start grilling; it is very important that your ingredients are already prepared and ready to be tossed on top of the grill. For steaks, you might want to cut of excess fat and have it seasoned with some salt and pepper. As for chicken, since it is quite difficult to have it grilled, you can pre-cook it in the microwave oven. This will lessen cooking time and as well as make it easier for you to have your chicken brown.

Vegetables on the other hand should already be cleaned and cut for the grill. After all these, you are ready to get grilling.