How To Make Grilled Fish

Select your fish. Tuna and swordfish are the easiest to grill because the flesh is thick and firm. Monkfish, mahimahi, tilefish, and salmon also grill well. Stay away from cod and halibut, whose softness makes them difficult to flip, and fish fillets that are cut thinly, like flounder.

Start with a clean grill by burning off the stuck-on food of past cookouts. For a charcoal grill, light some coals; with a gas grill, set it on high and close the lid. After about 20 minutes, let the grill cool. Scrape off the burnt-on bits with a steel brush and end by wiping down the grill with a clean cloth soaked in vegetable oil.

Get your grill hot; otherwise, the fish will stick to it. If you’re using charcoal, don’t start cooking until the coals have turned ash- gray. With a gas grill, heat it on high for at least 15 minutes, with the lid down.

If you plan to marinate your fish, do it no earlier than 30 minutes beforehand: If you let it sit longer than that, a sugary marinade might make the fish stick to the grates and a vinegar-based one could pickle it. Let fish marinate in the refrigerator.

If you’re seasoning the fillets, mix together spices you like in a small bowl and rub them on the fish just before grilling. If you’re cooking a whole fish, stick spices into diagonal one-quarter inch slits that you make on both sides of the fish, and rub the entire fish with olive oil or brush it with mayonnaise, which will help keep it from sticking to the grill.

Just before you put on the fish, grease the grate with cooking spray or by brushing it with vegetable oil. Be prepared: The grill may flare up as you rub oil on the grate.

Put fillets on the grill flesh-side down, leaving a bit of space around each. Cook about 10 minutes total for each inch of thickness, turning it over with a spatula about halfway through. A whole fish also needs to be flipped halfway through cooking. One that’s under two pounds will take about eight minutes total to grill; a three-pounder takes 15 to 18 minutes.

Check for doneness by poking it with the tip of a fork or knife; if the flesh flakes and its color has turned opaque, it’s done. Let it rest for five minutes before serving.