Grilled Whole Fish Recipe

Preparing fish

1. As you choose your fish, pick fresh fish on ice at your grocery store. Choose fish with clear eyes (fish that have cloudy eyes are less fresh). If you can smell the fish, it should smell like the sea and not fishy. Have the fishmonger clean the fish, also removing the gills and tail.
2. Dry your fish with paper towels and use a knife to cut 3 slits on each side of the fish. Each slit is about 1 inch deep.
3. Add salt and pepper all over the fish (on the skin, slits, and inside of the cavity).
4. Add minced garlic in the cavity and the slits.
5. Add the lemon wedges and green onions in each of the slits and the cavity.
6. Finish stuffing the fish with leeks, scallions, shallots, rosemary, and parsley.
7. Use the soaked toothpicks to keep the stuffing inside the cavity.
8. Add a generous amount of vegetable oil all around the fish.

Grilling

1. Heat your charcoal. I like to use natural chunk charcoal and fill about 50-60% of my chimney starter. This fills about 40-50% of my small charcoal grill with about 2-3 inches distance from coals to the fish.
2. Once your coals have a nice white coat from heating up, they’re ready to pour onto the grill. If the coals aren’t covered in white yet, they may not get hot enough on the grill and if you heat them for too long before pouring out, their life is shortened. Cover the grill for a few minutes so it warms up.
3. Scrub the grill grates on the top and bottom with a metal grill cleaner.
4. Whole fish directly on the grill: Place the fish directly onto the grill and sit tight (don’t try to move the fish around before it crisps and cooks or you’ll end up breaking the skin). Each side takes about 6-8 minutes with the lid covering the bbq. Once the first side crisps and is easier to lift, you can carefully turn it over. Once the whole fish registers with an internal temperature of about 145°F or the meat is firm and opaque, then it’s finished. Whole fish in foil: Wrap the fish with foil and place it onto the grill. Each side takes about 6-8 minutes with the lid covering the bbq. After about 7 minutes, carefully turn it over. Slightly open the packet and use a thermometer to check the fish. Once the whole fish registers with an internal temperature of about 145°F or the meat is firm and opaque, then it’s finished.
5. Serve the fish fresh off the grill with some rice and garlic noodles.