Best Grilled Whole Fish With Four Pepper Ginger Sauce Recipes

GRILLED WHOLE FISH

Grilled Whole Fish image

Cooking small whole fish, as opposed to fillets, optimizes flavor and juiciness, because the skin and a thin layer of (healthy) fat insulate the meat -- and it couldn't be easier. Mild, white-fleshed branzino is almost tailor-made for the technique: It has relatively few bones and they're simple to remove, so the fish is very easy to serve and eat.

Provided by Martha Stewart

Categories Food & Cooking Main Dish Recipes

Time 50m

Yield Serves 2 to 4

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

2 whole branzino (each 1 to 1 1/2 pounds), cleaned, heads and tails left intact
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 thin wooden skewers or 6 toothpicks, soaked in water 30 minutes
Vegetable oil, for brushing
1 lemon, half thinly sliced, half cut into 2 wedges
3 sprigs dill, plus more for garnish (optional)
1 lime, half thinly sliced, half cut into 2 wedges
3 sprigs fresh basil, plus more for garnish (optional)
3 Thai or serrano chiles, left intact but split down 1 side

Steps:

Preheat grill for direct-heat grilling over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, drizzle cavity of each fish with 1 tablespoon olive oil, then season generously with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper.
Aromatics help keep whole fish moist while grilling. Stuff 1 fish cavity with lemon slices and dill and the other with lime slices, basil, and Thai chiles. If using just 1 filling, double amounts called for.
Fasten each opening with a wooden skewer or toothpicks that have been soaked in water so they don't burn. This keeps the aromatics inside and also makes fish easier to handle on the grill.
Using a paring knife, make long, 1/4-inch-deep diagonal slashes at 2-inch intervals on both sides of fish so they cook evenly throughout. This also allows any seasonings on skin (see step 5) to penetrate.
Rub both sides of each fish with remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper, working all into slashes as well as heads and tails -- both are edible, and the tail becomes delightfully crisp when grilled.
Brush hot grill with vegetable oil; immediately place fish on grill. Cook, undisturbed and uncovered, until undersides are charred and flesh along gills on undersides turns opaque, 5 to 7 minutes.
Turn fish with 2 large spatulas. If they stick, wait a few seconds until skin sears enough to release cleanly. Grill on other side until charred and fish are just cooked through and opaque, 5 to 7 minutes more.
Serve fish with lemon and lime wedges and more herbs. To serve, cut fillet free from top side of fish and remove with a spatula. Remove bones to free other fillet.

THAI WHOLE GRILLED FISH WITH SWEET & SOUR GLAZE

Thai Whole Grilled Fish with Sweet & Sour Glaze image

I got this recipe from a cooking class I attended. The glaze would also be good on other seafood or pork. Recipe by chef Brian Patterson.

Provided by Tracy K

Categories Thai

Time 35m

Yield 4 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 15

Ingredients

2 -4 whole rockfish or 2 -4 whole similar white fish fillets, gutted & cleaned,head on
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sesame oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon chili paste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup vegetable oil
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon finely julienned ginger
1/4 cup finely julienned red bell pepper
1 teaspoon chili paste

Steps:

Score each side of the fish with 3-4 small shallow cuts.
Combine all marinade ingredients and marinate the fish for at least an hour or up to overnight.
Prepare the glaze: Place the oil and garlic in a small saucepan, place on medium heat.
Simmer until garlic begins to turn golden.
Strain and let cool.
In another small pot, combine sugar and vinegar, bring to a boil, and simmer for one minute.
Add fish sauce, ginger, bell pepper, chili paste, and 3 Tbsp of the garlic oil.
Cook together for 3-5 minutes until sauce reduces slightly.
Making sure your grill is clean and well-lubricated with plenty of vegetable oil (or using a specially designed fish grilling basket), grill fish over medium heat, approximately 7 minutes per side or until flesh is just opaque at the bone.
Plate fish and spoon sauce over each fish.
One small fish is a perfect entrée for one person, share larger fish between two people.
Serves 4.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 600, Fat 54.8, SaturatedFat 7.5, Sodium 5066.8, Carbohydrate 21.8, Fiber 1.2, Sugar 14.8, Protein 9.1

WHOLE FRIED FISH WITH GRILLED LIME, CILANTRO AND GINGER VINAIGRETTE

Whole Fried Fish with Grilled Lime, Cilantro and Ginger Vinaigrette image

Provided by Michael Symon : Food Network

Categories main-dish

Time 45m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 15

Ingredients

2 limes, 1 zested, both cut in half
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger, plus one 2-inch piece
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cups vegetable oil or neutral oil, for frying
1 jalapeno
Two 1 1/2- to 2-pound whole fish such as red snapper or striped bass
4 cups rice flour
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves and small stems (plooms)
4 scallions, sliced on a bias and soaked in ice water

Steps:

Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Add the limes cut-side down and cook until deeply charred, 5 to 8 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, rice vinegar, honey, grated ginger, soy sauce and fish sauce. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside.
Add the frying oil to a cast-iron skillet large enough so the oil comes no more than halfway up the skillet sides. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the jalapeno and 2-inch piece ginger to the oil.
Place the fish on a cutting board and pat dry with paper towels. Make slashes crosswise on a diagonal along the body of the fish every 2 inches on both sides, cutting all the way down to the bone. Season the fish generously inside and out with salt. Mix together the rice flour, coriander, lime zest and 1 tablespoon salt in a shallow bowl. Dredge the fish in the seasoned rice flour.
When the oil is 350 degrees F, grip a fish firmly by the tail and carefully lower head-first into the skillet, making sure to lay it down away from you. Repeat with the other fish. Fry until the flesh on the bottom side is cooked through and the skin is deeply browned and crisp, about 4 minutes. While the fish are frying, baste the inside of the heads with hot oil periodically.
Use tongs and a fish spatula to carefully turn both fish over. Fry until the flesh on the second side is cooked through and the skin is deeply browned and crisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and season both sides with more salt.
To serve: Place both fish on a platter. Spoon the ginger vinaigrette over the top and around the fish. Garnish with cilantro and scallions and place the grilled limes around the edges.