How Long to Grill Rockfish  

Unsure of the proper grilling time for rockfish? Fear not, we have you covered! Just remember, achieving that perfect balance of crispy on the outside and succulently tender within means avoiding overcooking.

This may seem counter-intuitive, but if you consistently keep an eye on your fish while grilling, you’ll find that the timing is very forgiving. This means that once you get the hang of grilling rockfish, you don’t have to break out your watch or a timer. Just grill it until it’s done. Moreover, read this article to get the complete information. 

How to perfectly cook rockfish?

To make sure your rockfish is cooked just right, follow these guidelines:

• Preheat a gas or charcoal grill for 10 minutes.
• Add the rockfish fillets to the grill and turn them over after 5 minutes.
• Grill until the fillets are opaque, flaky, and seared all over (not charred). This could take 10 to 15 minutes.
• When you’re grilling rockfish, you need a charcoal or gas grill with a lid that is large enough (at least 14-inches in diameter) so that you can pan-saute your entire fillet at once.

Now that you have a few grilling tips down, you’ll be ready to cook the perfect rockfish meal. Here’s what we recommend!

1- Ingredients and Equipment Needed

• Rockfish fillets (about 6 oz. each). 
• 2 lemons cut in half and seeded (to squeeze over fish after cooking is done). 
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (to drizzle over fillets).
• 1 teaspoon salt (for seasoning fillets after grilling is done). 

2- Prepping Your Fish for the Grill     

Preheat a gas or charcoal grill for 10 minutes. Scrub the rockfish fillets with a brush under running water. Pat the fish dry.sprinkle salt and black pepper on either side of each fillet. Squeeze lemon juice on both sides of each fillet. Drizzle olive oil over fillets.

3- Cooking Your Fish  

This recipe calls for cooking rockfish fillets using the direct grilling method. This is when you place fillets directly onto the grate of your grill, or a perforated metal sheet or baking tray.

Place rockfish fillets on a perforated metal sheet or baking tray and then add to the grill (gas or charcoal). Cover grill or place back into the oven.

4- Cooking Time and Temperature   

 Rockfish fillets are done when they are opaque, flaky, and seared all over.

You should check rockfish once every 15 to 20 minutes to ensure that the fish doesn’t burn. The exact time it takes to grill rockfish depends on the thickness of the fillet and how hot your grill gets.

5- How to Tell When your Fish Is Done

You can tell when your rockfish is done by checking for two things: the colour of the fillet and the texture.

Note that you may want to flip your rockfish over after 5 minutes. This way, any bits of meat on the bottom half will have a chance to sear. The colour should be a nice golden-brown with a brownish tinge. This means that the fish is ready.

6- Serving 

After grilling rockfish, you can either let the fillets rest on the tray to cool off or you can transfer them to a serving bowl. If you use a perforated metal pan, take it out of the grill and ideally wipe it with an oil-soaked paper towel.

Either way, try to gently scrape as much burnt meat and juices off of the great as possible before serving.

Grilled Rockfish with Garlic and Basil

Here is the recipe for grilled rockfish with garlic and basil 

Ingredients 

• Rockfish Fillet (about 6 oz.)
• Red Onion (1) chopped
• Garlic (1 clove minced)
• Fresh Basil Leaves (2 tbsp.) chopped
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (2 tbsp.) You can also use plain olive oil if you don’t have anything special.
• Lemon Wedges (1) Cut in half and seeded
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper 

Instructions 

1. Place the fish fillet on the grill. 
2. Sear both sides (about 3 minutes). 
3. Once you see the fish is done (brown colored), flip it over. 
4. Continue to cook for 4 minutes until the desired doneness. 
5. Squeeze lemon juice on top of the fillet. 
6. Top with chopped garlic, chopped basil leaves, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Tips and Tricks for Grilling Rockfish

Rockfish is a great option for grilling since it has a mild flavour, is tender and flaky, and doesn’t have many bones. The best kind of rockfish for grilling is Pacific Rockfish. It’s firm yet tender; you can eat the skin too! If you want to splurge on your fish, go for Albacore Tuna or Salmon instead (they’re more expensive but worth it).

Amazing Grilling Tips for Rockfish Fillets:

Following are some of the exciting grilling tips for rockfish fillets. 

1. You can use any type of salsa you like (spicy, mild, etc.). To make your salsa less messy, use a perforated pan or grill grate.
2. Use this same recipe with salmon fillets, halibut fillets, or flounder fillets instead of rockfish.
3. Rockfish tastes great on tacos and salads too!
4. Rockfish is best served with tortillas or buns because it has such a delicate texture; serving it over rice can make the fish mushy. 
5. Rockfish is also good on sandwiches.

Summing Up 

So here’s all about how long to grill rockfish along with an amazing recipe and cooking tips. Hope you enjoy the article and it will help you greatly in grilling the rockfish.

Happy Grilling! 

Grilled Rockfish with Garlic and Basil: How to Make It Easier

To make this recipe less intimidating, we did a quick-cooking video that shows how to grill rockfish. You can also use the recipe above, but in this video, you’ll see exactly how we do it!