How To Cook Rockfish On The Grill

Mastering the Grill with Rockfish: Have no fear when it comes to grilling a relatively slender and fragile fish fillet such as Pacific rockfish. Your success is something we’re confident in! The art of grilling rockfish expertly is largely dependent on 90% straightforward preparation and 10% proficiency with a spatula — and owning a fish spatula essentially equips you with nearly everything necessary for perfectly cooking wild-caught rockfish.

Lean, mild fillets of Pacific rockfish benefit immensely from the powerful taste of direct heat produced only by a hot grill. Rockfish is popular for tacos because it has a less delicate flavor than other types of white fish from Alaska, and it goes well with fresh salsas, sauces, and other robust toppings that go well with grilled dishes.

• Rockfish Preparation

When utilizing a high and dry heat source to cook your rockfish, be sure you pat the fillets dry. Simply pat excess moisture from the surface of your fillets with a tea towel or paper towel.

When grilling a flaky fish, especially a reasonably thin fillet like rockfish, this step is crucial. Because wet fillets steam rather than sear over the heat, they will not take up the color and texture of grill marks. Worse, you’re setting yourself up for an epic fail when you try to flip the fillets since they’re far more likely to adhere to the grill grates if they haven’t developed a crust of grill marks.

• Prepare The Grill To Cook Rockfish On The Grill

Also, take a moment to prepare your grill. When rockfish fillets are clean, they are significantly less likely to adhere to grates. The best approach to clean the grates is to heat the grill and then scrub them with a wire grill brush.

After brushing away the residues of previous cookouts, gently grease the grates with vegetable oil (or any oil that can tolerate high heat) with a brush or rag.

To set up a charcoal barbecue for backhanded barbecuing, use a coal chimney stack to light the charcoal and when hot coals are prepared, place every one of them on one side of the pot. Orchestrate very much prepared fish fillets, skin-side down on the barbecue straight over these hot coals so they lay, head-to-tail, corresponding to the meshes.

Singe the filets over the high heat for two minutes. Then, at that point, pivot the barbecue grind 180 degrees, so the fish sits on the barbecue away from the hot coals. Cover the barbecue, and wrap up cooking the filets through circuitous heat, which will need another 8-10 minutes (the common principle being 10 minutes all-out cooking time per inch of thickness.)

For gas barbecues, preheat the two sides of the barbecue on high. Lay the fish on the meshes on one side of the barbecue and cook for two minutes. Turn off the burner under the fish, yet keep the burners inverse the fish started up.

This technique likewise functions for more modest, entire fish. You do have to flip the fish over before turning the barbecue grind away from the hot coals and cover the barbecue to cook it.

• Start Grilling To Cook Rockfish On The Grill

Preheat your cleaned and oiled grill until it is hot. If you’re using a charcoal grill, this may take approximately 30 minutes, but gas grills may just take about 10 minutes to heat up. Aim for a temperature of 400 to 450 degrees to allow your fish to char without becoming burned.

Don’t hurry the preheating procedure since lean rockfish has to be cooked hot and fast to become a juicy and tender fillet. Higher temperatures guarantee that the fillets absorb the flavor, color, and texture of the grill.

Drizzle the fillets with oil and season with sea salt and pepper just before you’re ready to cook them. This is also the time to season the fillets with a dry rub. Alternatively, marinate the fillets briefly in a wet marinade of your choosing — just make sure to pat the fillets dry before placing them on the grill grates. How To Cook Rockfish On The Grill? 

More About Grilling Rockfish

When your fillets come into contact with the grates, they should sizzle. If not, turn up the heat or give your grill additional time to heat up. Depending on the thickness of the fillets, rockfish should be grilled for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Stay near to the grill, but let the fillets alone until ready to flip or transfer to a serving tray.

The most difficult part of grilling fish is the midway flip, but if you’ve followed every prep step, the flip will be one of the most fulfilling moments as the grill master. To do the flip, you should have a fish spatula handy. If there’s any clinging, this small, flexible spatula has the proper angle to wriggle between the fillet and the grill grates. However, if your grill was hot enough and your fillets were dry enough, there shouldn’t be any sticking: When the fillets are ready to be flipped, they will naturally peel away from the grill grates.

Be cautious with the rockfish throughout this procedure so that it doesn’t fall through the grill while you’re handling it; the fillets will be flaky and opaque in the center once the second side has cooked through. You may also check the inside temperature using an instant-read thermometer to guarantee doneness. Aim for a temperature of 135°.

Conclusion

While we all enjoy grilled meat meals, there’s no disputing that eating too much of them may be harmful to our health. Grilling fish instead is a healthier choice that also provides a change of scenery.

However, many people are afraid of grilling fish since it sticks to the grill and individuals mutilate the pieces when taking it from the grill. However, if you are still eager to try new things and wish to grill seafood, we recommend grilled rockfish as a suitable beginning point.

Worried? That’s fine; simply follow our how-to grill rockfish recipe for consistently excellent results. Once you start, you won’t be able to resist a delicious rockfish seafood barbecue. Thus it is very easy to grill rockfish with any of the recipes!