split and fillet the fish just to remove the head, backbone and innards and wash the remaining two halves really well in fresh, potable water
now here comes the controversies:
in my mind there is absolutely no cooking method whatsoever for fresh fish except grilling on real charcoal (even if its raining), so, on with the menu
skin on or off?
i prefer leaving the skin on, both for the holding-together effects on the grill and also for the special taste treat the deeper you dig into the flaky, tender, drawn-butter-laden flesh
brown flesh layer on or off?
if you leave the skin on, you automatically leave the brown layer of flesh that's under the skin on, and it can be a bit bitter, but, for me, that's the cherry on the sundae - think of all those vitamins
marinade or not?
some folks like to ruin the exquisite and delicate taste of a ritcheous fish by placing it in a marinade overnight - phooey, gross and yecch (shiver!) - the fish's taste is the fish's taste and to smother it in something else is a sin against the departed spirit of the fish
that said, there are many flavor-enhancing brush-ons while on the grill, such as:
papaya to add sweetness to balance a fish's sourness
balsamic vinegar for acid balance to remove bitterness
juice of a lemon, or the rind of a fresh orange right off the tree, for sourness to balance sweetness and releasing the aromatic oils in tuna
garlic oil (heated peanut oil mixed with garlic powder if you don't have the real thing handy) to give an extra boost to shrimp and fish - never use butter or marjorine - solids have too low a flash point so they burn and leaves that tell-tale gross odor on the meal
drawn butter, or the middle liquid oil in a small pan of melted real butter (never marjorine - too low a flash point and also congeals on the fish as it cools - yeech!), wait a bit for things to settle down from the melting, then skim off the butter fats floating on top, and pour off the middle layer of oil into a dipping bowl, but stop before you get to the solids at the bottom and what you have in the dipping bowl is drawn butter - adding anything to the drawn butter like herbs or spices is also, in my mind, a grevious sin
mesquite or not?
i feel that real mesquite wood sticks placed on top of the grill prior to cooking is mandatory for all florida fish - never put mesquite in the fire, because the oils just burn up and are wasted, you want the sticks to heat up and throw their oils all over the grill and fire and release the wonderful aroma
note - the faithful old mesquite tree in destin park that was the source of so many wonderful memories of delightful cooking smells and tastes is gone now - succumbed to the greed of some jerkoff who took the whole freaking tree and robbed everyone else who knew what it was - i've even heard it was removed by the state as non-native, and that is absurd as it was growing there before i was born
to cook a fish is art, to catch one is skill, but to create one is divine - respect the fish and prepare it with the dignity it deserves
now here comes the controversies:
in my mind there is absolutely no cooking method whatsoever for fresh fish except grilling on real charcoal (even if its raining), so, on with the menu
skin on or off?
i prefer leaving the skin on, both for the holding-together effects on the grill and also for the special taste treat the deeper you dig into the flaky, tender, drawn-butter-laden flesh
brown flesh layer on or off?
if you leave the skin on, you automatically leave the brown layer of flesh that's under the skin on, and it can be a bit bitter, but, for me, that's the cherry on the sundae - think of all those vitamins
marinade or not?
some folks like to ruin the exquisite and delicate taste of a ritcheous fish by placing it in a marinade overnight - phooey, gross and yecch (shiver!) - the fish's taste is the fish's taste and to smother it in something else is a sin against the departed spirit of the fish
that said, there are many flavor-enhancing brush-ons while on the grill, such as:
papaya to add sweetness to balance a fish's sourness
balsamic vinegar for acid balance to remove bitterness
juice of a lemon, or the rind of a fresh orange right off the tree, for sourness to balance sweetness and releasing the aromatic oils in tuna
garlic oil (heated peanut oil mixed with garlic powder if you don't have the real thing handy) to give an extra boost to shrimp and fish - never use butter or marjorine - solids have too low a flash point so they burn and leaves that tell-tale gross odor on the meal
drawn butter, or the middle liquid oil in a small pan of melted real butter (never marjorine - too low a flash point and also congeals on the fish as it cools - yeech!), wait a bit for things to settle down from the melting, then skim off the butter fats floating on top, and pour off the middle layer of oil into a dipping bowl, but stop before you get to the solids at the bottom and what you have in the dipping bowl is drawn butter - adding anything to the drawn butter like herbs or spices is also, in my mind, a grevious sin
mesquite or not?
i feel that real mesquite wood sticks placed on top of the grill prior to cooking is mandatory for all florida fish - never put mesquite in the fire, because the oils just burn up and are wasted, you want the sticks to heat up and throw their oils all over the grill and fire and release the wonderful aroma
note - the faithful old mesquite tree in destin park that was the source of so many wonderful memories of delightful cooking smells and tastes is gone now - succumbed to the greed of some jerkoff who took the whole freaking tree and robbed everyone else who knew what it was - i've even heard it was removed by the state as non-native, and that is absurd as it was growing there before i was born
to cook a fish is art, to catch one is skill, but to create one is divine - respect the fish and prepare it with the dignity it deserves