Which fish is better to fry on the grill and choose for barbecue on the grill?

Spring is barbecue season, loved by many fans of outdoor trips. Holidays or weekends are the best time for a fun picnic with family and friends, accompanied by cooking delicious and aromatic snacks over an open fire. Grilled fish will help diversify the menu for a trip to nature - this is a juicy and aromatic dish that neither adults nor children can resist.

There are a huge number of recipes for preparing delicious grilled dishes: roasting a whole carcass, kebabs, steaks. The fish is prepared with mayonnaise, cheese, vegetables, spicy herbs, aromatic herbs and various sauces; it can be marinated and smoked. And a huge variety of marinades will help turn a trip to nature into an excellent gastronomic feast with bright flavors and inimitable aromas.

Which fish to choose for grilling?

Fish baked on the grill is much better and healthier than regular fried fish. During the cooking process, it retains its original fishy taste and is imbued with the aroma of herbs, spices and woody smoke. The grill does not use vegetable oils, which, when frying, release large amounts of carcinogens and other harmful substances. Therefore, grilled fish retains a huge amount of useful components.

What kind of fish is suitable for grilling:

red fish - coho salmon, salmon, sturgeon, sockeye salmon;
river – trout, crucian carp, bream;
sea – mullet, herring, trout, perch;
dorado;
sea bass;
mackerel;
tuna.

Lean white fish often turns out too dry after cooking on the grill, so it is best not to use it. And carp and pike are also not suitable, since their meat is rather dry, with a lot of small bones.

Fish for grilling should not be very fatty or too dry, or have a lot of bones. Small carcasses need to be cleaned, gutted and can be baked whole on both sides alternately. You can make several cuts on the sides of the fish - this will allow the meat to be completely cooked and the bones to soften.

Large ones are best used to make steaks or fillets, which go well with vegetables and other side dishes cooked on the grill. Large fish should be fleshy, with a minimum of bones in the back area.

It is best to choose medium-sized carcasses - this is the best option for those cases when there is no time for long-term marinating. You don’t need to marinate it in advance, just pepper, salt and season with aromatic herbs.

A tasty and unusual option for a trip to nature is fish kebab. It is recommended to prepare it from fillet, cut into slices and strung on skewers. The main condition for choosing the right carcass for barbecue is that it must be elastic.

Did you decide to organize a trip spontaneously and didn’t have a barbecue at hand? Don't despair - you can please yourself with tasty and juicy fish dishes using foil. The fish needs to be washed, cleaned, the insides removed, sprinkled with salt, pepper and other spices, poured with vegetable oil and wrapped in foil. You can simply fry the carcasses over coals, remembering to turn them over several times.

Recipes

At home, fish can be fried on an electric grill, but outdoors it is more convenient to cook it on a grill or barbecue. For those who cannot determine which fish is better on the coals or on the grill at home, it is better to cook the first option so that the dish turns out smoky.

Grilled fish - a classic way of cooking

In order to cook whole carcasses, it is advisable to choose fish with a small number of bones and dense meat.

The calorie content of dorado on the grill is only from 90 to 100 kcal per 100 grams.

For this recipe you will need:

2 dorado, 250-300 g each;
1 lemon;
5-6 sprigs of dill;
dried thyme;
vegetable oil;
ground pepper;
sea salt.

Step-by-step preparation:

At home, wash the fish under running water. Then the fish carcasses are gutted and cleaned of scales and gills. There is no need to cut off the heads of the fish.
On the street, salt and pepper are thoroughly rubbed into the carcasses so that these components penetrate into the cut parts.
Lemon is cut into thin circles. Dill is finely chopped and mixed with chopped thyme. Place the filling into the fish bellies and cuts.
Wrap the fish in food foil. In this form, place them in the refrigerator for half an hour. At this time, prepare the grill: install a grate, heat the coals so that the heat is not very hot.
After 30 minutes, grease the grate with oil to prevent the fish from sticking to it. Additionally, you can coat the carcasses with oil.
Place the dorado on the grill and press them with a second one so that the carcasses are tightly secured.
Fry the dorado for 15-20 minutes, turning it from one side to the other every minute.
Finished dorado carcasses acquire a golden hue and a crispy crust. Also, an indicator of finished fish is that the meat is easily separated from the bones.

To ensure that whole fish carcasses are properly soaked in the marinade, several cuts are made on them with a knife. Thus, the meat will acquire the taste and aroma of the spices and marinade much faster.

Salmon on the grill

Grilled red fish is a fairly simple dish to prepare, and it can be served with almost any side dish and vegetables. In addition, it is not necessary to clean salmon from scales.

The calorie content of ready-made grilled Atlantic salmon is only 230 kcal per 100 grams.

Ingredients:

1 fresh salmon weighing 2-3 kg;
sea salt;
ground pepper;
dried paprika;
dried ground tomato.

Cooking method:

Cut the fish into portions 30-35 mm thick.
Each portioned piece is coated with salt and pepper.
Place the steaks on a plate and sprinkle with a mixture of tomato and paprika. Carefully distribute the spices over the steaks. It is recommended to marinate the fish for 20 minutes. During this time, you can begin installing the grill and lighting the coals.
Place the steaks on the grill and secure a second one so that the fish holds tightly.
Fry the salmon over medium heat for 15 minutes, turning occasionally on each side. It is advisable to immediately remove the fried steaks from the grills so that the meat does not stick.

For experienced housewives, it is more advisable to buy whole salmon carcasses - it is more affordable. For novice cooks, it is advisable to buy steaks that can simply be seasoned with spices and fried on the grill.

The smoky taste of fish meat will definitely be appreciated by gourmets and simply fish lovers. Grilled fish steaks or whole carcasses are simple dishes to prepare that even a beginner can master.

Preparing the fish

The best option for a fish dish in nature is freshly caught carcasses. But, if fishing is not part of your plans, you can buy them in a store, where they are presented frozen and already gutted.

Basic rules for choosing fish:

if the carcass has a head, it should have clean eyes without film, gills of pink or light red color;
a carcass with a light and pleasant fishy smell without foreign impurities;
the scales are dense and elastic, do not fall off the meat;
the fish should not have any damage or stains on the body;
Steak or fillet is dense and uniform.

The success of the grilled dish depends on how correctly the fish is chosen.

Frozen fish must be thawed before cooking. To do this, you can place it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for several hours. It will defrost naturally. Frozen carcasses cannot be grilled, as they will disintegrate and will not hold their shape.

Which fish is best for grilling?

Electric grilled fish tastes like a fried version of this meat. But if you cook it over an open fire, it will be saturated with spices, herbs, lemon juice and, of course, smoke. For beginners who don’t know what kind of fish is best to fry, cooks recommend sea fish species with a minimum number of bones and a dense meaty structure.

It is advisable not to use fish species such as cod and halibut for cooking whole or in pieces because of their softness, the fillets will fall apart and the crust will burn.

If you are planning a picnic where you will need to cook fish fillets over coals or on a grill, then you need to know which fish is best for frying over a fire. Among the Mediterranean ones are dorado, salmon and sea bass.

Cheap types will make excellent tasty grilled fish from:

Secrets of grilling

For grilling, it is best to choose fruit or deciduous wood types. Conifers must be avoided; they have a very rich odor that can overwhelm the aroma of the dish.

A few secrets to ensure the success of a fish dish:

Small carcasses are cooked whole, frying on each side for 5–6 minutes.
Large fish may brown, but not bake inside; in this case, it is recommended to wrap it in foil and place it on the grill again.
Skewers of red fish should be cooked for no more than 7 minutes.
To make the kebab juicy and soft, during the cooking process it is poured with white wine, butter or lemon juice.
Before cooking the fish, the grill grate should be greased with oil - this way the meat will not stick to it.

It is best to use long wooden skewers as skewers for barbecue - the cooking steak will not stick to them if they are first soaked in cool water for half an hour.

How to properly cook fish on the grill?

While frying, be sure to turn the fish over with a wide metal spatula so that the pieces are browned on all sides, but do this very carefully so that the fish retains its attractive appearance.

Rules for turning over fish. It is enough to turn any fish 1-2 times. The tuna is fried according to the rules for cooking steaks, that is, turning it over every 30 seconds and leaving the inside slightly raw.

It is better to wrap very tender fish in greased foil and place it directly on the coals, especially since this will help prevent fat from dripping onto the coals, the smell of which will give the food an unpleasant taste.

You can also cook grilled fish in foil in your home oven.

To bake steaks, literally 5–10 minutes are enough, and 20–40 minutes is enough for a whole fish, depending on its weight and size.

How to determine the readiness of a whole fish?

Press the side of the fish with your finger. If the dish is ready, you will feel the elasticity of the fish, it will seem to “spring”, and a whitish juice will appear on its surface.

How to determine the readiness of fillet?

If you pierce it, you will see white, opaque pulp inside.

Don't forget to periodically stir the coals in the grill or fire to maintain a high temperature!

Marinade recipes

There are a huge number of variations of marinades for fish dishes. Most recipes use freshly squeezed lemon juice, white or red wine, chopped garlic, herbs, olive oil, aromatic herbs - cilantro, basil, rosemary, sage, thyme. These ingredients perfectly highlight the fishy taste and make it even richer.

Important subtleties of marinating:

It is recommended to marinate the fish for no more than 15–30 minutes.
You don’t need to add too many spices to the marinade, as they can completely overwhelm the taste of the appetizer.
It is recommended to add salt to the sauce - it will help the fish keep its shape during cooking.
If the marinade includes onions, it is better to cut it into small cubes and add salt, due to which it remains juicy.
Long marinating is required for frozen fish; for fresh fish, 5–10 minutes is enough.

Marinades can consist of berries, fruits, vegetables and other products. For a pleasant sourness, add dry white wine, table vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice

Popular recipes:

Rub juniper berries through a sieve, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and heat, add bay leaves, chopped onions, dill and other herbs at your discretion.
Mix a glass of dry white wine with 150 ml of soy sauce, add 3.5 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of ginger root and olive oil, ground white pepper and chopped cilantro.
The juice and zest from one citrus are mixed with 2 garlic cloves, passed through a garlic press, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, salt the mixture, add spices and keep the fish for 35–50 minutes.
A large onion needs to be finely chopped, add a bunch of chopped parsley, a tablespoon of vinegar, 4 bay leaves, 6 sprigs of basil or thyme.
70-100 ml of vodka or cognac, mix with the same volume of soy sauce, 4-5 chopped garlic cloves, spices and a mixture of peppers.
Add Provençal herbs, 3 tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of marjoram to 220 ml of red wine.
Mix 3-4 tablespoons of soy sauce with 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, a handful of fried sesame seeds, a spoonful of grated ginger, chopped garlic and chopped green onions.

You can safely experiment with any marinade recipe - replace ingredients, choose herbs and spices to your liking, experiment with new products. This will help make the taste of a traditional dish more vibrant and original.

Subtleties of “fish grill”

Fried fish in a frying pan is also tasty, but not as healthy. Grilling allows you to preserve all the vitamins, while the fish is not saturated with fat, but has the same crispy crust. And thanks to spices, it acquires a unique aroma and additional flavor notes.

For grilling, choose firm, fatty fish with few bones. Turns out well:

trout;
sea bass;
Norwegian salmon;
tuna;
mackerel;
sea bream;
herring;
swordfish;
chum salmon

It is better not to use halibut and cod - they are too soft and will fall apart.

If the fillet is a bit dry, marinate the fish and let it sit for 20 minutes. However, do not put too much spices - the fish does not like it and loses its characteristic taste. To prepare the marinade, you can use vegetable oil or fruit juice, soy sauce or wine as a base. Aromatic herbs, lemon, salt, and garlic are added as additional ingredients.

Cook the fish over high heat, after greasing the grate with oil. Do not use pine charcoal - it will “reward” the dish with an overpowering aroma and ruin it.

Mackerel in grape leaves

A tasty and original dish that will perfectly complement the traditional picnic menu. Grape leaves add a pleasant sourness to barbecued fish, highlighting its taste.

Products:

mackerel – 3–5 carcasses;
grape leaves – 3–5 pieces;
lemon;
olive oil;
salt;
pepper mixture.

Grape leaves need to be immersed in boiling water for a few minutes. Clean the mackerel from scales, gut it, rub with salt and a mixture of peppers. Each carcass should be placed on a sheet, sprinkled with olive oil and rubbed with lemon. Place a few lemon slices inside the carcass. Wrap the fish tightly in a grape leaf, sprinkle with oil again and place on the grill for 8-10 minutes.

If desired, the grape leaves can be replaced with spinach, thin strips of bacon or ham.

Cooking features

Any recipe for grilling fish begins with choosing a product. The fish should have dense meat and contain some bones. The most commonly used are salmon, chum salmon, mackerel, trout, and pink salmon.

Some secrets and special instructions for cooking:

Before you start cooking, the fish must be washed well under running water, scales removed and gutted. The carcass should have a slight fishy smell and no damage. If a recipe calls for steaks, it is recommended to buy medium-sized pieces.
Before cooking, the frozen product is first defrosted, since it is not recommended to grill frozen carcasses - they will simply fall apart.
Do not cut the product into pieces that are too thin or thick. The optimal option is 2.5-3 cm.
Many recipes call for the use of a marinade in which the product sits for some time. This will give the dish a special taste and aroma.
Before placing on the grill, fillets or steaks are coated with sunflower oil so that they do not stick to the grill.
If the whole carcass is baked, you can make several cuts on it so that the fish is saturated with spices and marinade.
To prevent the fillet from drying out and maintaining its shape, it is wrapped in foil, grape leaves or spinach, which are secured with skewers.
If the fish is small, it is enough to keep it on the fire for 5-7 minutes, but larger pieces need to be thoroughly fried.
To make the fish kebab as soft and juicy as possible, you can sprinkle it with lemon juice or white wine during the process.
The cooking grates are also thoroughly cleaned, rinsed and oiled.

Red fish on the barbecue with photos, recipes for which can be found on the Internet, can be prepared using various marinades. Their preparation also has some features, the observance of which will allow you to obtain a delicate taste and aroma of the finished dish:

You should not marinate carcasses for more than half an hour. Typically, 5-10 minutes are enough for defrosted fillets;
add salt to the marinade, which will help maintain the shape of the product;
cut the onion for the sauce into cubes and add salt;
use berries, fruits, vegetables and other products for marinades.

Grilled fish is a tasty and juicy dish that will perfectly complement the holiday table. It is suitable for a simple friendly picnic in nature and for a dinner party for many people. Ease of preparation, variety of recipes and unique taste make the dish one of the favorites among adults and children.

Grilled salmon with vegetables

A very tasty and light dish that is ideal for diet food lovers. Salmon can be replaced with trout, tuna or any other fish.

Products:

salmon – 4 pcs.;
potatoes – 350 g;
carrots – 200 g;
eggplants – 250 g;
onion – 1–2 pcs.;
green onions, parsley, dill - ½ bunch each;
salt, pepper, vinegar.

To prepare a flavorful dish, you need to marinate the onions. To do this, it should be chopped, poured with a mixture of a glass of water, 3 tablespoons of sugar and 8 tablespoons of table vinegar. Leave it for 20 minutes.

Carrots, potatoes and eggplants must be cut into large slices and grilled for 4-5 minutes, add salt and pepper. Sprinkle vegetables with chopped herbs. Season the fish with pepper, salt, sprinkle with vegetable oil and fry on a grill for 6-7 minutes on each side.

Serve salmon with vegetables and chopped herbs

BBQ fish recipe with photo

To prepare a savory dish that will truly delight your guests, you will need trout steaks or other red fish (the taste will change slightly). No side dish is required, as the dish is prepared immediately with it. Cooking time is from 30 to 45 minutes, calorie content per 100 g of product is 198 kcal.

To prepare 4 servings you will need the following ingredients:

400-450 g trout;
300 g potatoes;
250 g eggplants (or zucchini);
200 g carrots;
salt;
pepper;
vegetable oil;
greens to taste;
100 g onion;
10 tbsp. l. vinegar 6% (apple vinegar);
15th century l. water;
3 tbsp. l. sugar.

A simple recipe for grilled fish in foil consists of several parts. To prepare the marinade, mix sugar, vinegar and water. Next we place it for 15-20 minutes. pre-cut onion into thin half rings.

To prepare the main part of the dish, follow these steps:

cut eggplants, carrots and potatoes into cubes;
chop the greens. You can use green onions, parsley, dill or any other (to taste);
fry carrots in vegetable oil;
gradually add eggplants to the carrots, and then potatoes;
fry the vegetables for a few minutes, then cover with a lid and simmer for 5-7 minutes.

Then we start preparing fillets or steaks. The trout is grilled on both sides until slightly golden brown. Next, you will need baking foil, into which we place the ingredients in the following order:

piece of trout;
pickled onion;
stewed vegetables;
greenery.

Carefully wrap the foil and place it back on the grill. Cook for 5-10 minutes. When serving, you can complement the dish with fresh lemons.

Fish fried in this way will retain a maximum of vitamins and minerals, and vegetables, separately fried and baked along with the trout, will give it an original and unusual taste.

Dorado with herbs and lemon

Dorado meat is tender and juicy, it is great for a picnic and goes harmoniously with herbs and spices. The grilled fish recipe is very simple and easy, and the result will exceed all expectations.

Products:

dorado – 2 pcs.;
any greens to taste – 6–7 sprigs;
lemon;
vegetable oil;
salt;
spices.

Cleaned and gutted fish should be sprinkled with herbs and spices and left for 25–30 minutes. Make 3-4 transverse cuts on each side of the carcass, sprinkle it with pepper and salt, and rub in lightly. The lemon must be cut into slices, the greens must be divided into two halves.

You need to put 2-3 lemon slices and half of the greens into the belly of the dorado, wrap it in foil and leave for half an hour

The grill grate should be greased with vegetable oil, as well as the carcass itself, fry for 15 minutes, remembering to turn the carcass to the other side every 1-2 minutes. Garnish the finished dish with lemon and green leaves.

Grilled fish on coals

This process of cooking fish in coals is not particularly labor-intensive, but a little messy. But the fish turns out aromatic, juicy and tasty.

Ingredients:

Fish - 1 pc.
Lemon juice - 2 tsp.
Thyme - 4 sprigs
Basil - 2 stalks
Salt - to taste

Cooking grilled fish in coals:

Prepare the fish accordingly for cooking. Then rub with salt on all sides, coat with lemon juice, place sprigs of thyme and basil inside and leave to marinate for half an hour.
Wrap the fish in foil and place it on hot coals. Sprinkle the carcass with coals on top.
After half an hour, remove the fish and serve.

Mackerel with mayonnaise

To prepare mayonnaise, you can use mayonnaise, mustard, and soy sauce. This unusual combination perfectly sets off the light spicy aroma of fish on the grill.

Products:

mackerel – 1 piece;
mayonnaise 6 tbsp. l.;
mustard – 2 tbsp. l.;
soy sauce – 1 tbsp. l.;
bay leaf – 6 pcs.;
spices.

Before you cook juicy fish, you need to make a marinade. To do this, mix soy sauce, mayonnaise and mustard, add bay leaf. Season the washed, cleaned and gutted mackerel with pepper and salt, cut into portions about 3 cm thick. The fish must be marinated for 50–60 minutes, then grilled for 6–7 minutes on each side.

Pike perch with hot pepper and ginger

An original and tasty dish, which is a combination of unusual tastes and aromas.

Products:

pike perch – 2 pcs.;
ginger root – 1 pc.;
hot chili pepper – 1 pc.;
olive oil – 1 tbsp. l.;
coriander and cumin - 1 tsp each.

The pike perch should be cleaned, gutted, washed and dried with a paper towel. Then prepare the marinade - combine finely chopped chili pepper with grated ginger root, olive oil, spices and sea salt.

Make 3-4 transverse cuts on each side of the fish carcass and rub it liberally with the prepared marinade. After this, place the pike perch in a container with a lid and leave it in the refrigerator for several hours. On a hot grill, fry the fish for 5-7 minutes on each side and serve with herbs.

Mackerel with tomatoes

A juicy dietary dish in which the spicy tomato taste goes well with herbs and mackerel meat.

Flounder on the fire

Products:

mackerel – 3 pcs.;
tomatoes – 4 pcs.;
garlic cloves – 4 pcs.;
lime or lemon – 1 pc.;
dill, basil or parsley - 1 bunch;
salt, aromatic herbs.

The fish needs to be prepared - remove the head, cut lengthwise and clean the belly, then remove the bones and unfold the carcass in the shape of a leaf. The lime or lemon needs to be peeled, finely chopped, garlic cloves put through a press, and a bunch of herbs chopped. Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, spices and salt to these ingredients, mix everything thoroughly. Marinate the fish in this sauce for half an hour.

Tomatoes need to be cut into even slices and placed on one half of the carcass, sprinkled with herbs and covered with the other half. To ensure that the meat keeps its shape, the halves can be secured with several toothpicks.

Mackerel with tomatoes baked on the grill or in foil over coals

Good choice

The right choice of fish is of great importance. Sea species with dense flesh, quite fatty and not bony, are best suited for grilling. A good option would be fresh dorado, sea bass, salmon, mackerel, sea bass, trout, chum salmon, and flounder.

If the meat is too soft, like halibut, the fish may fall apart during cooking. The same fate sometimes befalls frozen carcasses.

From river species, you can bake bream, carp, perch, or make shish kebab from pike, catfish, and silver carp. Much depends on other factors: marinating, preparation, proper frying.

If you approach the matter wisely, any grilled fish will turn out to be tasty and will not stick to the grill or fall apart.

Sea bass with tartar sauce and garlic croutons

In this recipe, the juicy taste of sea bass is harmoniously complemented by a spicy tartar sauce. Sea bass can be replaced with trout, cod, mackerel or any other fish.

Products:

sea bass – 1 piece;
lemon – ½ piece;
wheat bread - 4 slices;
boiled egg – 1 pc.;
pickled cucumbers – 2 pcs.;
dry white wine – 100–150 ml;
mayonnaise – 3–4 tbsp. l.;
water – 100 ml;
garlic – 3 cloves;
dill – 1 bunch;
salt, pepper mixture.

Cleaned fish should be rubbed with freshly squeezed lemon juice and salt; after 40 minutes, fry it on the grill, sprinkling with lemon juice. Next, you should prepare the garlic sauce - add a few tablespoons of olive oil, chopped garlic cloves, salt, a mixture of peppers and chopped dill to the water. Fry the wheat bread on a grill, pouring over the prepared garlic sauce.

Tartar sauce is prepared separately - mayonnaise is mixed with white wine, chopped boiled egg, chopped pickled cucumbers and onions. Sea bass should be coated with tartar sauce and served with sauce and garlic croutons.

Advantages and useful properties

Grilled fish on grills has many important properties, which makes it not only tasty, but also one of the healthiest dishes. The high content of protein, vitamins, magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron, omega-3 fatty acids has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system, protects the brain and prevents many diseases. The benefits of cooking over a fire include the following:

low amount of fat - the product is cooked in its own juice, and excess fat flows down the grill;
retains minerals and vitamins;
quick saturation of the body.

Previously, it was believed that grilled foods were high in calories and not entirely healthy. Recent studies show that foods cooked over fire do not overload the stomach and are easier to digest. During the cooking process, the meat does not lose its beneficial properties and is imbued with the aroma of spices. Cooking fish fillets in foil does not involve the use of oil, which releases carcinogens and other harmful substances when frying.