Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Food

Go fish!

When you fire up the grill this holiday weekend, replace your normal meaty fare with selections from the sea.

By JANET K. KEELER
Published May 24, 2006

[Times photo: Scott Keeler]

A mixed basket of seafood can be grilled to perfection, as long as you take off the shellfish and fish as soon as they are done. Because of their varying sizes, they cook at different rates.

Learning to grill seafood to everyone's satisfaction will take some trials and result in a few errors.

The tired-but-irresistible adages apply here: "practice makes perfect," "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again," and "keep on keepin' on." Okay, the last one isn't exactly time-honored words of inspiration but it captures the spirit of perseverance, something needed when you are learning to grill seafood.

Outdoor cooking has long been a part of Memorial Day, which is Monday, and hot dogs, hamburgers, steaks and chicken are flipped by the thousands. This year, consider showcasing fin fish and shellfish. We are surrounded by water teeming with sea creatures, after all. Though there's much more variety in stores than is caught locally.

If seafood on the barbie is new to you, start small with shrimp, scallops or salmon, all of which cook quickly and don't require much adornment. When you get more adept, go for the whole fish or oysters, clams and mussels.

Whole fish must be cooked longer and at low temperatures to make sure it's cooked through but not burned. Direct, high flames are never good for any seafood.

Capt. Blair Wiggins, host of Addictive Fishing on Florida's Sun Sports Network (11:30 a.m. Fridays), shares his tips for grilling the catch of the day.

"One of my secrets is I always spray the grill down really good with regular Pam or olive oil Pam,'' he says. "And the one thing you don't want to do is overcook seafood because it'll taste like fish jerky."

Oiling the grilling grate - before you start the fire - is important because unlike beef or chicken, tender seafood will fall apart with a lot of pushing and pulling. A hinged, wire grilling basket is a worthwhile investment, but that should be oiled too. Don't use melted butter unless you want to see the flames go high and your seafood charred.

Overcooking is more difficult to avoid, especially because some seafood cooks so quickly. Shrimp, even jumbo prawns, will be done in five to seven minutes over a hot fire. As soon as they become crimson and opaque, take them off the heat. Holdover heat within will continue to cook them.

Fish is done when it's opaque all the way through and is easily flaked with a fork or knife. A thin filet cooks quicker than a thick-cut fish steak, which cooks faster than a whole fish. A 2-pound whole red snapper with skin, for instance, would need about 30 minutes to cook through. Stuff it with lemon slices and fresh herbs for flavor and moisture.

Wiggins, whose Florida-based fishing show will go nationwide in July on Fox Sports Network, is sort of a "dump" cook when it comes to grilling fish. He goes through his pantry in search of spices and herbs that look good: salt, pepper, parsley, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, whatever.

Take for example, his favorite preparation for sea trout:

"Put it in foil, seal it up with lemon, butter, onion, whatever spices you like to have,'' he says. "Put that on the grill and it'll puff up like Jiffy popcorn. Keep watching, give it at least 20 minutes. If the fish flakes, get it off the fire as soon as possible."

Sounds easy enough; delicious too.

There are lots of recipes for seafood marinades, but Wiggins, a true man of the sea, doesn't use them.

"If you are marinating, you're making the fish taste like something else. I want my fish to taste like fish."

The only seafood that Wiggins says he won't chance to the grill is yellowfin tuna because it is so easily overcooked. He likes his seared on the outside and still cool-pink in the middle.

"Once you overcook tuna, it's time to give it to the cat," he says.

Though we do like our cats, we'd rather not spend $13.99 a pound to feed them and suspect you might feel the same way. Here are a few more suggestions for seafood grilling success.

Don't get hung up on fresh or frozen. There is nothing inferior about frozen fish if it has been handled correctly. In fact, most fish is at least partly frozen, especially when it's caught on a long-haul trip. What is inferior is fish that smells funky or looks mushy. If you detect an odor other than the sea, pass it by.

Consider simple treatment. Jumbo prawns are pretty wonderful on their own; a brush with melted butter, minced garlic and dried oregano is really as much as you'll need. Likewise fish fillets. Salt and lemon bring out their best.

Shrimp and scallops are better cooked on skewers, metal or bamboo. (Soak bamboo skewers in water for about 30 minutes before using.)

Turn fish just once. Flipping them back and forth, while fun, will make them fall apart.

If you disagree with the captain and want to marinate your seafood, don't soak it for more than 30 minutes or the flesh will become mushy. To use the marinade as a dipping sauce, boil for about five minutes to avoid contamination. Cool before using.

To grill mussels, clams or oysters, put the shellfish over the hottest part of the grill. When adequately cooked, they will pop open. If they don't open in five to seven minutes, discard.

And here are two suggestions to overcome potentially fatal flaws:

Have a luscious tropical salsa on hand to combat overcooking. The juice from the fruit will combat dryness.

And if the seafood sticks to the grill, well, there's always a bed of lettuce waiting for a few savory chunks.

Janet K. Keeler can be reached at (727) 893-8586 or jkeeler@sptimes.com Her blog, Stir Crazy, is www.sptimes.com/blogs/food.

Grilled Salmon With Crunchy Sweet Mustard Vinaigrette

For the vinaigrette:

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons coarse- or whole-grain Dijon mustard

1 small shallot, finely chopped

2 tablespoons honey

¹/₂ cup olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salmon:

4 (6- to 8-ounce) salmon fillets, 1 to 1¹/₂ inches thick, with the skin

Olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the vinaigrette, whisk the vinegar, mustard and shallot together in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the honey, then the oil, until the dressing is emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (The vinaigrette can be made a few hours in advance, covered and kept refrigerated. Bring to room temperature and whisk or shake well before serving.)

To grill salmon, heat grill to high.

Brush the fish on both sides with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the salmon skin side down until the skin is lightly charred and crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the fillets over, reduce the heat to medium or move to a cooler part of the grill, and cook until just cooked through but not falling apart, 2 to 3 minutes more.

Remove the fish to serving plates or a platter and spoon a few tablespoons of vinaigrette over each fillet. Serve immediately.

Serves 4; can be doubled for 6 to 8.

Source: "Boy Gets Grill" by Bobby Flay with Julia Moskin (Scribner, 2004)

Spicy Grilled Shrimp

^1/2 cup olive oil

^1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1¹/₂ teaspoons hot pepper sauce

¹/₂ teaspoon salt

¹/₂ teaspoon ground black pepper

36 uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined (about 2 pounds)

Whisk first 8 ingredients in small bowl.

Thread six shrimp onto each of six 10- to 12-inch-long metal skewers. Place skewers in glass baking dish. Spoon all but ¹/₄ cup marinade over shrimp; turn to coat. Cover and chill shrimp and reserved ¹/₄ cup marinade about 30 minutes.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill shrimp with some marinade still clinging until just opaque in center, about 2¹/₂ minutes per side. Arrange skewers on platter. Spoon reserved ¹/₄ cup marinade over and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: "Bon Appetit," June 2005

Grilled Fish in Foil

2 pounds fish fillets (red snapper, grouper, sea bass)

¹/₄ cup butter

2 tablespoons parsley

1 tablespoon lemon juice

¹/₂ teaspoon dill weed

1 medium sliced onion

2 medium thinly sliced carrots (vertically)

Sprinkle fillets with salt and pepper. Combine parsley, lemon juice and dill. Cut six double 18 inch squares of foil. On half of each double square, place a fillet topped with an equal amount of butter mixture, onions and carrots. Fold foil over and seal edges with double folds. Package can be placed over hot grill. Cook 10 to 12 minutes.

Serves 6.

Source: www.about.com

Tropical Salsa Fresca

¹/₄ of a fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and chopped

1 mango, peeled and chopped

¹/₂ onion, chopped fine

¹/₂ red bell pepper, chopped fine

¹/₂ orange bell pepper, chopped fine

1 large jalapeno, seeded, deveined and minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

¹/₂ tomato, chopped

2 limes, juiced

³/₄ cup minced cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon salt

Toss and serve with chips or as an accompaniment to pork, chicken, or fish.

Makes 5 cups.

Source: Food Network

[Last modified May 23, 2006, 16:13:03]