Recipes and photos courtesy of Cuisine at Home magazine
Fish skin cooked over the grill gets crispy. And once cooked, it doesn’t stick to the grill. If you’d prefer not to try it, skin your selection of fish.
Grilled Fish Tacos with Lime Crema
Makes 8 tacos
Total time: 45 minutes
Per serving: 252 calories; 18g total fat (4g saturated); 38mg cholesterol; 215mg sodium; 11g carb; 12g protein
Season:
- 1 lb. lean white fish, such as sea bass, cod or snapper
- Salt and black pepper
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- 1 tbsp. minced garlic
- 2 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Whisk:
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp. lime juice
- 1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- Hot sauce to taste
- 8 white corn tortillas (6-inch)
- Pico de gallo
- Cotija cheese
- Finely shredded cabbage
- Cilantro leaves
- Sliced or diced avocados
- Season fish on both sides with salt and pepper. Combine oil, zest, juice of 1 lime, garlic, chili powder, 1 tsp. cumin, paprika and cayenne; rub paste over fish. Place fish into a bowl; cover, chill and marinate, 20-30 minutes.
- Whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, 2 tbsp. lime juice,granulated garlic, ½ tsp. cumin, ¼ tsp. salt and hot sauce.
- Preheat grill to medium-high. Brush grill grate with oil.
- Remove fish from marinade, coat with nonstick spray.
- Grill fish, starting skin side down, until flesh is firm and skin is crisped, 3-4 minutes per side (cook time varies with fish thickness); transfer to plate and let rest 5 minutes. on the grill, 15–30 seconds.Fill tortillas with fish; top with lime crema, pico, Cotija, cabbage, cilantro and avocado.
Get the Perfect Grilled Fish
Whether you’re in the backwoods or the back yard, grilling fish can be as easy as grilling a steak. Follow these tried-and-true steps, and you can banish the fear of cooking trout, halibut or any fish on the grill
Step 1: Keep the grate clean. Preheating the grill burns off any old food bits and dries any grease buildup on the grates that fish can stick to. Running a wire brush over the hot grate easily scrapes away that debris. It’s a good habit to do this before and after you grill.
Step 2: Use a lightly-oiled paper towel, held with tongs, to oil the grate — twice. The first pass will clean off the fine soot the brush couldn’t remove. This also picks up any off odors or tastes (like last week’s lamb). Swab the grate again, this time just before placing food on it, to leave the grate lubricated. Season and baste the fish either with nonstick spray or cooking oil. This creates a barrier to prevent sticking and helps seasoning adhere to the flesh.
Step 3: Slide the fish as you place it on the grate. A little nudge will establish better searing for easier movement later on. Then don’t move it.
Step 4: Wait for it to release. Fish seems to stick at first, but as the flesh cooks over the searing-hot flame, the bond between the flesh and the grate is broken, so the fish will naturally release from the grate.
Is it done yet?
Visual cues of perfectly cooked fish:
- Moist fillets. Properly cooked fish should flake when tested with a fork or a fingertip. It shouldn’t be so flaky that it falls apart — an indication that it’s overcooked and dried out.
- Opaque flesh. Fish flesh changes color as it cooks, turning from opaque to white. It also becomes firmer to the touch.
- No longer sticks. When the proteins in the fish coagulate, they don’t stick to the grate. With delicate or thin fish like trout, it’s also probably done cooking at this point. With thicker fillets, it’s a clear signal to flip the fish and cook the other side.
