Grilling: Seafood

About Seafood

Nothing enhances fresh fish like grilling. Fish and shellfish such as scallops, lobster and oysters stay moist and retain their delicate texture and fantastic flavor when cooked quickly over a flame.

Firm-fleshed fish, thickly cut, cook best on the grill. Choose tuna, salmon, swordfish, halibut, grouper or sea bass for the starring role at your dinner party. Grilled vegetables and crisp salads are nice, light accompaniments.

Delicate fish such as sole can also be grilled, although you may need to take a little extra care. Grill fish fillets in a hinged basket or on a bed of sliced citrus fruit to prevent the fish from sticking to the grill rack.

A whole fish stuffed before grilling with herbs, citrus slices or other aromatics makes a dramatic presentation. The aromatics flavor the fish while keeping it moist during cooking.

Trout and other small fish are a treat served on individual plates and sauced with a tangy vinaigrette or fresh salsa. Larger whole fish look attractive when arranged on a bed of fresh vegetables and presented on a decorative platter.

Oil-rich fish such as salmon and trout get a boost of flavor from smoking. Impress your friends with a platter of home-smoked salmon, fresh bagels and the traditional accompaniments for Sunday brunch. Or, grill the salmon on a cedar plank, an old technique that is newly in vogue. The fish takes on the flavors of the wood plank, which adds an intriguing, smoky note. Salmon, tuna and other types of oily fish are ideal for sandwiches, whether the flesh is ground (minced) and formed into a burger, or grilled and served as a fish steak sandwich.

Kabobs cut from such meaty fish as swordfish can be threaded on skewers, with or without vegetable chunks. Fish kabobs cook quickly and are a popular appetizer or main course when served with bowls of dipping sauce or folded into warm tortillas.

Lobster, shrimp (prawns) and scallops all boast sweet, slightly salty flesh that benefits from a light charring on a grill and mild or intense sauces at the table. Briny oysters and succulent mussels are also complemented by fragrant grill smoke, making a summertime shellfish roast, accompanied with grilled corn and fresh air, a feast to remember.

Before you purchase any fish or shellfish, check with a reliable source to make sure it is not in danger of extinction due to overfishing or another cause. Your fishmonger will likely have the answer, or you can research the information on the Internet from such groups as the Audubon Society, the Monterey Bay Aquarium or by calling your regional fish and game regulatory agency.

Shopping for Seafood

Always buy fish fresh from a reputable supplier and cook it the day you buy it. Fish fillets and steaks should look moist and bright and have a fresh, clean scent. Whole fish, in general, should look almost alive, with clear eyes; bright, intact scales and skin; and red, moist gills.

Choose firm, sweet-smelling fresh shrimp that are still in the shell when possible. (Note that most "fresh" shrimp sold today have been previously frozen and thawed on the fishing boat.) Pass over shrimp with yellowing or black-spotted shells, an off odor, or a gritty feel.

The best scallops are sold as "dry," meaning they have not been treated with a solution to help them absorb more water. Look for creamy white or slightly pink scallops with a mild scent. Although shucked scallops will always have some odor, choose those with a clean, briney scent.

Purchase live lobsters, the feistier the better. Pass up sluggish and apathetic lobsters, which most likely have been in the tank too long. Male lobsters will have slightly larger claws, while females have slightly bigger tails.

Mollusks, such as oysters and mussels, should have a mild, sweet smell, and their shells should be closed tightly and feel heavy with water. Do not buy any oysters or mussels that remain open when touched. It is especially important that your fishmonger can vouch that the shellfish come from unpolluted waters.

Refrigerate fish and shellfish the moment you get home. It is best to remove shellfish from any plastic packaging and store it directly on ice set in a bowl or on a sheet pan. As the ice melts, pour off the water and replace the ice so the seafood doesn't become submerged in water. Cook it as soon as possible.

Preparing Seafood for Grilling

Trim off excess skin from fish fillets or steaks and remove any small bones with needle-nose pliers. Whole fish bought from a fishmonger should be gutted, cleaned and scaled before it is placed in the display case. If grilling fish that you caught yourself, consult a book specifically devoted to fish for instructions on gutting, cleaning and scaling.

To refresh frozen shrimp before cooking, soak in salted water for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse well. To shell shrimp, pull or cut off the heads, if present. Carefully pull off the legs on the inside curve of the shrimp. Beginning at the head end of the shrimp, peel off the shell, pulling off the tail segments as well unless the recipe calls for them to be left attached. To devein shrimp after shelling, cut a shallow groove along the back of the shrimp with a small knife. With the tip of the knife, gently lift and scrape away the dark vein, if present, then rinse the shrimp under cold running water. Drain the shrimp on paper towels before proceeding with the recipe.

Rinse scallops and, if present, remove the small tendon attached to the side.

Cut lobsters in half lengthwise, exposing the tail meat, and remove the grain sac and white intestinal veins.

Before shucking oysters, scrub them with a stiff brush and rinse well. To shuck oysters, use a folded cloth to cushion the shellfish in your palm and protect your hand from the shucking knife. Grasp the oyster so the flat top shell faces up. Holding an oyster knife in your other hand, insert its tip into the oyster's hinge. Twist the knife sharply to break the hinge. Run the knife carefully along the inside surface of the top shell, severing the muscle that grips it but being careful not to cut the oyster or to spill its liquor. Discard the top shell. Carefully cut the muscle under the oyster to loosen it from the shell.

Scrub the grit off the shells of fresh mussels with a stiff-bristled brush, then remove the beards, if needed, by pulling or cutting them off just before cooking. Discard any mussels that feel light, as they are likely dead, or any that are heavy with sand.

All fish and shellfish should be kept very cold, preferably on a bed of ice set over a perforated pan. Keep them on the ice up until the moment they are put on the hot grill.

Testing Fish for Doneness

Fish is done when the tip of a small, sharp knife can easily separate the flesh into broad flakes. Or, for a visual cue, cut into the fish at its thickest point. Unless you are deliberately cooking to rare or medium-rare, as with tuna, the fish should be still moist at its center and the flesh should be just opaque and easy to flake. If it is already flaking without being prodded, the fish is overdone.

Testing Shellfish for Doneness

Shrimp is done when the color of the shell just turns bright and the flesh is just opaque. Take care not to overcook shrimp, which can become dry and rubbery.

When done, scallops should feel slightly firm when lightly pressed with your fingers. Or cut into one with the tip of a small knife. The flesh should be moist and just opaque.

Lobsters are done when their shells turn bright red and the flesh becomes creamy white with no trace of translucence.

Oysters and mussels are done as soon as the shells pop open; always discard any that fail to open.

Adapted from Williams Sonoma Essentials of Grilling, Denis Kelly, Melanie Barnard, Barbara Grunes & Michael McLaughlin, (Oxmoor House, 2006).