Culinary secrets
Using a successful recipe, even an inexperienced cook can marinate fish for barbecue. However, the advice of experienced craftsmen will not hurt even someone who considers himself a professional.
- You should not keep fish in the marinade for more than an hour. If it softens too much, it will not be able to stay on the skewers.
- Most often, fish has to be marinated outdoors, shortly before preparing the kebab. For this reason, marinades should be chosen that do not contain perishable products. Thus, marinades based on mayonnaise, sour cream, and kefir are not suitable for fish kebab.
- Fish should not be marinated with vinegar, as this may make the kebab too tough.
- It is advisable to salt the fish immediately; this is one of the serious differences between the technology for marinating it and the technology for preparing meat for kebabs. Salt, by drawing out excess moisture from the fish, will make it denser, so it will stick better to the skewers.
- If you are marinating lean fish, it is advisable to include olive oil in the marinade, even if it is not in the recipe.
Otherwise, you can rely on the instructions in the recipe, and then your fish kebab will turn out delicious. So all that is required is to choose the marinade you like.
Cooking secrets
To cook fish on the grill quickly and tasty, it is important to learn the secrets of this cooking method:
- It is better to bake small fish whole and on a wire rack. Periodically it must be lubricated with butter;
- if the pieces are large, it is better to first bake them a little on a wire rack, then wrap them in foil, sprinkle with lemon juice and continue cooking. Thanks to this approach, the dish will turn out baked, juicy and tasty;
- flat varieties (flounder) should be baked on the light side;
- red fish takes no more than 8 minutes to cook.
In the case of kebab, the main ingredient should be constantly basted with melted butter or lemon juice. Wooden skewers will serve as skewers, which should initially be soaked in water so that the pulp does not stick to them.
Marinating for 30 minutes will add piquancy to the fish - even dry fillets will become tender and juicy. Before placing seafood on the grill, it must be greased with olive oil. If you don’t have it, then a vegetable one will do. This trick will prevent the fish from sticking to the grill and damaging the flesh.
Lemon, fennel and other spices will help highlight the taste of the main dish. It is enough to make small cuts on the fillet so that the spices penetrate deep inside.
To make the fish soft, juicy, tender and tasty, just follow the tips listed above. How do you cook seafood on the grill? Reveal your tricks.
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Marinade for fish kebab with herbs
What do you need:
- fish fillet – 2 kg;
- fresh cilantro – 50 g;
- fresh dill – 50 g;
- rosemary – 5 sprigs;
- thyme – 5 sprigs;
- onions – 2 pcs.;
- lemon – 1 pc.;
- ground white and black pepper, salt - to taste;
- olive oil – 50-100 ml (depending on the fat content of the fish).
How to marinate:
- Wash and dry the fish fillets with napkins.
- Chop the herbs. This can be done with a knife, or you can use a blender. For greens, it is better to use only leaves, without stems.
- Add salt and spices to the mixture of chopped greens, squeeze the juice from the lemon, grate the zest, add olive oil, and stir.
- Cut the onion into rings of medium thickness.
- Place the onion in a bowl.
- Rub the fillet with the spicy mixture and place on an onion rack.
- Leave to marinate for 30-40 minutes at room temperature.
When the fish is marinated, you can fry the fillet along with the onions on a grill without cutting. Another option is to cut the fish into pieces, string it on skewers, alternating with onions, and fry over coals. Please note that fish kebab is prepared very quickly, usually 10-15 minutes are enough.
How to cook properly
For the barbecue, choose deciduous or fruit wood. Ideal logs would be made from alder, apple or pear. Coniferous wood is not suitable, as the smell of resin can spoil the aroma of the prepared dishes. So, we decided which fish to choose, we prepared the barbecue, barbecue or grill pan. All you have to do is wait for the coals to be ready and start cooking.
Some rules for frying fish on the grill:
- small fish are fried whole on a grill, occasionally brushing them with melted butter;
- large carcasses can first be fried on both sides on a wire rack and then finished in foil so that the meat inside is well cooked;
- if a flat fish, for example, flounder, is fried, first place the carcass on the grill or frying pan with the light side, then turn it over onto the dark side;
- kebab from red varieties of fish is cooked for 5-7 minutes;
- any kebab is poured with either lemon juice, or butter, or wine diluted with water;
- wooden skewers are used as skewers for fish kebab, which are soaked in water for 30-40 minutes - this way the meat will not stick to them;
- The grill pan must be greased with oil, as well as the grate;
- Steaks are usually fried on both sides; portioned pieces with the skin on are placed skin-on on the grill and not turned over.
Fish is lower in calories and more healthy than meat. In addition, it is fish that can diversify the usual outdoor recreation; both adults and children love it.
Marinade for fish kebab with white wine
What do you need:
- fish fillet – 2 kg;
- dry white wine – 0.4 l;
- soy sauce – 100 ml;
- ginger root – 50 g;
- olive oil – 80 ml;
- sugar – 4 tbsp. l.;
- nutmeg - a pinch;
- ground black and white pepper - to your taste.
How to cook:
- Wash and gut the fish, cut it into fillets. If desired, you can leave the fish whole if it is a small river fish.
- After peeling the ginger root, grate it coarsely or finely chop it with a knife.
- Add sugar and spices to it, stir.
- Pour oil, soy sauce and wine into a bowl with ginger, mix thoroughly.
- If you cook fish on skewers, cut the fish fillets into pieces suitable for barbecue (about 4-5 cm).
- Immerse the fish in the marinade. Leave for 30 minutes if you are marinating it for barbecue, for an hour and a half if you are going to bake it entirely on the grill.
Marinade with ginger and white wine is suitable for any type of fish, including river fish.
Marinade for fish with lemon and garlic
What do you need:
- pieces of fish (steaks or fillets) – 1 kg;
- lemon – 2 pcs.;
- olive oil – 100 ml;
- garlic – 3 cloves;
- dried marjoram, salt, pepper mixture - to your taste.
How to cook:
- Cut the fish into portions. If you are going to fry fish kebab, the pieces should be about the size of two matchboxes placed on top of each other.
- Squeeze the juice of two lemons into a bowl. Grate the zest from them and put them there.
- Crush the garlic directly into the lemon juice.
- Pour in the oil, add salt, spices and herbs, stir.
- Cover the fish pieces with this sauce (you can put them in the marinade and stir).
- Marinate for 30 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the pieces.
This fish marinade recipe is a classic one. It is suitable for any fish and can be used no matter how you intend to cook it. It is also ideal for fish kebabs.
Which fish to choose for barbecue
Salmon and sturgeon are best. They can be cut into large pieces, they hold up well on skewers and are superior in taste to their competitors.
Salmon shish kebab with vegetables
It's difficult to say what kind of fish comes after them, it's more a matter of taste. Trout is almost as good as salmon; it is denser and less fatty. There are fans of catfish kebab, but it sometimes has an unpleasant aftertaste. You can make a good shish kebab from pike or pike perch.
On the grid
In the vast majority of cases, fish is fried on a grill. This is due to the fact that many types do not hold well on skewers, and the fillets are flat and difficult to thread. You can grill steaks or whole steaks on the grill.
It is important to prepare the grate, ignite it and grease it with oil.
Mackerel is good for grilling. It is unpretentious in cooking and goes well with various marinades. It’s difficult to spoil even for a novice cook, so feel free to experiment with marinades and cooking methods.
Salmon skewers on the grill
On the fire and coals
The best fish for grilling over charcoal is halibut or other fish with tender flesh. Before the invention of foil, it was baked in a layer of clay, a salt shell, or in a special tight dough. For the fire, the fish is prepared in advance, it is marinated, mixed with vegetables and spices and placed in foil.
Salmon shish kebab with cheerful vegetables
You can cook fish on a spit, or hang it next to a fire, but these are quite complex and time-consuming methods. It is much easier to cook on a wire rack or in foil.
In foil on coals
Preparation
: for grilling over coals, just put it in a foil envelope, it is advisable to make 2-3 layers, this will protect against intense heat and after cooking it will be convenient to eat directly from the foil. Place it like this: foil-vegetables-fish-vegetables-foil. This allows you to protect from the direct action of intense heat; even if you overcook, only the layer of vegetables will burn.
Cooking features:
Depending on the density of the pulp and the heat of the coals, the cooking time can vary from 15 minutes to an hour. To check, you can pierce the top layer of foil and look at the stream of steam, or carefully unfold it.
Marinade for mackerel or herring with red wine
What do you need:
- herring or mackerel – 1 kg;
- dry red wine – 0.25 l;
- odorless vegetable oil – 60 ml;
- salt, pepper - to your taste.
How to cook:
- Clean, gut and wash the fish well. Dry with a kitchen towel.
- Mix wine with salt, spices and oil.
- Pour the red wine marinade over the fish and leave for an hour.
Herring or mackerel marinated in red wine can be prepared in any way convenient for you. It will taste best if you fry the fish on the grill. It will be no less tasty baked in foil in the oven.
What kind of fish is better to fry on the grill?
According to most chefs, the best fish for grilling is salmon. It has juicy, tender flesh, with a moderate amount of fat, to the taste of most gourmets. Mackerel is the second most common fish for grilling. It is unpretentious, versatile, difficult to spoil, the best budget option.
It is not recommended to grill fish with dry and dense flesh, such as pollock or haddock. This is not prohibited, it is quite possible to make delicious pollock baked on the grill, but it is better to buy mackerel for the same money.
Cooking fish on the grill differs from meat:
- Duration of marinating.
- The amount of acid.
- The amount of spices.
- Cooking time.
You don’t need to marinate the fish at all, but only lightly season it with salt, white pepper and vegetable oil.
Even if it is marinated, it does not last long and the marinade should not be aggressive. Lemon juice and white wine in small quantities are allowed. Frying time depends on the thickness of the pieces and the density of the fish flesh; on average, it is less than that of meat.
In foil
Baking fish in foil deprives it of many of its benefits, reduces the smoky flavor, and does not provide a tasty crust. But sometimes you just can’t cook it any other way. The main differences between cooking in foil:
- You can cook not only in the grill, but on a fire, or by burying it in the coals.
- It’s easy to prepare in advance; in nature, just put it in the coals until ready.
- More dietary option.
Halibut in foil
The ideal fish for grilling in foil is halibut and others with delicate flesh. On skewers or a grill, they require special care; the pulp does not hold well and may fall into the coals. Baking in foil solves this problem.
Beer marinade for charcoal fish
What do you need:
- mackerel or herring – 6 pcs.;
- beer – 100 ml;
- vegetable oil – 0.2 l;
- garlic – 2 heads;
- salt - to taste.
How to cook:
- Pass the garlic through a press, mix with beer and oil.
- Rub the prepared fish with the resulting mixture, put more of the mixture inside.
- After an hour, thread the fish onto a skewer, piercing the carcass from the tail to the gills, and place the fish on the grill.
- Grill over coals, turning and brushing with remaining marinade.
Fish (mackerel or herring) marinated in this way and fried over coals will successfully replace traditional shish kebab.
Marinade for fish kebab with soy sauce and mustard
What do you need:
- fish fillet (pink salmon, trout, salmon) – 1 kg;
- balsamic vinegar – 50 ml;
- soy sauce – 50 ml;
- pepper paste – 1 tsp;
- mustard powder – 1 tbsp. l.;
- garlic – 1 head;
- olive oil – 0.2 l;
- dill (fresh) – 100 g;
- salt, pepper - to taste.
How to marinate:
- Prepare the fillet by cutting it into pieces of the desired size.
- Crush the garlic. Chop the dill and mix with the rest of the spices.
- Dilute with soy sauce, combine with balsamic vinegar and oil.
- Cover the pieces of fish with the resulting mixture and leave for half an hour.
The taste of fish kebab marinated according to this recipe is indescribable. You are unlikely to forget it. It will especially appeal to those who love spicy dishes.
With olive oil and garlic
Fish in foil, cooked on the grill with the addition of olive oil, hot garlic and aromatic spices, is a light, dietary dish with a minimum of calories and maximum health benefits.
Ingredients:
How to marinate fish for barbecue on a grill
- fish – pcs.;
- olive oil – 6 tbsp. l;
- garlic cloves – 6-7 pcs;
- sweet salad pepper – 2 pcs;
- lemon – 1 piece;
- butter – 100 g;
- aromatic spices;
- fresh dill or cilantro.
First of all, you need to prepare the marinade - to do this, mix chopped garlic with olive oil and spices. The fish should be cleaned of its entrails, washed, made transverse cuts and generously coated with marinade inside and out. Leave the carcasses to marinate for 23-26 minutes.
The bell pepper should be cut into thin strips and placed on top of the fish along with cubes of butter. Wrap the carcasses in a sheet of foil and fry on a wire rack for 15 minutes. When serving, sprinkle the dish with chopped dill or cilantro.
Fish should not be marinated for longer than 40-60 minutes, otherwise it will become too soft
Vodka marinade for fish shish kebab
What do you need:
- fish fillet – 1 kg;
- vodka - shot glass;
- soy sauce – 60 ml;
- garlic – 2 cloves;
- seasoning for fish - to your taste.
How to cook:
- Cut the garlic into small pieces.
- Mix with seasonings and rub fillets with this mixture.
- Pour vodka mixed with soy sauce.
You need to marinate the fish in vodka for about an hour. After the fillet is cut into pieces, strung on skewers and kebabs are fried. There will be no smell or taste of alcohol in the finished dish.
Possible mistakes
Cooking fish on the grill does not require any special culinary skills, but this business, like any other, has its own subtleties. To make the fish tasty and aromatic, try to avoid typical mistakes that beginners often make:
- Building a strong fire . The main feature of baking food on the grill is the heat emanating from the coals, which allows you to bring the dish to readiness. However, a “pure” flame can nullify all efforts. Over high heat, the fish will quickly become golden brown on the outside, but remain raw on the inside.
- Incorrect cutting of the carcass . Many chefs prefer to fry whole fish on the grill. The treat really looks very colorful. If you decide to please your guests and loved ones with such a dish, do not forget to first remove the gills from the fish, otherwise the meat will have an unpleasant odor and be bitter.
- Excess spices . Fish fillet is a delicate product, so its delicate and mild taste is easy to drown out with seasonings. When preparing the marinade, do not get carried away and follow the spice ratio: the taste of the mixture should be slightly spicy and moderately spicy.
- Careless "packaging" . The foil should fit tightly to the carcass - this will help retain the juices and make the fish as soft as possible. You need to turn the envelopes over very carefully so that the foil does not tear and the juice does not leak onto the coals.
That's all the wisdom. Let your outdoor recreation be unforgettable, and let the fish cooked on the grill become the main decoration of the table.
Source of material: Onwomen.ru
Marinade for fish kebab with martini
What do you need:
- fish fillet – 2 kg;
- martini – 0.2 l;
- garlic – 1 head;
- onion – 1 kg;
- dried dill – 1 tbsp. l.;
- lemon – 2 pcs.;
- fresh cilantro – 100 g;
- salt, fish seasoning - to your taste.
How to cook:
- Finely chop the garlic and cilantro with a knife, mix with salt, seasoning and dill. Rub this mixture onto the fish fillets.
- After 15 minutes, cut the fillet into pieces suitable for the size of the kebab.
- Mix fish pieces with onion cut into large rings.
- Mix lemon juice with martini, pour this mixture over the fish and leave it for half an hour.
The taste of kebab prepared according to this recipe will be piquant and very unusual. It is unlikely to leave you and your guests indifferent. By the way, such a kebab can be fried at home if your oven is equipped with a grill function.
With vegetables
Fish baked in foil with vegetables is an incredibly tasty, nutritious and at the same time low-calorie dish. An appetizing dish will give maximum pleasure to the gourmet and will not lead to extra pounds.
Ingredients:
- white fish – 1 kg;
- salad pepper – 1 piece;
- zucchini – 1 piece;
- tomatoes – 2 pcs;
- potatoes – 3-4 pcs;
- onion - 1 piece;
- dry white wine – 1 tbsp. l;
- olive oil – 1 tbsp. l;
- a mixture of ground peppers;
- rosemary and mint - 1 tsp each.
To prepare the marinade, mix white wine with olive oil and spices. Pour over the fish, cut into steaks, and leave to marinate for 35 minutes.
Tomatoes should be cut into quarters, potatoes into cubes, onions and zucchini into slices, and bell peppers into thin strips. Prepared vegetables must be poured with fish marinade and mixed well.
Place the steak on a sheet of foil, layer vegetables on top, wrap and fry on the grill for 10-12 minutes on each side.
Wrap the foil tightly to prevent juice from leaking out during baking.