Grilled whole trout

I have done this one indoors under the broiler before and will comment on that at the end of this post as well.  I was slightly skeptical of grilling white flaky fish but it was a 50+ degree clear sky evening in January and I had just been thwarted from Little Tahoma’s summit, so I was in the mood for a good dinner out doors.  So without further ado…

1. You are looking for a medium-high heat bed of coals.  I always use a chimney about 2/3 full and I am a big fan of the Kingsford with mesquite.  So get that guy going and while you are at it, chop up some eggplant, peppers and a sweet potato.  Marinate the first two in balsamic and herbed olive oil, skewer them and toss them on so that you have something to munch on while prepping the fish.

2. This by the way is unbelievably easy.  Take your skin-on, head-on trout and stuff the body cavity with slices of lemon, fresh thyme and rosemary and a few dots of butter.  Rub both sides of the outside with olive oil.  Lightly, this is just to prevent burning and sticking to the grate.

3. Put the fish on over the coals.  If you are at the right temperature (where you can put your hand above the grate for about 3 seconds before burning) it will take about five minutes one side, and five minutes on the other.  Remove and squeeze the rest of the lemon over the fish, cover with foil and let rest for a few minutes.

4. Eating unboned fish is a bit of an art, and warrants enough mention to be step 4.  Pull back the skin, reserving crispy sections to be eaten with the oh so succulent flesh you are uncovering.  There will be a line lengthwise down the middle.  Stab right there with a fork and pull perpendicular to the line and away from it.  You will get some bones but they should be manageable.  Don’t forget the juicy morsels right behind the head.

So if you find yourself in a similar situation but without a grill available, this turns out great under the broiler as well.  Three to five minutes per side about eight inches from the element is perfect.

We had this with an Argentinian Torrontes and it was perfect.  Any relatively dry, fruity white would be good.