The Right Way to Grill Fish, From Fillets and Steaks to Whole Fish

Grilling is probably the quickest and easiest technique for cooking fish. Plus, there’s something tantalizing about the smoky aromas and flavors of grilled food that simply can't be beat. If you’d like to learn how to grill fish, our expert guide from fishmonger and chef Mark Uzewicz will help you get familiar with the technique. 

When charring up some fish, there are three different categories to think about (and each comes with its own set of grill guidelines): steaky fish, fillets, and whole fish. Ahead, we explain how to grill each type of fish the right way.

Essential Tips for Grilling Fish

Grilling over hardwood charcoal is our preferred method, but the following tips work for grilling fish on a gas grill, too. 

• To start, clean the grill grates thoroughly with a grill brush. Oil the grates liberally with an oil-soaked rag or paper towel. 
• Do not use oil on the food you plan to cook; this creates flare-ups. 
• Build a two-zone fire, which enables you to have two temperature zones on the grill. To do this, build the actual fire on just half of the grill floor; this will allow you to maintain more control as you cook. Then, you can move what you're grilling to the cool side if you want to slow down the cooking process and/or impart additional smoky flavor. (You can do the same thing on a gas grill by setting one burner to high heat and another to low.)
• Once you've lit the fire or gas, give the grill plenty of time to heat up. The grates over the hot side of the grill should be extremely hot before you place food on them.
  

Steaky Fish

Swordfish, tuna, opah, and halibut are types of steaky fish that cook beautifully on the grill, as our Grilled Halibut Steaks with Potatoes, Olives, and Onions recipe proves. Steaky fish behaves most like a chop or steak on the grill. It usually has a moderate to high fat content and is firm and dense. These characteristics make steaky fish easy to handle—and it always sears well. 

How to Grill Steaky Fish

1. Season the fish with salt and pepper right before grilling.
2. Grill over direct heat to the desired doneness.

Filleted Fish

​​Not all fish fillets are suitable for the grill. Choose fish species that have firm flesh and are on the thicker side, such as:

• Snapper
• Salmon
• Grouper
• Striped bass
• Bluefish
• Mahi mahi
• Halibut
• Monkfish

Avoid more delicate fillets, like flounder, hake, haddock, and pollock.

How to Grill Fish Fillets

As long as your grill is clean, well oiled, and hot, grilling fillets is easy.

1. Pat the fillets dry and season them with salt and pepper. If you're cooking skin-on fillets, place the skin side down on the grill. This will give you perfectly crisped skin. 
2. Whether you're cooking fillets with or without skin, cook them 75 percent on one side. Flip the fillets over and let a short burst of heat finish the last 25 percent of the cooking time. A good rule of thumb is seven minutes of total cooking time (over high heat) per inch of fillet thickness. 

You can adjust this method to your specific preferences for doneness and the type of fish you're cooking. For example, you might like salmon (such as our Crisp Grilled Salmon with Fennel-Olive Relish) medium rare but prefer monkfish cooked through.

Whole Fish

There's a lot to love about cooking whole fish. It allows for a beautiful presentation—and cooking fish on the bone keeps it moist and flavorful. You can grill any fish whole (even more delicate species) so long as it fits on the grill.

Whole fish should be scaled and gutted before grilling: removing all fins is optional but worthwhile. Stuffing the body cavity of whole fish with slices of citrus and sprigs of herbs (like in our Grilled Whole Fish with Lemon and Thyme) is a nice additional touch that perfumes and flavors the fish from the inside.

How to Grill Whole Fish

As with fillets, pat the fish dry and season it with salt and pepper just before grilling. One of the most important tips for grilling a whole fish is to handle it as little as possible once it's on the heat. Hot, clean, oiled grill grates are key here, as is a two-zone fire. 

1. Place the fish over the hot side of the fire, near the far edge of the grate. The top of the fish (where the dorsal fin was) should align with the edge of the grate. Give the fish a good sear (about two to three minutes) over high heat. 
2. Carefully use a metal spatula to check if the fish has released (meaning, it isn't sticking to the grate). If it hasn't, it needs a little more time on this side. Once it has released, gently roll the fish over toward the center of the grill. Allow the fish to sear on the other side for another two to three minutes. If you are grilling smaller fish, you're done.
3. Larger, thicker fish require more time to cook: If you are using a charcoal grill, use two thick, dry kitchen towels to grab the handles on each side of the grate. Lift it up and turn it so the fish is now on the cool side of the grill. (If you are using a gas grill and can't rotate the grate, gently move the fish to the cool side of the fire.)
4. Cover the grill, with the lid vents open for the remainder of the cooking time.