Our weather this weekend was just ridiculous – 30+ degrees C every day – so cooking out of doors was definitely on the agenda.
Fish baked on the barbecue is an idea I first came across in a recipe book by legendary outdoor chef, Keith Floyd. For me, this was a different way to cook fish and I have done this several times since.
Servings
This is a meal for two.
Timings
5 mins prep, 15 mins to cook.
You Will Need
- Tin foil
- 2 fillets of fish
- handful of spring onions
- juice of half a lemon
- drizzle of olive oil
- cherry tomatoes on the vine
- sprinkling of herbes de provence
Method
- Start by tearing off a large sheet of foil, and brush it lightly with oil.
- Place a couple of fish fillets in the middle (I used cod loins, but other fish will do just as well)
- Give the fish a topping. This can change depending on what’s in season and what you have to hand. I had a good crop of spring onions from the garden, so chopped these over the fish, adding the juice of half a lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, and a few twists of black pepper.
- Then gather up the sides of the foil to form a parcel, crimping the edges together in a pasty-type shape.
- Place the parcel on the griddle plate of the barbecue and close the lid. Leave it for about 10 – 15 mins.
- We have a glut of cherry tomatoes in the garden at the moment, with all this hot weather, so I snipped off a vine and cooked this also on the griddle, alongside the fish parcel. I brushed the vine and tomatoes in olive oil and gave them a sprinkling of herbes de provence. They look great on the plate and provide a rich, squishy sauce to complement the fish.
- Take care when opening the fish parcel as there will be a sudden escape of heat. The flesh of the fish should be in flakes, and some parts of the underside will be lightly charred (see the photo above, taken as the parcel was opened). This is a really nice part of the dish, as it gives it a taste and texture you will not normally get when cooking fish in a more conventional way, like in an oven or a pan. Don’t overdo it though, or the fish will burn!
Customise it
There’s lots of scope for playing around with the topping – parsley goes well if you have it, and also a few capers.
My BBQ-baked fish and tomatoes was served with a few new potatoes and lightly steamed summer green veg, washed down with a glass of chilled Sauvignon Blanc – dining al fresco, of course!
As for the musical accompaniment to this post, the last time I blogged about a barbecue meal I opted for The Doors’ Light My Fire. This great track by The Prodigy was in close contention, so here it is in its own right, now added to the ADK Playlist. It’s the song every barbecue chef should be humming as they warm up their grill, and guaranteed to get the party going:
I’m a Firestarter!
Hey, hey hey!
A Different Kitchen 