If cooked properly, fish is one of the healthiest meals you can have as it is packed with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and enough proteins to support your daily activity and provide enough energy.
Even so, seafood and fish are rarely consumed on the grill as they are considered too hard to handle without mishap. Smaller foods like shrimps and calamari rings can easily fall through the grates of the grill, directly into the fire or can burn if they spend a couple of seconds extra on the cooking surface.
So, if you want to integrate more fish into your daily diet and cook it perfectly each time, here are some easy tips you should follow.
Always choose quality fish
To make sure you get all the nutrients and vitamins from this type of food, you need to make sure the source is fresh and of high-quality. Thus, if you can’t trust supermarkets or fish markets to always deliver clean fish, you might have to take matters into your own hands and invest in some fishing tools yourself.
This guide on closed face fishing reels will help you choose the perfect tools with which you can catch a wide array of small-sized fish from local lakes, rivers or ponds. Bonus: you’ll get to spend an entire day outdoors, enjoying the fresh air and spending some quality time with your family. Use fishing kayak for more family adventures.
Don’t remove the skin on the fish
Assuming you already tested your fishing skills, the food needs to be cooked without removing the skin. This is mainly important if you plan on grilling the fish as the skin acts as a protective layer, preventing the meat from burning or overcooking.
Some fish like mackerel or trout come with a special skin that gets crunchy and delicious when grilled but it’s not the case with other types of fish. For instance, halibut or salmon are tough-skinned so it is best to remove the skin before cooking them.
Use a plank
It may sound too fancy for your tastes but it’s actually an easy method that guarantees your fish will be juicy and evenly cooked on both sides on the grill. It’s also better than placing the fish directly on the grill as it won’t get a strong taste of smoke and charcoal.
If you plan on using a plank the next time you cook fish, you should know that wood planks are the best and the only option. Plastic will melt from the heat of the fire and might release some toxic fumes so never place a plastic plank on a grill.
It’s also best to soak the wooden plank in water a few hours prior to grilling to allow it to retain as much moisture as possible. This will help maintain the juicy consistency of the fish instead of becoming too dry.
Try skewers
Skewers are perfect for grilling a wide array of foods, from turkey or chicken meat to onions, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, asparagus, and others. But why not try them with fish too? Many types of cuts of fish are the perfect ingredients to be put on a skewer.
This simple method of grilling will keep all the food in one place, without the risk of losing the smaller pieces under the grates. Simply spray some extra virgin olive oil and add some salt and pepper and they’re ready to go on the grill for a couple of minutes.
Keep it simple
The most delicious fish recipes are also the simplest, so don’t complicate things in the kitchen too much. Salmon and cod fillets won’t take more than 15 minutes to be baked in a hot oven and you won’t need any other ingredients apart from some fresh herbs, salt, pepper, and some lemon juice.
