Whole fishWhole Fish Grilled Over Charcoal
A whole fish over coals is the simplest good thing you can cook, and the skin sticking to the grate is the only real obstacle.
Whole fishCharcoal Grilled Sardines
The cheapest, most Mediterranean thing you can put over coals. Whole sardines, salt, fierce heat and lemon, eaten with your fingers.
Whole fishWhole Grilled Mackerel
Mackerel is oily, cheap and sustainable, and its richness stands up to fierce heat and sharp flavours better than almost any other fish. Score it, grill it, hit it with something acidic.
A whole fish over charcoal takes about fifteen minutes and needs almost nothing done to it. The only real obstacle is the skin sticking to the grate, and that is a solvable problem rather than an inherent one.
Three things together prevent sticking: a scrupulously clean grate, a properly hot grate, and oil rubbed onto dry fish skin rather than onto the bars. Then leave it alone. Skin sticks when it goes on and releases by itself once it has crisped.
Cook fish before anything fatty. A grate coated in burnt pork fat is exactly what fish skin welds itself to.
At a glance
| Recipe | Method | Grill temp | Cook time | Pull at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole Fish Grilled Over Charcoal | Direct heat | 175 to 230°C (350 to 450°F) | 16 min | 55°C (130°F) |
| Charcoal Grilled Sardines | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 6 min | Opaque |
| Whole Grilled Mackerel | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 10 min | Opaque |
Techniques used
Direct heat. Food straight over the coals. Fast, fierce, and finished before the inside overcooks.
Cookers these suit
Foukou rotisseries. Kamado grills. Kettle grills. Portable grills.