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Carol Schmidt

May 25, 2004, 7:49 AM

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Sauce for grilled fish

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The 8 casas in our courtyard had a party yesterday for a Canadian holiday and we were to bring something to grill for ourselves plus something to share.

I tossed together fresh fruit topped with pinacolada yogurt as a sauce to share, and marinated Costco salmon in olive oil, fresh garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper for the grill.

I make a sauce for this salmon, baked potatoes, and all sorts of foods by thinning cream cheese with milk and stirring in minced dill (fresh preferred) and freshly grated nutmeg. Everybody raves about this sauce, and it's so simple.

Carol Schmidt

Ed and Fran

May 25, 2004, 8:13 AM

Post #2 of 9 (538 views)

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Re: [Carol Schmidt] Sauce for grilled fish

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Carol

Do you grille it in foil or straight on the grille? I'm new to the grilling fish concept.

Sauce sounds good. No nutmeg in house but I suppose I can substitute something else.

Thanks

Ed

jennifer rose

May 25, 2004, 10:38 AM

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Re: [Ed and Fran] Sauce for grilled fish

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As you're learning to grill, use foil. Then graduate to foil only on the bottom, and finally to no foil at all. Leaving the skin on the filet and grill it skinside-down, without turning. It's a matter of learning how your grill operates, preheating, setting the temp on the low to medium side, and thickness and kind of fish. Account for a small amount of cooking to take place after you kill the fire or remove the item from the grill. Don't worry about undercooking, because you can always grill it a little longer if it doesn't meet your taste.

Ed and Fran

May 25, 2004, 1:00 PM

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Re: [jennifer rose] Sauce for grilled fish

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Okay, thanks, sounds like a reasonable progression. Will start on trial grilling tomorrow. went with Esteban's poaching/steaming today. (see next thread).

Thanks again

Ed

Carol Schmidt

May 25, 2004, 4:58 PM

Post #5 of 9 (511 views)

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Re: [Ed and Fran] Sauce for grilled fish

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You can't really substitute for the nutmeg taste. It adds a flavor to dishes that can't be replaced. Nutmeg in the nut stage is available more widely in SMA than the ground nutmeg, but it only takes a scond to grate some fresh.

Since we marinate our salmon overnight with olive oil first (and the minced garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper), it's less likely to stick on the grill, but it does have to be watched. Use a turner that's big enough for the whole fillet, and edge it up gently after about a minute of cooking to loosen it up, so that you don't lose it through the grill when you try to turn it later. The grill we were using had pretty narrow slats, but if the grill had very wide spaces I'd use foil. The recipe works fine if baked too.

Carol Schmidt

jennifer rose

May 25, 2004, 7:14 PM

Post #6 of 9 (503 views)

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Re: [Ed and Fran] Sauce for grilled fish

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Whlie you're grilling, you might as well make up some foil packets of vegetables -- chiles, asparagus, squash -- and cook them along with everything else. Use the cheapest, flimsiest kind of foil available, lacerating it toward the end of the cooking process to encourage some charring after the vegetables have essentially steamed.

And, of course, the ubiquitous grilled onions.

All taste even better when served at room temperature or cold. The cooking time for the vegetables is longer than you'll require for the fish.

Of course, everything tastes better marinated in olive oil. But I'm going to submit that it's not necessary for an already fatty fish. If cooked slowly, the natural oils in salmon will leach out, self-marinating the fish. If you grill the filet skinside down, I think you'll be surprised at the amount of fish fat that's deposited on the grill when you're finished.

And while I'm taking the contrary side, allow me to suggest that a marinde for fish should not contain lemon juice or salt, at least for grilling. Sure, there are recipes galore which mandate those ingredients, but I maintain that both have deleterious effects if added before cooking. 'Tis better to add those at the table.

What's more important is that the fish (or anything else) reach room temperature before grilling to ensure a more uniform cooking process.

Esteban

May 25, 2004, 7:28 PM

Post #7 of 9 (500 views)

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Re: [jennifer rose] Sauce for grilled fish

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I'll have to agree with you on the part about using the juice of lemon or lime on the fish either while cooking or before. Those two seem to do the same thing they do when you make ceviche. Sometimes overdosing with spices can take away from the true taste of certain fish. You can grill up Salmon using nothing else but a little salt and pepper. If it's cooked quickly, it'll still be moist and the flavor won't be compromised by anything else. As far as what else to throw on the que, just the other day, I threw on some big pieces of pineapple and some chile morron rojo.

Tonight, I qued up some more Dorado. I didn't flip it either but did put on some experimental sauce which consisted of the following: yogurt, mayo, about a half cup of crumbled rancho cheese and a little mustard. The white rice was cooked in water with a tablespoon of powdered chicken broth and on the side, I included a little papaya and mango mix with a squeeze of lime. Scotch and soda for me, water for the mrs. It's summertime and the livin is easy.

Texwheel

Jun 1, 2004, 10:30 AM

Post #8 of 9 (472 views)

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Re: [Carol Schmidt] Sauce for grilled fish

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You and I may be talking/thinking about the same thing, but I think I disagree about cooking the whole filet in one piece. I usually get my salmon at Sam's as 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pound filets and slice them into about 8 ounce chunks for grilling. A normal-sized grilling spatula works great. Filets that size will vary in thickness and need cooking time to be adjusted accordingly.

As I mentioned in another post today...can you tell I'm suddenly getting interested in the food forum?...I have a grill insert which is flat metal with slightly turned up edges and small holes in it, designed for grilling fish and veggies. No need for foil. They come in different sizes, and even a sort of basket design, which is more suitable for a mixture of veggies. I'm not sure these are available in Mexico, but you might want to measure your grill and try a Home Depot or a local grill or hardware store.
Tom Williams
Georgetown, Texas
Texwheel@aol.com

(This post was edited by Texwheel on Jun 1, 2004, 10:43 AM)

Esteban

Jun 1, 2004, 11:46 AM

Post #9 of 9 (468 views)

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Re: [Texwheel] Sauce for grilled fish

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I don't know about your area but here in Mazatlan, if I had the specs on the piece you are talking about, I could have it made for pretty cheap at a place that does nothing but stainless steel. It's a buyers market now if you want something fabricated for the kitchen. Just a thought to keep in mind.