Grilling fresh fish looks easy on cooking shows and magazines, but things go wrong when you try to flip a delicate fillet on the grate. It sticks, breaks in pieces, falls through. The secret is: don't turn it.
Years ago when I was still using charcoal briquets, I'd make alder smoked salmon on the little Hibachi, seasoned with bacon and onion. I had a weird "cook on foil" method that even worked for whole salmon. (Boy, those were the days.)
I do basically the same thing now on the gas grill with fillets. No, it isn't as good, because there's just no substitute for wet alder chips smoking on top of hot coals. But the gas grill is easy and foolproof.
Here's a wild Sockeye fillet we had the other night. It was really tasty.
I put the fish skin side down on a piece of heavy duty foil, right on top of a couple slices of raw minced bacon. I brushed the top generously with butter, then seasoned it with a bit of salt, dill and lemon juice.
Remember to make slits in the foil under and around the fish, so the fat and juices drip on the flames and make some "smoke." Otherwise the fish just steams away in a puddle. Cook it with the lid down-- it won't take long.
The skin of the fillet usually sticks to the foil when you lift it off, which is nice. There's always a few crispy, fishy-tasting bits of crispy bacon for the hard working cook to snitch off the bottom.
Hey Sue! You might want to try cooking it on a cedar plank. You can buy a fancy one from the butcher shop, or get an inexpensive plank from the hardware store. Make sure it's not treated with anything, just plain old cedar. It works like the tin foil, but lets that nice smokey flavor come through.
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