Fishy Chef Grills Fish

Hi folks, Chef G. here with a new post, and that makes me happier than a brook trout snapping its jaws onto a big, juicy Mayfly.  The fish simile seems appropriate today because I actually am going to be cooking fish.

I should warn you not to get your hopes too high.  I will be stretching my amazing celebrity chef skills to the limit.  This will be the first time I've ever worked with a fish called "red snapper."  Making it even more of a challenge is that it will be the first time I've ever charcoal grilled ANY kind of fish other than salmon and tuna.

Many things could go wrong. I know that.  Salmon and tuna are relatively easy to grill due to their rich, fatty flesh.  Fish with white meat, on the other hand, requires extra care and precision to avoid a complete disaster.  Undercooked red snapper could be slimy and yucky at best, and, at worst, might give me a case of food poisoning that would make the one I had last month look like a toilet seat joy ride.  

Overcooked red snapper could be worse yet.  The disappointment I'd feel with dry, rubbery, flavorless fish would be almost overwhelming.  

Wish me luck.

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I purchased my red snapper at a local Coburn's Grocery store.  I liked that the seafood case had it displayed on ice with a little sign stating it was "fresh" and "wild caught" and "not previously frozen."  

Okay, I live in the Midwest--more than a thousand miles from the nearest ocean--so I had a reasonable skepticism about the actual freshness of the fish.  I gave them the benefit of the doubt though and bought it anyway.  Who knows?  Maybe they had it flown in from the gulf coast this morning.  (I didn't ask about that because I wasn't sure I really wanted to know the truth.) 

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The first step in preparation is to get the coals fired up.  Crumpled up newspapers in a charcoal chimney eliminates the need for a stinky petroleum-based charcoal starter.  I've been using the chimney for a couple years now.  You'd think a famous chef like me would have learned about such a thing long before I did, but no, I squirted what amounts to paint thinner on my coals for almost 30 years.

Plus, the chimney ensures charcoal heating efficiency.

The second step was to bring the Red Snapper filets to room temperature.  That only takes about 15 minutes.

The third step was to season the filets.  In my case, it's a thumbs-up blend of salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and more salt.  Feel free to use whatever herbs and spices you want though.  That's the way it should be.

The fourth step was to give the Red Snapper filets a nice extra virgin olive oil shower.

The fifth step is to pour the coals from the chimney to the grate.  I'm grateful they look great on the grate.

The sixth step is to place the filets skin-side-down on the grate.

Regarding that last step, I recommend putting the fish NEAR the source of heat, but not directly over the coals.  I don't know why I recommend that.  I guess my chefly instincts told me it seemed right.

  

Then I put the lid on the grill and let the red snapper filets cook for about three more minutes.

The seventh step was to remove the lid and flip the filets to skin-side-up for another three minutes.

During that final three-minute interim, I poured a delicious glass of Duluth, Minnesota beer.  To hell with a wine pairing.  I like to think of myself as a child of chaos, so I thought the Ursa would be a perfect pairing with my rather chaotic fish dish.

After a swig of the Double Hazy IPA, I went back to the grill and used a spatula to transfer the fish to a plate.

Then I made a video of my official Chef G. taste test.  Like every single celebrity chef on earth, I proclaimed its deliciousness.  You can watch my video here.

Despite my praise, I have to admit my red snapper wasn't all that flavorful.  I blame the grocery store, not my grilling expertise.  The excellence of my cooking is well established, the grocery store's "freshness" claims are not.  Thank you for tuning in to The Chef G. Cooking Channel.