Grilled Fish with Charred Scallion and Lemon Salsa Verde

and a guide to cooking fish

The Golden Moment

I had to literally pick my jaw up from off the floor two weeks ago when Roen said, “Mom, I wanna try fish this week.” You see, my kids are pretty good eaters but every time I’ve made salmon or fish here at home, they were majorly against it. We do talk a lot about putting healthy foods in our body and I think the curiosity about fish being healthy, led him to request a salmon rice bowl…now where he got the idea for the rice bowl, I don’t know, but I went with it and introduced him to his first piece of salmon last week, which he loved! Gobbled it right up! This got my wheels turning about how I could make more fish at home because this moment was second to winning the lottery for me. If you’re feeding littles, you know the triumph this is.

There lies such mystery surrounding the sourcing and preparation of fish and I’m here to help you navigate through all of it so we can get those Omega 3’s in. If you are a fish lover like me but have a bit of fear surrounding preparing it at home, let this be your sign form the universe that it’s time to conquer those fishy fears!!! This is your fish prep cheat sheet.

Types of fish

I like to categorize fish into 3 camps. White fish, oily fish and shellfish or crustaceans. Today we are dealing with just fish so let’s break those down a bit further so it’s easier to understand the best way to prepare them.

White fish: Lower in fat, mild in flavor. Cooks quickly. Great for people newer to eating fish or that don’t like strong flavors. Halibut, cod, grouper, tilapia are all examples of mild white fish.

Oily fish: Higher fat content. Higher omega 3 content (the good omegas we all want more of), stronger in flavor. Salmon, sardines, black cod, mackerel, and tuna are good examples of oily fish.

Sourcing fish

Here’s my philosophy when it comes to sourcing and buying your fish, buy the freshest fish possible. Easier said than done right? Well, first off if you live on a coast or in a place where you have access to fresh fish, do some research and ask around about where to buy the freshest catch. When we lived in LA, I either bought from fisherman selling at the farmers market or Fish King in Glendale. The other thing I did was ask questions….I would ask when it was caught and what was the freshest of the day and go for that.

If you don’t have the luxury of buying fresh off the boat fish, you can still get the good stuff. A lot of seafood markets get fresh fish flown in to sell to consumer, which is great, my local fish spot is awesome and if I want a certain type of fish they will order it for me. There are also many online fish purveyors that people swear by. If you do see gorgeous looking fish at a store like Whole Foods, ask when it came in and how long it’s been sitting there. You will also want to know if it was previously frozen which most of it is at grocery stores. Look for fish that is glistening, smooth and not slimy looking. If buying whole fish, you want to look at the eyes and make sure they are clear and not black or cloudy.

It is a lot to think about, I know , so you could go the route I usually take and buy great fish that is flash frozen. Places like Sam’s club or Costco sell beautiful frozen pieces of fish that are individually sealed which make cooking them on a whim a breeze. I’ve purchased fantastic wild salmon, mahi mahi and my favorite Barramundi, many times from Costco and they are all delish.

Storing Fish

When you buy a fresh piece of fish, you should be preparing it that night or latest the next day, otherwise, no bueno. Try to ask the fish monger to pack it on ice to transport it home and then keep it on a bed of ice until you prepare it. If you are defrosting fish or shellfish, the best way is to submerge the sealed portions in cold water for 15-20 mins. And they are usually ready to go. This is again why I love having frozen fish in my freezer, dinner in a flash.

Preparing the fish

There are so many ways to cook fish and breaking them all down would make this newsletter way too long…baked, fried, poached, pan seared, broiled all work. My personal favorite is a simple piece of grilled fish which is what today’s recipe is all about and it’s truly easier than you think so let’s discuss that technique and then we will tackle other techniques in weeks to come.

Grilling Fish

Fish is delicate so it will tend to stick to surfaces and fall apart which makes it sort of scary to cook, but if you are armed with info, you can do it. Here are the basics.

Hot grill: This goes for any meat, but especially for fish. You need it to be hot enough, so it sears. Heat that grill up on med high for at least 10-15 mins so you know it’s ready to go.

Clean grill: This is the one that people don’t realize makes such a difference.

Coat it with a layer of oil: rub that piece of fish in some oil on both sides. Salt and pepper and you’re good to go. It doesn’t need a ton of stuff, do what you like but I’m telling you, simple is great.

Don’t turn it! My last rule for grilling fish. Most fish fillets are not super thick and cook quickly,  so they will not need to be turned. Make sure to put the fish down on the side you want to present with grill marks. Cover the grill and let it cook for a couple minutes until it’s done. When it begins to lightly flake when you push on the top it’s done. Or a cake tester works as a great tool to know if your fish is cooked on the inside. If you poke it through the thickest part and then touch the tester, it should be warm not cold.

The Recipe