Some people are a little nervous about cooking fish. I blame cooking shows. There’s all that talk about being careful, don’t overcook it or it’ll taste like rubber, but don’t undercook it either – you don’t want to serve raw fish, you want it to just flake away. Jeesh! That makes it sound like if you don’t get it off the heat at the precise second of perfection you’re doomed! Or sent home (if you’re on a cooking show that is). But seriously folks, cooking fish is not difficult, and you don’t need to be a chef to pull off a fantastically cooked piece of fish, so please don’t shy away from giving fresh fish a go. Of course, it all starts with great ingredients. The fresher the better – and ideally you should use locally sourced fish, or better yet, if you are so inclined – go catch one yourself.
There is something quite exhilarating about catching your own feed. Well, to be honest, picking fresh herbs from the garden kind of gives me a similar buzz. It must be that hunter gatherer instinct. I find it so rewarding to cook with something I have either grown or caught myself, and I am lucky enough to live on the coast where a booty of incredible fish are just waiting to gobble on my hook and end up on my table. Now, I apologise for those of you who find that a bit squeamish – but the reality is, I’m not a vegetarian and if it was alive in the morning and on my plate that evening it doesn’t bother me one little bit. In fact, eating fish caught the same day is something quite extraordinary. Rest assured, I am a huge supporter or sustainability and only catch what we can eat, with maybe a few fillets destined for the freezer for a couple of nights during the week.
In the north west of Australia we catch a lot of beautiful bottom feeders – Coral Trout, Red Emperor and Snapper are some of the best. But a day out fishing will usually end up with someone wanting to land something big, something that gives off a bit of a fight – and that’s when the boat starts trawling for Mackerel. Now some people think Mackerel (or Mackies as we call them up here) are a little oily as they swim closer to the top of the ocean surface, but I disagree. Eaten fresh, Mackerel are a beautiful fish, with firm white flesh that holds up really well to being cooked on the barbecue. I admit it doesn’t freeze well, not beyond a few weeks anyway as it develops a distinct ‘fishy’ flavour. But fresh – well, it’s pretty bloody delicious.
Ok – so this is the only pic I could find of a Mackerel – that’s my son, taken a few years back now – but as you can see, a pretty impressive looking fish!
Mackerel are huge fish so the fillets are giant. You can batter it, crumb it, even cook slabs on the barbecue – but I like to cut them into cubes and make spiedini. Spiedini literally means ‘skewered’ and that’s exactly what these are. Mackerel (or other firm fish) are perfect as they hold well and don’t break apart as you turn them on the barbecue. The barbecue imparts a lovely smoky flavour – but what I love to do is baste the fish in this incredible salmoriglio sauce, which is full of herbs and citrus and gives a fresh tang.
These spiedini are a great idea to serve for a crowd – and I love cooking something other than the boring old steak and sausages on the barbecue when I’ve got company. You can use sprigs of rosemary as the skewers as I have done here, they impart a lovely herbal flavour, but store bought bamboo skewers (just soak them in water for 30 minutes beforehand so they don’t burn) or metal ones are perfect.
If you aren’t a fisherman/woman don’t worry, you can still get amazing fish from your local fishmonger. A little trip to the fish markets on an early morning can make anyone feel like a hunter and gather anyway, and you can do it all with a cup of coffee in hand from your favourite cafe as you purchase your catch.
Happy cooking, and if you’re planning to catch your own, remember to never take bananas on a fishing trip. Yes, I am totally serious (and that might be another story to tell).
Barbecued Fish Spiedini with Salmoriglio Sauce
I’ve used mackerel here – but any firm fleshed fish would work: barramundi, swordfish, cod are all good choices.
Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
finely grated rind of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely sliced
2 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
Salt
4 firm white fish fillet, skinned
freshly ground black pepper
Method
If using bamboo skewers, soak 8 in water for 30 minutes. If using rosemary sprigs, remove lower leaves. Preheat barbecue to medium-high heat.
Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, rind, garlic, herbs and a good pinch of salt in a small bowl. Whisk to emulsify.
Season the fish fillets with a little salt and pepper, then cut into roughly 2cm cubes. Thread onto the skewers. Brush with the sauce.
Cook spiedini on the preheated barbecue, turning frequently and basting with more sauce every now and then until cooked – around 6 – 8 minutes in total. The fish is ready when it flakes when tested. Just try one after 5 minutes and let your instincts guide you from there.
Drizzle with more salmoriglio sauce and serve with wedges of lemon.
Serves 4
Note: This recipe is easily adapted to serve more people – just double of triple the quantities.
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