To grill fish, you don't necessarily need bulky equipment that belongs in the backyard (or, at the very least, on the balcony). An open flame is not a required condition for cooking this dish. There is a good alternative: an electric grill, an air grill, and, ultimately, a grill pan. You can cook fish that tastes just as good on any of the listed devices.
The five most commonly used ingredients in grilled fish recipes:
| Product | Calories per 100g | Protein g per 100g | Fats g per 100g | Carbohydrates g per 100g |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lemons | 16 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 3 |
| Olive oil | 913 | 0 | 99.8 | 0 |
| Lemon juice | 16 | 0.9 | 0 | 3 |
| Butter | 734 | 0.5 | 82.5 | 0.8 |
| Dill | 38 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 6.3 |
An important point: you don't necessarily have to look for a grilled fish recipe "tuned" to a specific technique — that is, for a frying pan or an air grill. The difference will only be in the timing and the finer points of the process; the mix of products is the same. The size of the fish differs too: obviously, you can't fry a large one in a small pan. And if you want to bake it whole, you need to choose a classic open grill.
When cooking grilled fish, the prep stage of the ingredients matters. The taste of the dish is affected by how it was processed to begin with. It's best to marinate the fish, especially if it's a prized, expensive variety. The simplest marinating option is sprinkling the fish with lemon juice. You'll also need to salt and pepper it, then leave it to rest for at least half an hour.
The frying that follows is usually familiar — we take the fish and fry it until done on both sides. For an open grill and small fish, there are special tools so it doesn't fall apart into pieces — something like a hinged basket. They are convenient to use. Fish steaks don't need these.
The five lowest-calorie grilled fish recipes:
| Name of the dish | Cooking time | Calories per 100g | User Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grilled trout steak | 1 hour 15 min | 91 | +13 |
| Pangasius on a grill pan with fried vegetables | 15 min | 97 | +47 |
| Grilled flounder | 1 hour 2 min | 106 | +59 |
| Sea bass on the grill | 3 hours | 108 | +14 |
| Grilled sea bass | 1 hour 10 min | 116 | +8 |
Even though the grill design doesn't call for using oil, many prefer to add olive or another vegetable oil to the marinade — especially if they are about to grill lean, dry fish. The extra fat gives it juiciness, though it also adds a challenge: the oil can start to spatter, crackle, and burn. This can happen if the fish's own fat drips onto the open flame, so it's better to keep that in mind.