Honolulu Fish Company CEO Wayne Samiere gives his tips for grilling delicious fish this summer:
What Seafood Works Well on the Grill?
• The best is firm fish with a high oil content like swordfish, ahi, mahimahi, Hamachi and marlin.
• Look for firm, red meat-like texture and a shape that is compact and steak shaped - no flat and thin fillets.
Easy and Successful Fish Prep
• Keep fish as dry as possible with paper towels underneath and on top and as cold as possible in the 34 to 36 degree range. Avoid heat spikes of long times out of refrigeration.
• Keep the preparation simple. High quality seafood doesn’t need a complicated, many step prep process.
• Don’t marinate too long or the fish will be “cooked” before it touches the grill.
How to Grill Without Overcooking?
• Don’t start grilling until the grill fire and grates are hot. Fish is more apt to stick to grill grates that aren’t hot enough.
• Start cooking the fish on the hottest area of the grill and then finishing cooking it on the cooler area, so it doesn’t cook too fast.
• Press on the fish when it is raw, so you know what it feels like before cooking. When the fish is done, it should give slightly when pressed. It’s cooked too long when a white substance, called albumen, comes to the surface. If you see this happening, remove the fish immediately.
Grill Tips
• Choose a grill top with grates spaced fairly close together so the fish doesn’t fall between the spaces into the fire. Thick metal grates provide more heat than thin ones.
• Prevent sticking with a thick slurry of water and kosher salt applied to the grates.
On the Grill
• Always use a spatula to handle the fish. Tongs are OK, but they can put too much pressure on delicate seafood and not evenly support the whole piece of fish.
• Turn fish one time on each side. Let it cook mostly on one side – the plate up
Honolulu Fish Company’s CEO and owner Wayne Samiere was recently interviewed by Progressive Grocer’s Grocerant Solutions Magazine to discuss the trending Hawaiian dish, poke. Pronounced “poe-kay,” Wayne explains that poke is a way of life on the Hawaiian Islands.
