Perfect Grilled Cod Recipes

PERFECT GRILLED COD

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to medium-high heat (375 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit).
• Bring the cod to room temperature for about 15 minutes.
• Pat the cod dry with a clean towel. Rub it with the olive oil and sprinkle it with the kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Then cover it with the homemade blackened seasoning or seafood seasoning on all sides.
• Grill the cod over indirect heat for 4 minutes, until it releases from the grates. Flip and cook another 2 to 4 minutes, until the internal temperature is 130 degrees (right when the cod starts to flake when pulled with a fork). Allow to rest for a few minutes, then serve.

GRILLED COD

Steps:

• Stack about 15 charcoal briquettes into a grill in a pyramid shape. If desired, drizzle coals lightly with lighter fluid and allow to soak for 1 minute before lighting coals with a match. Allow fire to spread to all coals, about 10 minutes, before spreading briquettes out into the grill; let coals burn until a thin layer of white ash covers the coals. Lightly oil the grates.
• Season both sides of cod with Cajun seasoning, lemon pepper, salt, and black pepper. Set fish aside on a plate. Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stir in lemon juice and green onion, and cook until onion is softened, about 3 minutes.
• Place cod onto oiled grates and grill until fish is browned and flakes easily, about 3 minutes per side; baste with butter mixture frequently while grilling. Allow cod to rest off the heat for about 5 minutes before serving.

PERFECT TEN BAKED COD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place 2 tablespoons butter in a microwave-safe bowl; melt in microwave on high, about 30 seconds. Stir buttery round crackers into melted butter.
• Place remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a 7x11-inch baking dish. Melt in the preheated oven, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove dish from oven.
• Coat both sides of cod in melted butter in the baking dish.
• Bake cod in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven; top with lemon juice, wine, and cracker mixture. Place back in oven and bake until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork, about 10 more minutes.
• Garnish baked cod with parsley and green onion. Serve with lemon wedges.

COD FISH GRILLED IN FOIL

Steps:

• Use heavy aluminum foil cut into large squares. Place equal portions of the fish fillets on each piece of foil.
• In a saucepan, melt butter. Add lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper.
• Stir to blend well. Pour this mixture over the fish, sprinkle with paprika and top with onion slices.
• Fold the foil around the fish and seal.
• Grill for 5 to 7 minutes per side. Fish should flake easily when done.

GRILLED BLACK COD WITH FRIED GARLIC AND CHILES

Steps:

• Lightly brush fish grill basket with oil (if using), or brush grill rack with oil, and prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Sprinkle fish on both sides with coarse salt and pepper. Place fish in grill basket (if using) or directly on grill rack, skin side down. Grill fish until opaque in center, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to platter; cover to keep warm.
• Heat 6 tablespoons oil in small skillet over high heat. Add garlic and sautéuntil fragrant and light golden, about 1 minute. Add crumbled chile or crushed red pepper; stir 15 seconds. Immediately pour garlic chile oil over fish. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
• Ingredient Tip:
• The traditional chile for the garlic sauce is guindilla, a small, elongated, medium-hot Spanish chile that's usually sold dried. This chile may be difficult to find, but ordinary dried crushed red pepper makes an excellent substitute.

SIMPLE GRILLED COD STEAKS

Steps:

• To keep the steaks from falling apart, fold the long, thin end pieces-the belly flaps-inward to form a compact round of flesh. Tie a length of kitchen twine in a loop around the outside band of skin of the fish, securing the flaps within; pull to tighten, and knot it securely.
• Sprinkle both sides of the steaks with salt, coat with garlic oil, and place in a dish with a few garlic slices and the herb stems strewn over them. Marinate for an hour or two at room temperature, or longer if refrigerated.
• Preheat the clean rack of a grill over high heat until very hot. Just before putting on the fish, rub the grill with an oiled towel or a piece of pork fat. Wipe excess garlic oil off the steaks, and set them on the grill.
• Sear the steaks without moving them for 4 to 5 minutes. Brush the tops with garlic oil. If the fish isn't sticking, check the cooked undersides and flip the steaks over as soon as the grill marks are golden brown. If the flesh sticks, grill another minute to sear, then turn the steaks over, using a sharp-edged broad metal spatula if necessary, to separate the flesh from the grill.
• Grill to mark the second side, 3 to 4 minutes; brush the top side with a small amount of garlic oil, and lower heat to medium. If the flesh is not sticking, you can make crosshatch grill marks if you wish: lift the steak after 3 minutes, rotate it 90 degrees or so in relation to the grill rack, then lower it on the same side.
• When the second side has grilled for 4 minutes or more, check for doneness by feel and sight: when the exterior flakes and the center of the steak is opaque but moist (push aside the flesh with a knife blade to see inside), remove steaks to a platter.
• Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with garlic oil. Serve right away with sauce on the side, or top with spoonfuls of salsa verde, or drizzle salmoriglio, or dress with just a plain slice of lemon and some extra-virgin olive oil.
• First Make Garlic Oil and Other Tips for Grilled Seafood
• Here are my basic preparations for all fish or shellfish before grilling. They're useful for either gas or charcoal grills, although every grill differs in heat output and cooking times:
• First, make plenty of garlic-infused oil, ahead of time, to flavor all fish and shellfish, including clams, mussels, and oysters in the shell.
• For one cup of oil, drop 1/4 cup of sliced garlic in 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Let the oil infuse for 1/2 hour to 1 hour before using; then remove the garlic slices. The oil can be refrigerated for a week or more.
• Marinate the seafood in garlic oil: pour just enough oil over to coat; toss and turn to oil all surfaces. Toss in some of the garlic slices if the garlic oil is freshly made, or a few newly cut slices, as well as fresh herb stems or branches-such as thyme, bay leaves, or rosemary. Marinate all fish for an hour or two if possible before grilling, or even overnight (refrigerated, of course).
• Clean and scrape the grill rack well, and get it intensely hot over high heat or hot piled coals before putting on the fish.
• Grease the hot grill rack lightly before putting on food, with an oiled paper towel, or a piece of cured pork skin from prosciutto end (page 129).
• Sear fish without turning until deeply marked by the grill, anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes. Thorough searing minimizes sticking.
• For large fish or steaks, initially cook over high heat, then, halfway through, lower heat to medium; for smaller pieces, lower the heat (or spread the coals) and cook only over medium heat.
• Keep garlic oil handy, and drizzle or brush on seafood sparingly while grilling-usually on turning the pieces. Avoid spilling any oil onto the lava rocks or coals and starting smoky, bad-tasting flare-ups.
• Grill simple garnishes and accompaniments for seafood at the same time. I grill rounds of lemon on the rack alongside my fish or shellfish, until nicely caramelized, 5 minutes or more, turning them occasionally. Another favorite: brush slices of country bread with garlic oil, and mark well on both sides (over a cool section of the grill), to serve with the fish.
• Serving Suggestions . . .
• Cooked Carrot Salad with Pine Nuts and Golden Raisins (page 45), Scallion and Asparagus Salad (page 35), or Eggplant all'Uccelletto (Poached Eggplant with Vinegar, Garlic, and Mint; page 252) would be an ideal accompaniment for grilled cod.
• First Make Garlic Oil-And Other Tips for Grilled Seafood
• Just a few steps from my kitchen is the door to a shady terrazzo where we relax and eat many of our summer meals. On one wall is a beautiful old-fashioned brick fireplace for cooking meats over wood coals. But often, I have to confess, I do my everyday grilling on a convenient gas grill with adjustable burners. And usually I grill fish or shellfish-it's always quick, and my family loves it.
• Here are my basic preparations for all fish or shellfish before grilling. They're useful for either gas or charcoal grills, although every grill differs in heat output and cooking times:
• First, make plenty of garlic-infused oil, ahead of time, to flavor all fish and shellfish, including clams, mussels, and oysters in the shell.
• For one cup of oil, drop 1/4 cup of sliced garlic in 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Let the oil infuse for 1/2 hour to 1 hour before using; then remove the garlic slices. The oil can be refrigerated for a week or more.
• Marinate the seafood in garlic oil: pour just enough oil over to coat; toss and turn to oil all surfaces. Toss in some of the garlic slices if the garlic oil is freshly made, or a few newly cut slices, as well as fresh herb stems or branches-such as thyme, bay leaves, or rosemary. Marinate all fish for an hour or two if possible before grilling, or even overnight (refrigerated, of course).
• Clean and scrape the grill rack well, and get it intensely hot over high heat or hot piled coals before putting on the fish.
• Grease the hot grill rack lightly before putting on food, with an oiled paper towel, or a piece of cured pork skin from prosciutto end (page 129).
• Sear fish without turning until deeply marked by the grill, anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes. Thorough searing minimizes sticking.
• For large fish or steaks, initially cook over high heat, then, halfway through, lower heat to medium; for smaller pieces, lower the heat (or spread the coals) and cook only over medium heat.
• Keep garlic oil handy, and drizzle or brush on seafood sparingly while grilling-usually on turning the pieces. Avoid spilling any oil onto the lava rocks or coals and starting smoky, bad-tasting flare-ups.
• Grill simple garnishes and accompaniments for seafood at the same time. I grill rounds of lemon on the rack alongside my fish or shellfish, until nicely caramelized, 5 minutes or more, turning them occasionally. Another favorite: brush slices of country bread with garlic oil, and mark well on both sides (over a cool section of the grill), to serve with the fish.