Do you ever go to the grocery store determined to stick with your list, and then all plans go haywire when you are blown away with beautiful fresh seafood and vibrant and colorful produce?
That is what usually happens to me. I just get inspired by whatever the grocery day has to offer. I can’t remember who, but a chef said you don’t have to do anything if you have the freshest and best ingredients.
Enter, spring grill menu.
Ingredients of Spring Grill Menu
The Meat: Whole Fish Skin-on
Your local fishmonger is the most reliable person to recommend the freshest fish if you do not have the eye to discern good quality. Mike saw this whole striped bass, skin-on. And the fish guy just removed the innards because I said I wouldn’t be making the dish until the next day.
You can choose whatever fish is available as long as it is whole and it has its skin & scales on. The fish scales and skin protect the delicate meat from crumbling on the grill. It also makes it easy to flip the fish.
I generously rubbed the cavity with salt and stuffed it with smashed garlic cloves, lemon slices (seeds removed), and sprigs of rosemary.
I cook the fish for about 20 minutes on each side at 375-400F on the gas grill.
My rule of thumb is about 20 minutes per pound of fish in a 375-400F.
The Vegetables
Get as many colors as you can to get the spring vibe. I chose peppers, squash, and zucchini for the cheerful colors of the season, the texture variation, and how they would hold up the integrity in the grill.
I threw in some Jalapenos for the heat. Deseed according to preference.
Grilling lemons are also a great way to amp the flavor of the citrus.
The vegetables’ sweetness is amplified and then layered with smoke and char from the grill. Complex but still fresh.
All these are tossed or drizzled with olive oil and a little salt to encourage the sweetness.
The Drizzling Sauce
Chimichurri is my best recommendation as a finishing touch. Preparing it is so noncommital, you can ask your guests to make it as you grill while sipping on your favorite drinks and munching on appetizers.
You can find my Reliable Chimichurri sauce here.
Tips
1. Get fresh fish, skin-on. Let your fish guy clean it up for you, so you need not worry about it later on.
2. Cooking fish: 20 minutes per pound of fish in a 375-400F grill.
2. Get the freshest produce you can find.
Pin The Spring Grill Menu
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Use #BeWithMia when you replicate the recipe so I can find you. I love to hear from you.
MAY FAITH, FOOD, AND LOVE FILL YOUR LIFE.
HAPPY COOKING!
MIA
Lemon-Stuffed Fish and Vegetable Grill
Make this part of your special spring menu: whole fish stuffed with lemons. The grilled vegetables and chimichurri sauce are the perfect complement to this grilled seafood.
Equipment
- gas grill
Ingredients
- 2 lbs striped bass
- 4 sprigs rosemary
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 whole lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 zucchini
- 2 winter squash
- 4 jalapeno
- 3 bell pepper
- 1 whole lemon
Instructions
- Set gas grill to 375 - 400 C.
Fish
- Slice lemons in thin discs.
- Salt the fish's cavity. Snug the lemons, garlic, and rosemary sprigs in the cavity.
- Set the fish on the grill on the hottest part of the grill for 20 minutes on each side.
Vegetables
- Slice the zucchini and winter squash in half longways.
- Cut the peppers and multi-color bell peppers in quarters long wats, remove pitch and seeds.
- Slice the lemon in half.
- Salt and drizzle the vegetables with olive oil.
- Cook in the grill for about 30 minutes until it chars.
- Serve with Chimichurri sauce.
Notes
1. Get fresh fish, skin-on. Let your fish guy clean it up for you, so you need not worry about it later on.
2. Cooking fish: 20 minutes per pound of fish in a 375-400F grill.
2. Get the freshest produce you can find.
