fins to flame

Fins

Bravery and Branzino

By Tony Niccoli

A few weeks ago, as I was closing the shop on a Friday evening, I got the sudden impulse to grill some fish! This is a pretty common feeling for me, and a summer evening or afternoon is the absolute perfect time to enjoy a few hours in the backyard cooking and eating something that Heather and I both love.

A quick text to the wifey to confirm that a Saturday afternoon of putting some Fins to Flame would work with our weekend schedule, and I was on my way to the local fishmonger to get two cuts of salmon. Fridays are the best, because we have a little local pop-up that comes to town with amazingly fresh cuts and tons of choices. For me, salmon is just a no-brainer. I love to work with both the steaks and the fillets, and I range anywhere from directly on the grill grates with just some oil and salt, up to cedar planking with complex sauces and marinades at times. It’s the kind of thing I can just run on autopilot without needing to look up a recipe or cook-time, and there is never a day that I don’t have a few planks of cedar ready to go. Salmon to me is a staple like some other people go to hotdogs and hamburgers for a last minute cookout.

So there I am, Friday evening, mouth already watering, walking up to the counter and reading the boards that show their daily catch. Salmon ... lets see ... wild caught Chinook! Oh wow, they have Kings on this week, the big daddies - and I know that these are the richest and fattiest of the salmon types. A true luxury ... but wait ... looks like he’s putting a line through it. 86 the King Salmon. No problem, I continue to scan the board.

Alaskan Sockeye. Next on the board after the Chinooks. They’re my favorite! These beauties are so flavorful, and I know that they are wild and sustainable. A nice juicy Chinook fillet is going to be perfect on the grill! Deep red color, skin that crisps up to a decadent flakey texture, and plenty of rich fat to season the meat. I’m so excited about the idea of drizzling on a little oil and hitting them with some salt then cooking directly over the grates that my brain just refuses to process it. Already out for the day.

I get to the front of the counter and just sputter. “Are you guys out of the Chinooks? Anything left at all?” I know the answer but I’m just hoping they somehow crossed it off the board before I came but still had two big cuts lurking in one of these coolers held back for me. I don’t think I even heard the reply, and my mind was now trying to quickly adapt and scan the rest of the boards. Trust me, salmon isn’t all they have on any week - there are always tons of choices of amazing fish and various types of seafood. But now I’m feeling a little unsure. I had my mind set, but normally I’d show up early on Friday and not late in the evening. I read past at least 10 other types of fish that I’ve had experience with and my thoughts go back to salmon. What am I going to cook this weekend?

One of the best parts of finding a great local source for your grilling goods, be it vegetable, animal, or doughnut, is getting a little advice from an expert when you make the selection. I scan the boards one more time and then just blurt out, “I wanted to grill this weekend. I had been thinking about salmon.”

And then he went and said it. And that simple sentence shook me to my core. “We have some incredible whole Branzinos!”

I could have just said I wanted the Rockfish. I’ve grilled those a ton of times. Simple fillets, maybe even tacos! Why didn’t I just ask for Rockfish!

Or shrimp! Oh, just imagine the skewers with buttery, savory grilled shrimp that could have highlighted my weekend. Shrimp are so easy to grill!

But no, I asked for advice, and I got the whole Branzinos. My brain goes into panic mode. I don’t do whole fish. I don’t know a recipe or have much experience. My dad and I used to foil wrap trout with a little bit of lemon and onion, but Branzino is Mediterranean and fancy and full of bones, and probably really hard to cook. Okay, he’s looking at me. I write an article about grilling. Can’t show fear here. “Ya, Branzino ... that sounds ... “ Oh no, he definitely knows! I should have just said Mahi Mahi, or Tuna steaks, or even Oysters! Now I’m about to have to buy a whole fish, I can’t back down here. And then when I get home, what am I going to tell Heather? I can’t just leave it in the fridge and hope it cooks itself at some point. My hands are starting to sweat a little. “Ya, Branzino ... “ I think I already said that - am I repeating myself? They definitely know. And then he tells me. This is no-fear fish grilling. This is easier than Salmon. This is like training wheels for cooking whole fish. Cool - I mean, I already knew that! But it’s just nice to hear how he would do it. And how he would deal with all those bones.

Flame to

MOSCOW 519 S Main 208.883.3866 LEWISTON 609 Main 208.743.3232 ampersandoil.com Whole fish on the grill? Of course that’s already in your skillset! Make it look easy and amaze them. Obviously, start with a whole Branzino. It should be just over a pound, and so each fish will be perfect to serve two adults. Get it gutted, gilled, and have them remove the scales. You can leave the fins, but it is fine to ask for those off too. Buy it fresh and cook it fresh! A night or two in the fridge is okay, but it’s best used as quickly as you can. Put a few slits across the flanks to allow heat to circulate below the skin, and then generously season with salt and pepper (inside and out) and drizzle plenty of olive oil on the outside. To pack the inside, slice up some fresh lemon and add any aromatics and flavor you want. I used some sweet Walla Walla Onion, and a little sprinkling of Italian seasoning. In a separate grill pan, I also got a little char on a few more lemon slices and some extra onion so we could season them to taste after the fish was served. Get the grill nice and hot, then make sure it is well oiled. If you have a hotter zone, point the head and thicker side towards it with the tail facing away. 5 minutes on the first side with the lid closed is all you need before the flip. I used a spatula and tongs, working the flat blade delicately under the skin to make sure it would release easily as I used the tongs to lift and support the weight of the head. If you oiled the grates, didn’t peek under the lid, and had high heat it should easily release. Undercooked fish will stick and need a little more time. The second side gets another 5 minutes, and since I had the grill open for the flip I gave my basket of lemons and onions a little stir to expose new surfaces to the heat. After the five minutes for the second side, the fist was at a perfect 140 degrees, so I knew I could safely pull it and get up to that magic 145 as it was continuing to cook during the rest on my serving board. I took the few minutes it needed to rest to snap some photos for you and run into the kitchen to grab my sides. Moment of truth! Time to separate the portions and pull the bones. With a sharp knife, I cut off the head - you can easily sense and feel the joint there - and then I scooped out the fillings in the cavity. Next take off the little line of fat along the belly side, and cut off the very top along the spine where the fins are located. I then ran a little cut at the tail to separate the upper fillet, and finally, starting at the head I gently ran my knife under meat along the bones. That first fillet lifted off almost perfectly! It did break into two pieces because I got a little excited and went too fast moving it to the plate. Now, grabbing the tail, and pretending to be a cat in a cartoon, I very delicately lifted the tail, and all the bones came with it! Left on the bottom of the board was the second fillet in perfect condition and I gently put that on Heather’s plate (I wanted full credit for my skilled cooking and pushed the two pieces of my broken fillet together to make it look restaurant-quality).

So there it is - approachable, delicious, whole fish coming off the grill to delight the people you love. Go ahead and skip the salmon this week - conquer your fear and grill those gills!