Grilled Redfish on the Half Shell
By Andrew Zimmern
A day on the water in South Carolina with captain Jim fishing for redfish can’t be beat, it was such a fantastic opportunity. But, getting to cook those redfish over an open fire? That’s the real treat. The best way to cook redfish is “on the half shell.” The skin is really thick and covered in monstrous scales, so if you leave that on, you can place your filets over the coals and basically roast it in the skin. No need to flip it, the skin and scales protect the flesh and the fish will cook perfectly. I like to serve it with a crawfish sauce piquant, a spicy and tangy Louisiana favorite that starts with a rust colored roux. The Creole and Cajun flavors marry so well with the redfish.
Watch this episode of Field to Fire on Outdoor Channel and Tastemade.
Grilled Redfish with Crawfish Sauce Piquant
Ingredients
Crawfish Piquant
- 1/2 stick butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup minced onions
- 1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper
- 1/2 cup finely diced yellow bell pepper
- 1 cup minced celery
- 1 serrano pepper, minced, or more to taste
- Several sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme, tied together tightly
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 3 cups shellfish broth or fish broth… even a nice chicken broth works
- 16 oz can tomato puree
- 1 pound cleaned crawfish tail meat (you can use shrimp or any other similar seafood
Redfish
- 2 filets redfish, skin and scales left on
- 1 tablespoon Andrew Zimmern’s Grill Magic seasoning
- 2 tablespoons harissa paste
- Lemon Rice Pilaf for serving (recipe)
Instructions
First, start the crawfish piquant. Melt the butter in a heavy pot over medium heat and add the flour. Brown the roux, stirring, until it is medium brown. Add the tomato paste and stir. Add onions, peppers, celery, serrano and herb bundle. Stir and cook for a few minutes. Add the wine, stock and tomato puree and cook down until sauce consistency is reached, about 30 minutes. Add the crawfish and cook for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the redfish. Make sure with your redfish, especially the bigger ones, that you leave the skin and scales on the filet. Why leave the scales on? Because they protect the meat, allowing you to high heat sear on a grill and cook perfectly without destroying the fish.
Season the filets with the Grill Magic seasoning. Spread the harissa paste evenly over the flesh side of the fish.
Grill “on the half shell” on one side over medium direct heat. Cook for 15 minutes or so, until fish is flaky but still moist. If you are charring skin, but meat is still not cooked the fire is too hot.
Serve with the rice and sauce piquant.
