Whole Grilled Snakehead

Grilling a whole fish is surprisingly quick and easy and makes an impressive presentation. The flesh of snakehead is tender, mild, flakes beautifully, is not oily, and is incredibly versatile. Cooking it whole and freezing meal-sized portions for later gives you lots of options for fast, flavorful weeknight meals.

Snakehead_whole_grilled_girlgamechef

Yield: 4-6 servings or more

Time:   45 minutes

 

1 whole snakehead fish, approximately 6-7 lbs., gutted

½ bunch of fresh parsley

2 cloves garlic

½ large onion

8 sprigs fresh thyme

1 large lemon

½ tsp. coarse Kosher salt

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

Large sewing needle with a large eye

24” of kitchen twine, wet (or several long bamboo skewers, soaked in water)

Grapeseed oil

Two large pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil at least the same length as the whole fish

Clean fish thoroughly inside and out making sure to remove the gills, and pat dry with paper towels. Coarsely chop parsley, garlic, onion, thyme, and lemon and combine in a medium bowl. Season inside of fish with salt and pepper then pack the cavity with the herb mixture. Thread the needle with the wet twine. If the needle doesn’t have a sharp point, use a paring knife to cut small slits in the belly skin of the fish about ½” above the belly opening and about 1½ to 2” apart. The skin will be hard to push the needle through, so be careful to keep your fingers out of the way as you pierce it. Carefully, loosely sew the belly together to hold the filling in. (Instead of lacing the cavity closed with twine you can also soak long bamboo skewers in water and weave it through the belly flap to close it.)

 Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat (about 400°). Thoroughly and lightly coat the fish with grapeseed oil and lightly brush half of the long edge of the foil with oil. Lay the fish on its side on the oiled foil and transfer the fish and foil onto the preheated grill. Close the lid and cook the fish for approximately 10 minutes. (Generally, whole fish need 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Estimate by measuring to the fish's spine.)  Carefully brush the empty side of the foil with oil – it will be hot! Use an oven mitt to grab the corners of the foil close to the fish and gently roll it onto the empty side of the foil; cook the fish for another 10 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to test the internal temperature of the meat at the thickest part (this will be close to the head). Meat is finished when it reaches an internal temperature of 145°. Gently transfer fish to a serving platter, remove the twine, and serve.

Cleaning the Fish

Cleaning these fish presented a few challenges, so here are a few things I did that worked well for me:

  • Snakeheads are incredibly slimy! The slime factor seems to increase the longer the fish wait to be cleaned.

  • Gloves help. To help keep a good grip on the fish during cleaning, wear rubber-palmed gloves.

  • The sliminess makes it difficult to keep the fish from sliding all over the table during gutting and scaling. Put an old towel on top of the table for better traction.

  • Watch out for insects! Yellowjackets are attracted to fish and find them quickly, so watch out or clean the fish indoors or in a screened area.

 Freezing and Cooking

Freezing individual raw fillets may result in the cooked portions becoming tough, chewy, rubbery, stringy, or fibrous. It’s best to use the frozen-raw portions within a few months of freezing. For the best texture, avoid overcooking.

 The cooked meat freezes well and is suited for a variety of cooking methods including grilling whole, which has several benefits:

  • If you’re not good at filleting, getting the bones out is easier when the fish is cooked

  • Cooking with the skin on protects the meat from drying out

  • You get ready-to-eat portions with a neutral flavor profile, which allows you to be creative with leftovers

 Serving Suggestions

The cooked fish can be used for a variety of dishes – here are just a few suggestions:

  • Use the grilled fish for tacos and top with slaw, diced avocado, red onion, crumbled cotija or queso fresco cheese, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.

  •  Swap it out for tuna in a sandwich - replace canned tuna fish with the cooked, flaked fish

  • Make a risotto with fish or chicken stock (or a combination) and top with grilled fish

  • Use it in your favorite recipe for a whitefish dip or pate