How to braai a whole fish like a pro

Unless you’re a skilled fisherman, cleaning and gutting a fish can be a mission, so start by selecting a scaled and gutted fish. Before cooking, score the fish at about 2-3cm intervals, cutting on an angle. This ensures the heat penetrates evenly into the fish and allows everything to cook at the same time. Without these slits, you’d run the risk of the thicker parts of flesh being raw, while the thinner tail end would be overcooked. When you’re ready to braai, get the fire to a nice steady medium heat and ensure the grill is clean.

Brush the fish with a little olive oil (and do the same to the grill too) and lay the fish down on the hot grill – with the tail end facing away from the hottest part of the fire. Depending on the size of your fish, cook it anywhere between 7-12 minutes per side. Now this is generally where the uncertainty comes in – how do you know when it’s ready to be flipped, let alone cooked? Use the knowledge you have when you’re cooking any kind of meat on the braai – if it sticks when you try to turn it over, leave for another couple of minutes. Use something slim like a fish spatula or two large regular ones to flip the fish to keep it from falling apart. When you think it’s nearing readiness, use the back of a spoon to lightly press down on the flesh. If it flakes slightly and is hot all the way through, you should be good to go. Remove it from the heat and allow it to rest for a few minutes before serving.

(Cook’s tip: Remember, if you’re really worried about the fish falling apart on the grid, you can always wrap it in foil – as long as you have the shiny side of the foil turned inwards – and cook it until ready.)

Once you’ve overcome the fear of cooking a whole fish on the braai, the possibilities of what to do with it are endless. Stuff the cavities with all manners of citrus, such as lemon, limes, oranges and grapefruit, as well aromatics like sliced red onion, fennel and herbs. If you want a bit of heat, rub it in a paste made from curry paste and coconut milk and baste it with this throughout the cooking process. We all know how to glaze snoek with apricot jam, but you can also use this on yellowtail or any other firm white fish. Ramp up the jam a bit with garlic, chilli and herbs to make it even more flavoursome.

Ready to tackle fish on the braai? Here’s a favourite recipe, which calls for silvers, but you can apply this to any firm fish.

Brush whole silvers with 1 T melted butter, 1 T olive oil and 1 T minced garlic. Braai over medium heat until cooked through, or cook at 180°C for 10–15 minutes, and finish with lemon juice. To make a side of braised fennel and celery salad, braise 1 head chopped fennel in 2 T olive oil over a medium heat. Season and allow to cool. Serve with ½ bunch chopped celery, 5 g chopped parsley, 5 g chopped mint, and the fennel fronds. Toss with 1 T olive oil and 1 T red wine vinegar.

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