BBQ turbot with lemons
Posted on 6th September 2021 at 10:16
Turbot is a glorious fish, the king of the sea for many chefs and fisherman alike. Although there are many ways to cook turbot sometimes the simplest ones are the best. This BBQ turbot recipe is perfect for summer alfresco dining with friends, with turbot creating the wow factor. If you are new to BBQing fish and want to try and cheaper fish to start with, I recommend doing this recipe with Brill using almost the exact same process but on a slightly smaller scale.
This recipe is best done using a wood fired or charcoal BBQ, we don’t want any of that outdoor gas cooker style BBQ nonsense here. Get your fire up to a good high heat and then let it calm to embers, you want to cook this fish in the residual heat rather than direct flame. Too much heat will lead to too much smoke which will impact the flavour of the turbot. The turbot will be all the better for a slower cook which allows the collagen in the fish to soften keeping it perfectly moist and soft.
Ingredients – feeds 4
• 1 whole turbot – approx. 1.5 kg
• 2 lemons
• Butter
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Cracked black pepper
Any Special Equipment
This is best done with a fish grilling cage as this will make the fish easy to turn without sticking to the BBQ. If doing without a cage I would recommend cooking the fish in smaller fillets so there is less turning required and hence less sticking. You will need to check your grilling cage is large enough for your turbot.
Preparing Your Turbot
1. Slice up the lemons, place 1 lemon sliced across the bottom of the fish cage.
2. Pat-dry the skin of the prepared whole turbot. Then gently rub a generous sprinkle of sea salt onto the fish on both sides. Place the fish on the bed of lemons in the cage and add the remaining slices of lemon to the top, then lock the cage.
3. Brush the outside of the fish with melted butter and olive oil and you are ready to start cooking.
Cooking turbot with fire
1. Place the fish cage over the fire/BBQ white skin side down. Cook for 5 minutes on each side then brush with oil and butter.
2. Continue cooking the fish, turning every 3-5 minutes until the fish reaches and internal temperature of 55 C or more. Brushing with butter and oil as needed.
3. The cook should take 25-35 minutes but each BBQ will vary, once cooked the skin should be crispy and charred.
4. Remove from the heat once cooked and ease the fish out of the grilling cage, using a sharp knife to release the skin where needed. Serve the whole fish in the middle of the table for everyone to dig in.
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