BBQ grilled fish with homemade chilli and lime dip

One of my favourite things to cook on the barbecue (well I prepare it, and my husband cooks it. Who are we kidding here?) is fish. Cooking fish on the barbecue is very straightforward and easy and is a great addition to a barbecue feast. The fish you see here is the black pomfret, which is readily available in Asia, but you can use other whole fish such as mackerel, hake, sea bass, red mullet, or sea bream. These fish selections are good since they will remain moist after grilling on the barbecue. Do ask your fishmonger to scale the fish, remove the guts and clean the gills for you.

Coincidentally it is National Fishing month in the UK, so you can even go catch your own fish at selected locations. Do check out the website here for details on when, where and how anyone who wants to learn more about fishing can take part at events in your local area.

Stuff the gutted fish with fresh herbs such as dill, oregano, parsley or thyme. I also like to squeeze some lemon juice onto the stomach area - this is to get rid of some of the strong fishy odors from the stomach area that some people do not like. The fish is then placed onto a hinged BBQ fish basket before being placed on the barbecue. If you do not own of these holders, you can also wrap the fish in tin foil and banana leaf. The banana leaf gives off a lovely fragrance to the fish and the outer casing will reduce the ferocity of direct contact with the fire.

Which type of fuel works best for grilling fish? For me personally, I like using charcoal fire, as it gives the fish smokiness and a little charring on the skin. I like to serve the grilled fish with a homemade chilli-lime dip which is wonderfully appetizing and spicy. I usually pound/ground it in a mortar and pestle (highly recommended if you have had a stressful week too) or you can place all the ingredients in a blender and blitz. This zingy dip also goes well with other grilled seafood such as prawns and squid.