How to Grill Fish without it sticking • Two Purple Figs

This grilled trout is made effortlessly on the grill with SO MANY Tips and tricks to grill fish without it sticking. We learned the hard way how to grill fish. But once we got it, we can never look back! Grilled trout and any grilled fish is impeccably delicious, so read along for all the tips to perfect it!

If you’ve been hesitant about fish on the grill, we hear you! It’s definitely one of those tasks you need to fail at a few times before getting it right. Today’s grilled trout is cooked entirely on the BBQ. This grilled trout recipe is succulent with crisp skin, charred and so tasty! 

So we came up with this guideline or tutorial of how to cook fish on the grill without it sticking. 

There’s a detailed video and step by step for you to look at along with the writing  below. Make sure to read all the tips, tricks  and follow these steps for perfect grilled trout (or any fish) on the grill.

Why You’ll Love Grilled Trout

• The fish is succulent and juicy.
• You’ll get seriously crispy skin! 
• The charred flavor is impeccable, and no other method of cooking fish can achieve it.
• You’ll have this recipe ready in 12-15 minutes.
• While we love a simple spice blend, you can go as bold as you like with flavors and spices. 
• If you’re making a large amounts, we suggest the grill basket. It makes the whole process a breeeze.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Rainbow Trout. You can use salmon, or any other fatty type of fish. Dry fish is never a good candidate for the grill, unless it’s a firm fish like this Grilled Mahi Mahi. You can opt for skin on or skinless.
• Salt, pepper, chilli powder. Use your favorite seasoning, we love to keep it simple.
• Olive oil. You’ll need PLENTY of oil. We’ve used olive oil for flavor, but you can use a neutral tasting avocado oil too.

How to Grill Fish Without It Sticking

1. Clean the grill grates. This is essential for fish not to stick. You can use a brush, an onion, or as we did here aluminum foil. Just clump some foil into a ball and use tongs to rub it on the grates until they’re clean off any bits. Any bits of food will make your seafood stick.
2. Oil the grates. We use a kitchen paper towel, dab it with oil or spray it with an oil spray. Using the same tongs, wipe the oiled paper towel over the grates to make sure they’re well oiled.
   
3. Season the fish and oil it. You need lots of oil to coat the fish on both sides along with the seasoning. We use a simple salt, pepper and chilli powder to flavor the trout. You can use any blend you’d like as long as they’re dried spices. Avoid using fresh marinades that have liquids (like lemon juice) or fresh ingredient (like garlic).
4. Preheat the grill on high, with the lid on.
   
5. Place the Rainbow trout on the hot grill, skin side down.
6. Grill until the skin is crisp. You’ll notice the skin will slowly begin to detach from the grates, and that’s your hint to flip.
7. Use the correct spatula. Thin edges with a silicone cover is optimal to avoid scratching the fish.
   
8. Flip the fish from the grates. Use this technique for flipping: carefully lift the trout surface from the grate, go in between the fish and grates with the spatula.
9. Grill on the other side. Use the same technique : high heat, do not touch the fish, to flip use the spatula to separate the surface from the grill one grate at a time. 
   
10. Remove from the grill.

Grill Basket

There are times or types of super thin fish fillets that require a grill basket. Or you can probably prefer using it for peace of mind. Here’s how to grill fish using the grill basket.

1. Oil the grill basket. We love an oil spray as it covers so much of the surface area. Oil both inside, outside, both sides of the grill basket really well using the spray.
   
2. Season the fish with oil. Use the same seasoning guide as above. Lots of oil, no chunky or liquid marinades.
3. Place the fish in the middle of the grill basket. Arrange the seafood right in the center of your grill basket and close the top lid to cover it.
4. Hot grill. Similarly you’ll need a hot grill to start with. Place the basket over the grill grates, or remove the grates and place it directly on the rims of your BBQ.
   
5. Flip the basket. The good news here is that flipping is a breeze. Just flip the entire basket with all the fillets it has inside. Cook it on the other side again on high heat until your seafood is ready.
6. Remove from the grill.
   
   
7. Open up the basket carefully. It’s best to wait 2-3 minutes before opening up the basket, and feel free to use extra oil spray to unlock any areas that feel stuck to the grill basket. 

Serve Grilled Trout

Now that you’ve got perfectly grilled trout, serve it right away and enjoy! We love serving it with Mango Pico De Gallo and some Cilantro Lime Rice. 

You can serve it with any side dish or sauce that you like actually but we love this setup above! Try it with some Sweet Potato Fries, Air Fryer Asparagus, Spaghetti aglio e olio-Olive oil Pasta or Pan Fried Potatoes.

Salads are a great side dish too. Try our Panzanella Salad, Tomato Salad, Papaya Salad, or Watermelon Salad Wedges.

Tips For the Perfect Grilled Trout Recipe

1. Clean the grates of your grill. Any debris of leftover foods will stick on to your fillets and make it stick. 
2. To clean, rub the grates with an onion cut in half, a BBQ brush or a piece of aluminum foil clumped into a ball.
3. Make sure to oil the grates after they’re cleaned. It’s best to do so by oiling a kitchen paper towel and rubbing it over the grill grates.
4. Season  the trout with dry spice only. Avoid using chunky marinades with buts of garlic or ginger or onion or hebs etc. And likewise avoid liquid marinades that contain lemon juice or any liquid. 
5. Oil the fish really well. Like REALLY well on both sides. 
6. Make sure your grill is SUPER hot before placing the fish. 
7. Place the fish skin side down. 
8. Wait until the skin starts to pull out of the grill grates, this will be your clue to flip.
9. Use the correct spatula. It’s best to use a spatula that has a slim tip with a silicone coat. 
10. When flipping the trout on the grill, remove the fish from each grate carefully rather than swiftly flipping. Go on between the grates and push the fish away using your spatula. Continue cooking the other side on high heat as well.
11. If you’re doubtful or have a very thin fillet, or a dry type of fish, use a grill basket.  
12. Make sure you oil the grill basket on both sides, inside and out. Use an oil spray as it spreads the oil better on all the surface.
13. Season and oil the fish as above.
14. Place the fillets in the middle of the grill basket and place the whole basket on the grill. You can put it over the grates or remove the grates and have the grill basket over direct flames. 
15. Flip and continue cooking over high heat. 
16. Let the fish remain  in the grill basket for about 2 minutes before removing it to avoid sticking.
17.  Serve the grill trout with your favorite sides and enjoy!
    

What does Trout taste like? What is the difference between Trout and salmon?

Rainbow trout has a taste similar to salmon, but much milder and less richer in fish flavor. Salmon can live in lake and ocean water while trout mainly stays in lake water. You’ll also notice the salmon has usually a thicker fillet compared to the trout. 

How Do you tell when grilled Trout is done?

If you have a thermometer, you’re aiming at about 140-145 degrees F. Otherwise watch the color of the fish as it turns opaque, and firm to the touch. 

Can I grill a whole fish?

ABSOLUTELY  yes! It’s in fact delicious and much easier than fillets. You can follow the same tutorial here, use a grill basket or place the skin directly on the grill. Flip as above. The difference is here, since it’s a thick fish, you want to make sure it cooks through. The high heat will ensure it doesn’t stick, and will offer a crisp skin. To ensure the whole fish is cooked, you may opt to wrap it in foil once flipped on both sides, or lower the grill heat after both sides have crisped up. 

Seafood Recipes To Make

Tuna Crudo
Salmon Bowl
Tuna Wrap
Air Fryer Salmon Bites
Shrimp Scampi
Mahi Mahi Tacos
Sardines
Fish Fingers
Po Boy Sandwich