I envy the people that live by the coast. Not because of the great views or the calming sound of the ocean, but because of the fact that they can enjoy fresh seafood every single day. Sure there are some fishmongers in Joburg that do have really great fresh produce – still – it is about more than that. To be able to have unlimited resources of fresh seafood at your fingertips, must be a blessing.
It’s at one of those fishmongers that we found a beautiful yellowtail for the braai one day, after scouring the butchers for something to prepare for a couple of friends. Yellowtail seems to be a great fish to chuck on the grill and its darkish, meaty flesh takes on any flavor really well – it’s hard to mess up Grilled Yellowtail (except if you overcook it).
I haven’t had much experience with any kind of seafood really, but I was astounded at how easy it actually is. The great thing about having a fish braai or even preparing a piece of fish for dinner is that it literally takes a few minutes to cook. With fish, like this Grilled Yellowtail, I find that less is better. The simpler you keep your recipe – the better the outcome is.
I decided to flavor my Grilled Yellowtail with beautiful lemon butter, salt and pepper and a wonderful mix of fresh herbs to give extra aroma and taste to the dish. It turned out great, and with a couple of friends, a few glasses of wine and some mouthwatering sides – the Grilled Yellowtail didn’t last long.
I am always very skeptic about the cooking times when it comes to seafood. I always stress that the fish might be undercooked! My hubby however always handles the seafood “cooking” in our house, since he is very confident that the outcome will be a beautiful flaky Grilled Yellowtail. And he was spot on! The Yellowtail’s flesh has become so tender and buttery, and the flavor of the herbs made this dish a real treat. Wish we could have heard the waves crashing in the background though – that would have made my day!!
| Prep Time | 10 min |
| Cook Time | 10 min |
| Servings | people |
- 1,2 kg fresh yellowtail butterflied and cleaned by fishmonger
- 2 lemons
- 1 cup butter softened
- salt and black pepper to season
- handful parsley finely chopped
- handful chives chopped fine
- handful dill chopped fine
- foil
Ingredients
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- Open the butterflied fish and rest it skin down on the foil. Add the juice of one lemon to the melted butter.
- Season with salt and black pepper and brush half the lemon butter over the fish.
- Arrange the fish on a roster/grid – it’s just so much easier to handle on a hot braai.
- Cook on a hot grill (skin down) for about 10 minutes until the fish is hot right through. By now you can test if the fish is done by gently lifting the flesh with a fork. If it flakes – it’s done.
- Add the chopped herbs to the remaining butter and brush over the hot fish, drizzle with more fresh lemon juice from the other lemon, season, remove from heat and serve with your choice of sides.
