Old Timber Outdoors
More fish recipes

Redfish (red drum) fillets, skin and scales left on

Grilled Redfish on the Half Shell

Redfish fillets grilled scale side down so the skin and scales act as a pan, basted with garlic lemon butter.

Serves
4
Hands-on
25 min
Total
33 min
Skill
Some experience

Cooks on: Grill · Dinner

Ingredients

  • 2 lbRedfish (red drum) fillets, skin and scales left on, 2 to 4 fillets, skin and scales on
  • 6 tbspButter
  • 3 clovesGarlic, minced
  • 2Lemon
  • 1½ tspSalt
  • ½ tspBlack pepper, ground
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 tbsp chopped parsley

You'll need

  • Grill
  • Instant-read thermometer

Helpful: stovetop.

Contains

Fish, Dairy.

Method

  1. Heat the grill to medium-high, about 400°F, for direct cooking. On a charcoal grill, leave one side with fewer coals as a cooler spot.
  2. Melt the butter with the garlic in a small pan over low heat on the grill or stove and cook 1 minute, until fragrant but not browned. Stir in the juice of 1 lemon and the parsley. Pour half into a separate bowl and keep it clean for serving.
  3. Pat the flesh side of the fillets dry. Season the flesh with the salt, pepper, smoked paprika and cayenne, and brush it with some of the basting butter.
  4. Lay the fillets scale side down on the grate; no oil is needed, the scales do not stick. Close the lid and cook without flipping. After about 6 minutes, brush the flesh again with the rest of the basting butter so the top stays moist. Keep cooking, lid closed, until the flesh is opaque, flakes easily, and reads 145°F in the thickest part: about 10 to 12 minutes for 1-inch fillets and up to 18 minutes for thick ones. Start checking early; the thermometer decides, not the clock.
  5. Slide a wide spatula under the scales and lift the fillets off. Spoon the reserved butter over the fish, cut the second lemon into wedges, and serve the flesh straight off the skin.

When it's done: 145°F

Federal guidance: 145°F, or until the flesh is no longer translucent and separates easily with a fork.

If it goes wrong

Scales charring and the top still raw
The fire is too hot. Move the fish to the cooler spot and keep the lid closed so the top cooks from the trapped heat.
Top dry while the thick end is still underdone
The fillets were uneven. Baste again, and set the thin tail end over the cooler part of the grill.
Fillet curling
The skin tightens as it heats. Moderate heat and a closed lid keep it flat; do not score the scales, or the juices run out through the cuts.
Flesh sticking to the skin when serving
That is normal; spoon the meat off and leave the skin behind.

Leftovers. Keep fish at 40°F or below until cooking. Eat right away; refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and reheat to 165°F.