How To Cook Fish On A Griddle: Easy Tips For Cooking Salmon, Trout

How To Cook Fish On A Griddle: Easy Tips For Cooking Salmon, Trout, Cod and Blacken Fish

Who doesn’t love the deliciousness of fish? Besides, well-cooked fish with some chips will make your day great!

In addition to being delicious, fish is a very nutritious food since it’s rich in proteins. Fish also contains other nutrients like Omega 3, which enhances brain function and promotes healthier nails and skin.

But you probably knew that already! What most people don’t know is that fish can be cooked on a griddle!

One benefit of cooking fish on a griddle is that it results in a healthy, light dish. You can then enjoy this tasty meal with other food items like vegetables and rice.

Cooking fish on an electric griddle is simple and quick. But, do you know how to do it? In this article, I’ve created a practical and comprehensive guide to help you with that! Continue reading!

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Choose Your Fish First

Fish is not like any other type of meat. Therefore, before you even get to the cooking part, be very careful when choosing your fish! 

If you’re not careful, you might end going home with a dried up or old fish. Therefore, opt for fresh fish instead. You can even inquire when or where that fish was caught from.

How do you even know whether the fish is fresh or not? 

Simple! Just look at its appearance! Fresh fish are usually shiny and moist. Moreover, its eyes are supposed to be clear and its skin should be firm and bounce back when touched.

Another way of knowing whether the fish is fresh is by smelling it. If it’s fresh, it should either be odorless or smell a bit like a sea/lake. Don’t buy a fish with a strong odor!

The fat content of the fish

Another important thing you should know about fish is that the cooking time depends on its fat content. Besides, the fat content impacts the flavor, seasonings, as well as the cooking temperature. There are 2 types of fish depending on the fat content; fatty fish and lean fish!

• What is the difference between fatty and lean fish? 

Fatty fish have an intense flavor and they contain plenty of Omega 3, creating a hearty and healthy meal. They require a longer cooking time that lean fish to cook fully. As for the fat content, they’ve more than 5% fat content.

On the other hand, lean fish are gentle and cook up quickly. They contain less than 5% fat content. The main problem with lean fish is that you can easily tear them apart even with a spatula when cooking them. Therefore, steam is the best way to cook these fish to intensify their flavor and keep them moist.

If you’re not sure whether the fish is fatty or lean, ask the fishmonger.

• How does the fish fat contact impact the seasonings? 

As I said earlier, you must consider the fat content of the fish when adding seasonings like herb, or spice. Since fatty fish contain intense flavor, pair them with seasonings that have strong flavors. As for the lean fish, pair them with simpler seasonings to avoid overpowering the fish flavor.

What if the fish is frozen? 

Freezing technology is a popular technique that is used to preserve fish fresh for a long. This also ensures that the nutrients and flavor are preserved. Chances are, that fish you bought from the fishmonger was flash-frozen after it was caught. However, you should avoid refrozen fish.

Cooking Fish on an Electric Griddle

The Preparation processes! 

Now that you know how to choose the best fish for cooking, let’s look at the preparation process. This process ensures that your fish have the best flavor and taste delicious! The preparation process includes the following steps:

  • If you’ve got a frozen fish, you can’t just put it on your griddle. Instead, keep it at ambient temperature and leave it for some time so that it can unthaw. Cooking frozen fish will make it cook unevenly since some areas are more thawed than others.
  • After all the ice has melted, oat down the fish with some dry paper towels.
  • Ensure that your fish is cut correctly. To save time, ask your fishmonger to cut the fish for you into steaks or fillets.

But if you need to consume it whole, proceed with the following steps!

Cooking fish on an electric griddle
  • Place the fish on the cutting board.
  • To gut or descale the fish, use a knife with a long and thin blade. Don’t use serrated cutting knives as they can tear the meat apart. Fish meat is soft, remember?
  • Wear gloves and descale the fish with the cutting knife using small, fast strokes. Start from the tail and move towards the head.
  • After removing the scales completely, turn the fish so that its belly faces upwards. Then make a cut starting from the gills towards the stomach.
  • Open up its belly and use fish shears to cut a bone close to the gills. Then remove the fish entrails.
  • Place the fish in a sink to rinse out all residues.
  • When done, use a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
  • Now, do you know how to season fish? Easy! Just rub the fish with the appropriate seasonings. Make sure you spread out the seasonings on the fish uniformly.
  • If you’re preparing lean fish, apply a gentle seasoning as I said earlier. You can even use 2 seasonings at the same time, provided you don’t overdo it. But for fatty fish, stick to one seasoning only! After seasoning, you can now griddle your fish!

The Cooking Process! 

For this process, you’ll need; a griddle, olive oil, shallow dish, spices and herbs as well as nonstick cooking spray. If you’re wondering about the best electric griddle to cook fish, BLACK+DECKER GD2011B Family-Sized Electric Griddle is such a great option. 

Got them? Then, let’s go! 

  • Preheat your griddle to medium heat and brush or spray it griddle surface with some olive oil. Olive oil is ideal for any type of fish and adds a Mediterranean flavor. For a more neutral flavor, use canola oil.
  • Season both sides of fish with some pepper and salt. Using your hands, gently rub the seasoning on the fish to avoid tearing it apart.
  • Put the fish on the hot griddle surface. Once you put it on the surface, it will contract instantly.
  • This might even cause it to bend upwards as the proteins react with the griddle heat. Worry not! Just press down the fish edges and straighten it out with a spatula.
  • Let each side cook for about 2 to 8 minutes until it turns golden brown. The cooking time varies depending on the fish type you’re cooking.
  • When you see a seared crust, gently flip the fish over using a spatula.
  • Let it cook for the same time as the first side. Once both sides are fully cooked, take it off the griddle surface and put it on the plate.
  • Give it some time to cool down. After that, you can enjoy your delicious fish! Yummy! 
How To Cook Fish On A Griddle

How Do You Blacken Fish on a Griddle?

Blackening is a form of a cooking technique that’s mainly used to prepare protein-laden foods like fish, chicken and steak. It’s ideal for the fish with firm flesh such as snapper, salmon, and redfish.

  • To blacken fish, you’ll need the following ingredients; firm fish flesh, blackening spices, and unsalted butter.
  • Preheat your griddle for about 15 – 30 minutes. Then dip the fish into butter.
  • Sprinkle the blackening spices on each side of the fish flesh.
  • Put it on the hot griddle surface and let it the first side cook for about 2 - 3 minutes. You can wait until the first almost turns black.
  • Carefully turn the fish to the other side.
  • Pour some butter on the already cooked side as you wait for the other side to cook for about 2 – 3 minutes.
  • When both sides are completely cooked, remove the fish from the griddle and put it on a plate
  • Now serve the blacked fish right away!
How to blacken fish on a griddle?

Cooking Cod on a Griddle 

Using a griddle to cod is not hard at all. This is because a good griddle like CostZon Electric Teppanyaki Table Top allows your fish to cook quickly and evenly. Thus giving you a perfectly cooked cod with all its natural flavor and juiciness intact! Want to know how to cook cod with a griddle? Try following these steps: 

  • Make sure you have these ingredients: oil, seasoning, a cod fillet.
  • As always start by preheating the griddle. To cook cod, you can adjust the temperature from medium to high.
  • Brush both sides of the cod fillet with some seasoning and oil.
  • Then put the seasoned cod on the hot griddle surface.
  • Let the skin side of the cod cook for about 3 to 5 minutes. However, the actual cooking time will depend on the cod thickness.
  • Turn it over, and let the other side cook for the same period.
  • When the internal temperature of the cod reaches 145° F, remove it from the cooking surface.
  • Let it rest for about 5 minutes before you serve it!
Cooking Cod on a Griddle

How to Cook Salmon on a Griddle 

If you want to cook salmon on your griddle, you’ve to use the right technique. What’s this technique? Just, follow the following steps, and you’ll have cooked your salmon on the griddle to perfection! But first, you’ll need; oil, seasonings (pepper & salt), and, of course, your scaled and well-cut salmon.

  • Preheat your griddle to medium-high temperature range.
  • Apply some oil across the preheated griddle surface.
  • Season each side of your salmon with pepper and salt and gently rub them into salmon. Afterward, make sure you wash your hands thoroughly to get rid of any bacteria.
  • Place the salmon fresh on the griddle surface, starting with the skin-free side first.
  • Let it cook for about 3 to 5 minutes. Then use a spatula to turn it over to the skin side. Let it cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.
  • If you want to add extra flavors to your salmon, this is the time! For instance, you can put some dried/fresh herbs or even some lemon juice.
  • When the skin side is fully cooked, remove the salmon from the griddle.
  • Let it rest for some minutes before you start enjoying it!
How to cook salmon on a griddle

Cooking Trout on a Griddle 

Trout is a lovely and popular fish that tastes delicious when cooked over a griddle, especially if it’s fresh. Even better, you can some lemon slices or herbs to make it even more delicious. You can find trout fillets in the aisle or meat section of a supermarket or grocery store. Now that you know where to get trout fillets, let’s see how you can cook it over a griddle surface!

  • If the trout is freshly caught, clean it, and remove the head.
  • Then preheat your griddle to the searing temperature, usually around 400° F.
  • Coat the outer side of the trout with some oil, and sprinkle some pepper and salt.
  • If you want to add some herbs, combine them with the seasoning and rub them onto the trout flesh.
  • After that, put the trout on the hot griddle surface.
  • Let the first side cook for about 4 – 5 minutes. You can also wait until it turns brown and the flesh comes off the bone.
  • Flip the trout and let the 2nd side cook for the same amount of time.
  • When the 2nd side is cooked fully, remove the trout from the griddle surface.
  • Unlike most griddled meats, you can enjoy your trout immediately. Moreover, you can serve it with other dishes like salads and fresh bread.
Cooking trout on a griddle

FAQs:

What temperature to cook fish on griddle?

For the perfect internal doneness and outer caramelization when griddling fish, adjust the griddle temperature between 350 & 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Can you cook fish on an electric griddle?

Of course, you can. However, cooking fish on a griddle can sometimes produce fumes and smoke. For this reason, some people prefer to bake the fish in an oven instead.

Can you fry fish on a Blackstone griddle?

Why not? Just heat and oil up the griddle, then put the fish on the hot surface. Wait for the first side to turn golden brown and flip it cook the other side. Wait for it to turn golden brown before you remove it from the Blackstone griddle.

How long does it take to cook salmon on a griddle?

Cooking salmon on a griddle takes about 6 to 10 minutes. Start by cooking the skin side first, for 3 – 5 minutes. Flip it over and cook the other side for the same amount of time.

Conclusion:

After going through this article, I hope you’ve learned how to cook fish on a griddle to perfection. Remember, griddling fish is a healthy way of preparing a delicious meal. So, feel free to griddle a fish yourself and consider every tip I have stated above.

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Theresa Lori
 

Hi, I'm Theresa. My passion for grilling delicacy gradually built during the time I was living with my parents. My family members especially my mother was a great fan of grilled dishes to and from the love of food. I started preparing smoked food with my mom. This bonding helped me to know more and more about to smoke, grill what always I share on SmokeGears.com. So, in two words you can call me a BBQ lover.

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