Four cloves of garlic give the fish robust flavor—but feel free to adjust the amount of garlic cloves to taste. For the red chile flakes, you can use either the ready-to-go variety from the market or you can crush your own whole dried red peppers (anything from cayenne to Fresno to red-hot Scotch Bonnets).
Grilled Redfish with Onions
Ingredients
- 6 8-oz. (approx.) redfish, striped bass, or haddock fillets, skin and scales on, pin bones removed
- 1/4 cup olive oil; more for brushing
- 1 tsp. ground dried red chile flakes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 large cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
- 2-1/2 lb. (about 3 medium) Vidalia onions, peeled and left whole
- 2 large lemons, 1 juiced (about 1/4 cup), the other cut into wedges
- 3 Tbs. thinly sliced chives
- Coarse sea salt, such as fleur de sel, for serving
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- Prepare a charcoal or gas grill fire for indirect cooking over medium heat (350°F to 375°F).
- Rinse the fillets and pat dry. Brush the skin side of the fillets lightly with oil. Put the fillets on a large rimmed baking sheet, skin side down, and season with the chile, salt, and pepper. Divide the garlic among the fillets and drizzle each with 1 tsp. of the oil. Let marinate while preparing the onions.
- Clean and oil the grill. Lightly oil the onions and place them on the hot side of the grill, turning occasionally until charred on all sides, about 15 minutes. Transfer to the cooler part of the grill and cook until softened and a knife pierced into the center comes out easily, about 30 minutes more.
- Transfer to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, halve the onions lengthwise and thinly slice. Put the onions in a medium bowl and drizzle with half of the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss with the chives and set aside.
- Prepare the grill for direct grilling on medium heat (350°F to 375°F). Clean and oil the grill.
- Place the fish, skin side down, on the grill. Cover the grill and cook, without disturbing, until just cooked through, about 8 minutes. The flesh should flake easily with a fork.
- Using a long metal or fish spatula, transfer each fillet to a serving plate. Garnish each with a sprinkling of coarse sea salt, some parsley, a drizzle of the remaining lemon juice, and 1 tsp. of olive oil. Serve with the grilled onions and lemon wedges.