I am happy to admit that I had NO IDEA how to use a grill until my husband showed me how easy it was. Now, I don't use the brickets kind of grill, I use a gas grill. Be that as it may, understanding how to control the temperature and learning where the hot spots are is the key to successful grilling.
Today's food blog post is once again a VO friendly recipe. No dairy, no starch, just healthy and flavorful food that nourishes you and is simple to make. Remember a few posts ago the mention of how important prepping food is? Yup, once again the 'ol pre-sliced onions and bell peppers are on the menu! Major time saver! The protein for this recipe is Wild Mahi Mahi. I never buy farm raised fish. You can also use wild caught Cod for this too. I buy mine in the frozen section at, yes you guessed it, Trader Joe's. About three hours before dinner I take it out to defrost it while they are still in their packaging and place them on a sheet pan. This depends upon the day and how hot/cold it is. If you forgot to defrost it ahead of time here's a trick: place the unopened packages of frozen fish in a pan of water in your sink. Just tepid water, NOT HOT. You can weigh the packages down with a another pan or a lid so that they are submerged. Check on them and flip them every so often to help them to defrost. Once soft enough to poke with your finger they are pretty close to being defrosted.
Next, marinate! Get a shallow pan, I use a glass baking dish, and add olive oil, the juice of one lemon or lime, garlic salt, pepper and red pepper flakes if you want a kick. Mix the liquid together with a fork then place your defrosted fish into the pan. They don't have to be submerged, one side resting in the marinade is fine. You'll flip the fish with the same fork you used to mix up the marinade. Marinate, flipping every ten minutes or so, for about 30 minutes. When you have started the marination process, you'll be getting the rest of your gear ready for cooking.
Pre-heat your grill. I use a gas grill which will pre-heat differently than a brickett grill. You might have to start the brickett grill process much earlier. Prep your dishes. I use a cast iron pan with raised grill lines in it for my veggies. I make sure the pain is well oiled. I use a sheet of aluminum foil for the fish. I prep this with a spray of olive oil so the fish won't stick. I also roll up the sides a bit so the juices don't run off and cause flare ups. Do this right before grilling. I use a large cookie sheet to carry everything outside. In a bowl, toss the bell peppers and onions with olive oil, garlic salt and pepper. Keep flipping your marinating fish! Take the cast iron pan (or whatever pan you prefer to use) out to the grill and place it on the grill then close the lid. Pre-heating the pan helps to get it super hot so your veggies will cook fast. If you are not using a cast iron pan, wait to put the olive oil in until right before you put in the veggies. Once the grill is ready you'll put the pre-oiled foil on the grill then add your fish. You can carefully drizzle the marinade over the fish, avoiding any spilling into the flames as it will flare up. Toss the veggies into the pre-heated pan and close the lid. Remove the pan you used for marinating the raw fish. You'll need a clean plate or pan to put your cooked fish onto. Check your food every so often, flipping the fish with a long spatula once one side is browning up and tossing your veggies. If things are cooking too fast, adjust the flame or move your dishes to a cooler spot on your grill. Did you remember to bring hot pads? That pan you're cooking your veggies in gets HOT! The fish is done when it's flaking nicely with a fork and your veggies are done once the onions are caramelized and you've got some lovely color to your peppers.
Heat off! Remove items one at a time back to your kitchen, being very careful of your very hot veggie pan! I know I said this dish has no starch, but if you really want something more you can serve it with some steamed rice. Enjoy!