On the Half Shell {Italian Marinated Grilled Redfish}

Remember the grilled chicken marinated in Italian salad dressing craze in the 80s?  I sure ate a lot of that growing up.

We also ate grilled redfish done the same way.

First...getting the redfish.

Redfish, or red drum, are highly sought after gamefish found along the gulf coast.

They are more bronze or copper colored than red and can easily be identified by the black "eye" spots near their tails.

Redfish make a drumming sound with their swim bladders.  These two silly boys are trying to listen for the drumming.

Redfish are commonly used in Courtbouillon (COO-be-yaw), a Creole, tomato-based stew (nothing like the French Court Bouillon).  They were also made popular by Chef Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Redfish.

Another authority on Louisiana cooking, Frank Davis, popularized the "half shell" method of filleting and cooking redfish.  Especially for grilling.

Redfish on the half shell means that the scales and skin are left on the fillet.  This prevents fish from sticking to your grill and also helps keep the flesh from overcooking.

Works like a charm.

Print It!

Italian Marinated Grilled Redfish on the Half Shell

2 cups Italian Salad Dressing
2 lb redfish fillets (half shell preparation)
Vegetable oil
1 large roma tomato, chopped (optional)
2 Tbsp chopped green onion (optional)

Pour 1 to 1 1/4 cups dressing into a shallow pan or container.  Place the fillets flesh side down in the dressing.  Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before grilling.  Discard dressing after marinating.

Prepare grill for moderate heat.  Rub the skin side of the fish with a small amount of vegetable oil and place the fillets skin side down on the grill.  Use the remaining dressing to baste the fish every few minutes.  Grill until the fish flakes with a fork--this will depend on the thickness of your fish.

Place fish on a platter and scatter chopped tomato and green onion on top.  To serve, use a spatula to scrape/scoop the flesh from the skin and scales.



More fish recipes...

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