Pepper-Grilled Paddlefish

I have received a few requests on how to cook paddlefish. This is one uggly fish, and not easy to cook. Sounds like when the boys catch ’em, they’re not quite sure what to do with ’em… sound familiar?? LOL

Mark raves about this grilled paddlefish recipe. He’s going to try it on the next fishing trip. Apparently, they’ve deep-fried the life out of the fish traditionally. Here’s a new idea…

The trick to paddlefish is to cook the heck out of it. Make sure it is done. This is not a fish to sear… it is meaty, and will be rubbery if not cooked through. I will continue to work on ideas, but this one seems to work. Two successful feeds and recipe requests so far. So, here it is. Simple and seems to please.

Ingredients

• 1 lb paddlefish cut into 4-6 oz servings
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
• 1/4 c medium ground pepper (I found a vegetable-flavored pepper that is really good)
• Course seas salt to taste
• 1/4 c dried cilantro

Directions

1. Mix the olive oil and the liquid smoke and coat fish all sides, generously
2. Mix dry ingredients and rub on all sides of fish portions
3. Grill directly on very hot grill
4. Turn when each side is charred
5. Continue to grill, checking every 3 minutes until the fish pulls apart easily. (It won’t flake like most fish. Think of this like a steak that you don’t want undercooked. It should pull apart with minimal effort. Undercooked = rubber!)

Serve immediately with your choice of vegetables, and a good hearty bread and butter. A light salad like Bok Choy and Strawberry Salad would go well to balance the meaty texture of the fish.