Say goodbye to boring fish dinners with Simple Grilled White Fish! This recipes unique combination of searing, poaching, and grilling creates an unforgettable flavor. Try it now and discover why Chef Gephart calls it, "hands down, the best way to cook fish!"
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Searing before poaching: Getting a hard, fast sear on the soapstone first locks in golden caramelization and flavor that poaching alone could never build, while the poach afterward finishes the fish gently so it stays moist.
- Cooking sear-side up in the poaching liquid: Flipping the fish so the seared crust faces up, rather than back down into the liquid, protects that caramelized surface from turning soggy while the poach finishes the raw side.
- Pulling the pan liquid straight into a pan sauce: Using the same wine-lemon poaching liquid — fond and all — as the base for the cream reduction means no flavor built during cooking goes to waste.
- Mounting the butter off the heat: Whisking in room-temperature butter after removing the pan from the fire keeps the sauce silky and emulsified instead of risking it breaking or separating over direct heat.
Simple Grilled White Fish
Eric Gephart
Rated 4.0 stars by 5 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
American
Servings
2
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Calories
427
Chef Eric Gephart fires up the Kamado Joe Classic III Ceramic grill for a Simple Grilled White Fish that he describes as, "hands down, the best way to cook fish!" This simple technique combines searing, poaching and grilling and can be utilized on any number of different white fish!
Ingredients
- 2 each (6-8oz) fillets Black Cod or similar white fish
-
1 tbsp Plowboys BBQ Fin and Feather Seasoning
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 each lemon, juiced
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 3 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
Poaching Liquid (amounts will vary depending on size of cooking pan. Liquid should come 1/4 of the way up the fish):
Reduction Sauce:
Directions
- Stabilize your Kamado Joe Classic III Ceramic Grill at 500ºF. Place your searing surface on the grill and allow it to come to temperature. Today I have chosen a Kamado Joe Soap Stone and I love this accessory for searing and cooking fish.
- Season the fish with Plowboys BBQ Fin and Feather Seasoning and slightly oil your cooking surface. Drag the seasoned fillet over the surface, if it sticks the surface is not ready for searing. IF the fillet glides over the surface without sticking, place it presentation side down and season the other side of the fish. Cook for roughly 90 seconds.
- While the fish is searing, combine the water, wine and lemon juice in a shallow grill safe pan and place the pan on the indirect side of the grill.
- Once you like the golden caramelization of the seared side, gently flip it into the poaching liquid with the sear side up. (The liquid should come 1/4 of the way up the sides of the fish. Ensure the fillet is not submerged.) Close the dome and allow the fish to cook until it comes to an internal temp of 145ºF.
Using a slotted spatula, remove the fish from the pan and transfer it to the presentation plate.
Examine the liquid left in the pan. If it is mostly reduced and evaporated, add a touch more white wine. Stir the liquid mixture to ensure you get the fond off the bottom of the pan and add the heavy cream. Move the pan to the soap stone and allow to reduce and slighly thicken. Take the pan off the heat and mount in the butter using a whisk. Pour the sauce over the fish and enjoy!
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why sear the fish before poaching it instead of just poaching it the whole time?
A hard sear on the soapstone builds a golden, caramelized crust that poaching alone can't produce. Finishing gently in the poaching liquid afterward keeps the delicate flesh from drying out while that crust stays intact.
Why flip the fish sear-side up before adding it to the poaching liquid?
Keeping the seared side above the liquid protects that crust from turning soft and soggy, while the unseared side finishes cooking gently in the wine, water, and lemon juice.
What internal temperature should the fish actually reach?
This recipe pulls the fish once it reaches 145°F, which matches the USDA's minimum safe internal temperature for fish exactly — no correction needed here.
Why use the same pan to make the sauce instead of starting a new one?
The poaching liquid already holds the fond and flavor released while the fish cooked. Reducing that liquid with cream, rather than starting fresh, turns what would be discarded into the base of the sauce.
Why mount the butter off the heat instead of just melting it in?
Whisking in room-temperature butter after the pan is off the fire lets it emulsify slowly into the sauce, giving it a silky texture. Melting it directly over heat risks the sauce separating or turning greasy.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
3 out of 5 — the searing, poaching, and sauce reduction can all be done on a stovetop with a hot skillet; the ceramic grill mainly adds a touch of char and smoke to the sear.
Recipe Highlights
Sear then poach: Searing first builds a crust that gentle poaching afterward can't strip away.
Sear-side up: Protects the caramelized crust while the poaching liquid finishes the other side.
One-pan sauce: The poaching liquid becomes the base of the cream reduction, so no flavor goes to waste.
Mounting butter off-heat: Keeps the finished sauce silky instead of risking separation.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 8.04 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 427
- Carbs
- 3 grams
- Protein
- 17 grams
- Fat
- 37 grams
- Sodium
- 82 milligrams
