Grilled Halibut with Nectarine and Cherry Salsa

If your halibut sticks to the grill, it’s a good idea to just leave the skin on while cooking and then remove the skin before serving. For best grilling results, spray some cooking oil on the grates before lighting, set the fish skin-side down on the grates, and don’t flip it unless you’re sure it will work. Close the lid on the grill and the fish will continue to cook.

Four 6- to 8-ounce halibut fillets, skin removed

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 medium nectarines, flesh chopped into 1/2-inch cubes

1 cup cherries, seeded, halved

1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped

2 green onions, the white bulbs, with half of the green parts, minced

1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Season with salt and pepper and place on medium heat on the grill until just cooked. Flip fish over halfway through cooking if you are confident that fillets will remain intact. To prepare salsa, combine all ingredients and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. To serve, place fish on plate and spoon salsa over middle half. Do not smother the fish with salsa.

Bacon-wrapped Grilled Trout
Fish and game cooks love to wrap stuff in bacon: “You take your goose and cut it into little strips. Then, you soak it in a combination of Worcestershire, ketchup, Italian dressing, garlic, onion and Coca-Cola for, oh, about three days. Then, you wrap ‘em up in jalapeño pepper and bacon and toss them on the grill. They don’t even taste like goose!” Whether you go to extreme measures to make your fish and game edible or not, the bottom line is most things taste better wrapped in bacon, and fresh-caught trout is no exception.

2 whole dressed trout, about 1 pound each

Salt and black pepper

Juice of 2 lemons

1/2 bunch fresh basil

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 thinly sliced onion rings

6 slices of tomato

4 strips bacon

Short skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes

Season fish inside and out with salt and pepper. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into each cavity. Pack equal portion of basil, garlic, onion and sliced tomato into cavity. Wrap each with 2 strips of bacon and secure with skewers. Place on medium-low heat on a barbecue grate for 5 to 7 minutes then flip over and cook other side 7 additional minutes or until bacon is browned or crispy and fish is “just” cooked throughout. Remove skewers and serve fish whole.

Note: When wrapping fish and game in bacon try cooking the bacon strips halfway first and then wrap them around the meat or fish fillets right away. This is especially good with food that cooks quickly (e.g., dove breasts), as bacon will then crisp up with the remaining cooking time on a grill.