Amberjack steaks help

[rosieparisian]

Hi friends! I have a Chargriller Blazer and I’m going to attempt Amberjack steaks tonight. I’ve never gotten the hang of fish but I’d like to not mess this up. I’ve done some research but I trust y’all more. Tips? Suggestions?

 

[Jim6820]

Well, I’ve never cooked Amberjack, but have cooked a lot of Salmon, Halibut, cod and Ahi tuna. The main concerns are keeping it from sticking to the grill, and, not overcooking it.

I brush my fish with EVO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and season with salt and pepper before putting it on the grill. I usually do fish at 180-200F to start (15-30 minutes) in order to get a little smoke and then raise the temperature to around 275 until the fish just begins to flake apart when checked with a fork. The EVO helps prevent sticking and starting the fish at a lower temperature also helps in that regard.

One of these days, I am going to try one of those new-fangled cooking mats with fish; that might really solve the sticking issue.

Good luck with your cook.

 

[Pacman]

@Jim6820 's approach sounds about perfect...or at least my approach would be very similar. I do use those newfangled cooking mats for delicate things like fish and some vegetables.

I've only had Amberjack once that I caught while on a trip to Costa Rica. Big fish that put up quite a fight!

 

[SmokeZilla]

Well, I’ve never cooked Amberjack, but have cooked a lot of Salmon, Halibut, cod and Ahi tuna. The main concerns are keeping it from sticking to the grill, and, not overcooking it.

I brush my fish with EVO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and season with salt and pepper before putting it on the grill. I usually do fish at 180-200F to start (15-30 minutes) in order to get a little smoke and then raise the temperature to around 275 until the fish just begins to flake apart when checked with a fork. The EVO helps prevent sticking and starting the fish at a lower temperature also helps in that regard.

One of these days, I am going to try one of those new-fangled cooking mats with fish; that might really solve the sticking issue.

Good luck with your cook.

Jim,

I agree the “new-fangled cooking mats” help quite a bit with the sticking. The unfortunate downside is a loss of smoke penetration. I do smoked salmon filet (4-8 lbs) skin side down on them and they don’t retain anything significant on the bottom. To compensate for this I use a pellet tube placed far enough away from the fish to prevent uneven or overcooking at the edges and let it roll. As an alternative, you can also use the lowest temp setting for maximum smoke for the first 20-25 minutes then increase the temp to 240-270 and finish off the cook. YMMV. I also tend to go light on the thicker oils as they don’t break down very fast and also inhibit smoke penetration on the non-skin side. I have also used the perforated grill pads and they are harder to clean that the grill grates. Another useful tip is to pull the fish when it is rare to medium rare and have your cast iron skillet or grill grates preheated. Add a good coating of high temp oil and put the protein skin side down for 1-2 minutes and shazaam, crispy skin. Good luck.

 

[Thor8594]

Ditto above comments

 

[Roaniecowpony]

I use the woven screen type mats for fish. I oil them first. I only use them at low smoking temperatures. They are teflon (plastic) coated and will burn/melt and put bad ju-ju in your food at high temperatures.

 

[jasonbr1975]

Amber Jack is one of my favorite fish. They are best fresh and please make sure and cut out all of the red and gray blurred lines. You’ll be sorry if you didn’t. I tend to cook amberjack more than tuna or salmon as you would want the amberjack more fully cooked.
You can make a basting sauce with butter olive oil cilantro and soy sauce and red onions. Add just a touch of honey to that as well.