Fish and shellfish cook fast, and a flat steel cooktop makes them easier to grill. Delicate fillets sit flat on the hot metal instead of breaking through the grates. Skin crisps evenly, and small shrimp and scallops do not slip into the fire.
Oil the steel and the fish, then leave it alone until it releases on its own. Whole fish and thick steaks such as swordfish and tuna can go on the grill grate over the fire for more char. Oysters, clams and mussels can cook right on the cooktop in their shells. They are ready when the shells open.
The recipes below are grouped by type, with the most familiar dishes first. USDA lists 145°F as the safe minimum for fish, or cook until the flesh is opaque and flakes with a fork. Shrimp, lobster and scallops should be firm and opaque. See our internal temperature chart.
Salmon, tuna and fish fillets
- Seared Salmon with Japanese BBQ Sauce
- Marinated Grilled Cod: Smoky Wood-Fired
- Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon: Juicy & Smoky
- Seared Swordfish Steaks: Juicy Restaurant-Style
- Wood-Fired Mahi Mahi: Lilikoi Glaze (Hawaiian)
- Grilled Halibut: Kelp Wrapped (Alaska Style)
- Grilled Walleye: Lemon Butter (Minnesota Style)
- Seared Bluefin Tuna Belly (Spanish Style)
- Charcoal Grilled Sea Bream (Portuguese Style)
- Grilled Steelhead Trout with Lemon Herb (Washington Style)
- Grilled Haddock with Lemon Butter (Connecticut Style)
- Grilled Yellowtail Snapper with Cilantro Chimichurri (Florida Style)
Shrimp and prawns
- Restaurant-Style Shrimp: Bubba Gump Sauce
- Grilled Shrimp Scampi: Wood-Fired Garlic Butter
- Grilled Shrimp Cocktail Recipe
- Smoky Gambas al Ajillo (Spanish Garlic Shrimp)
- Grilled Arctic Shrimp Skewers: Garlic Butter (Swedish Style)
- Grilled Coconut Shrimp: Crispy & Wood-Fired
- Grilled Bacon Wrapped Shrimp: Smoky & Savory
- Garlic Butter Prawns (Austrian Alpine Style)
- Seared Cajun Prawns with Zesty Lemon
- Grilled King Prawns (Korean Salted Style)
- Grilled Shrimp Aguachile (Mexican Style)
- Seared Shrimp Truffle Alfredo Recipe: Wood-Fired
Crab, lobster, scallops and other shellfish
- Grilled Blue Crabs: Wood-Fired (Maryland Style)
- Perfect Chargrilled Oysters on the Half Shell
- Grilled Florida Spiny Lobster: Caribbean Jerk
- Grilled Scallops: Miso Butter (Japanese Style)
- Grilled Baby Squid: Garlic Butter (Portuguese Style)
- Grilled Octopus: Smoky & Charred
- Charred Japanese Octopus with Yuzu Kosho
- Grilled Oysters Rockefeller: Wood-Fired & Smoky
- Grilled Whole Squid: Garlic Butter (Greek Style)
- Grilled Calamari (Greek Style): Tender & Seared
- Crispy Grilled Clam Cakes (Rhode Island Style)
- Tender Grilled Cuttlefish (Greek Thrapsalo)
Whole fish
- Grilled Whole Trout with Almond Butter (French Style)
- Grilled Whole Mackerel (Japanese Saba Shioyaki)
- Grilled Whole Sardines with Lemon (Albanian Style)
- Grilled Whole Perch (Finnish Blazing Style)
- Grilled Whole Haddock with Garlic Butter (Maine Style)
- Grilled Whole Bluefish (Connecticut Style)
- Wood-Fired Pescado Zarandeado (Mexican Style)
- Crispy Grilled Smelt (Chicago Style)
- Grilled Sardines with Soy Glaze (Japanese Style)
- Seared Smelt Fish & Remoulade (Dutch Style)
- Salt Grilled Ayu Sweetfish (Japanese Style)
- Grilled Surströmming: Seared Fermented Herring
More recipes: all grill recipes by type, grilled steak and beef recipes, grilled chicken and poultry recipes, grilled pork recipes, grilled lamb recipes, grilled burgers, sandwiches and sausages, grilled vegetable and vegetarian recipes, flat top griddle recipes.