Issue #020: Grilling Primer
Summertime!
Some good news, a Spotlight on our best kept secret, a “101” on Grilling Fish from Kristin, and a sweet fish deal so you can practice your barbequing before the big “S” comes along.
Time is Relative
Summah, summah, summertime… I’ve been seeing memes everywhere on social. Januaaaaary, Februaaaaary, Maaaaarch, Aaaaapril, MayJuneJulyAugust.
It’s true, and August is already here. While I love all of the seasons, I still have small-t-trauma from the start of school (I was not an academic kid), and get seasonal nightmares. You know, the ones where you have a final exam and haven’t studied, or the one where you haven’t shown up to class once all year and have a presentation… I’m 49, so obviously still traumatized 😆
ANYWAY, I wanted to talk grilling with you. Fish particularly. So please read on. After 13 years of fishmongering and 30 years of cheffing and teaching, I’m pretty comfortable cooking fish on the Q. Trust me, ok?
✨ Spotlight on the one who keeps us all together
It’s also time all of you fine folks know about someone rarely seen at Hooked and yet whose presence is felt everywhere in our business: from who we hire, to products we bring in, to emotional support for all of us, Deb is unanimously our MVP. And she truly deserves the spotlight on her 6th work-a-versary at Hooked.
Deb. What would we do without her? We will never know as I have forced her to commit to life with Dan and I forever. FOREVER. Right Deb?!?
Aside from being like family, Debra has been a rock for Dan and I. She is our cheerleader, our confidante, our organizer, our conscience and by times our boundary-holder/disciplinarian.
When someone applies to work with us Hooked, their first point of contact and first impression is Debra. She loves us, our business, our ethos and is our best ambassador to prospective new team members. New hires frequently let us know that due to Deb’s interest, warmth, enthusiasm and care, they know they want to work at Hooked.
Deb manages a ton for us internally, including so much payroll, payables, receivables and all of those things that I generally try to avoid. And she’s really really good at it.
We carry some really beautiful products in our stores. Pretty much everything I want to stock in my own kitchen, use in my day to day cooking, or just eat often. Thanks to Deb, the product offering has expanded beautifully. The lady has great taste and a sense of what our customers will love.
Debra, thank you for what you do each and every day. You are a gem of a human and a delight to work with.
It’s been SIX years together. Happy Work-A-Versary Debra!!!
We’ve all been a bit busy -
If you aren’t on social media (c’mon now), Chris and Varia welcomed the most beautiful baby girl, Teodora Brigid Murray on July 2nd. She’s perfect, Varia is a superstar and the family of three is in heaven.
(Chris has been taking some time to be with their fam - hence the reason we’re a bit short handed on the Newsletter :)
OK - About the Grill now!
Gas grilling. It’s easier than you think. I shot a quick video at our South Kingsway shop to talk you through the basics, but read on for some extras.
Your grill needs to get cleaned before you use it.
Preheat it to HIGH, close the lid and let it burn, baby burn, for a good 5 minutes. Scrub with gusto. Then turn it down to MEDIUM. Season the grill by rubbing with a basic vegetable oil, using paper towel or half of an onion. Then close the lid again until you’re ready to cook.The Fish:
Pull it from the fridge 45 minutes ahead of cooking. Season both skin and flesh sides well with sea salt (I’m not a kosher salt person and if you have iodized table salt kicking around, please chuck it out. I have strong feelings around salt.)
You can also marinate your fish at this point. I HIGHLY recommend our caper salsa verde but I also recently slathered a piece of wild spring with our ginger lime mayo and WOW. Who knew?!?
One of the best simple marinades is good olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice. Throw in some fresh herbs and you’re a prostar. The acid will cook the fish a little, so I’d advise no more than 30 minutes in the mixture, flesh side down.
On that note, flesh side only for marinades. I find the grill just flares up too much if the fish is completely submerged.Wipe excess marinade off the fish. Brushing the skin with a tiny bit of oil is a good idea before placing it on the grill. Put your fish on the grill, skin side down. The grill temp should be at around 400º but the grate will be smoking hot, which is perfect. Close the lid. This is to create a hot dry oven but also to keep you from poking at it. I see you.
Set a timer for 6 minutes. Then, using a paring knife, insert the tip into the thickest part of the fish for 5 seconds. Touch it immediately to the inside of your wrist (think baby bottle. Inner wrist is very temperature sensitive). For salmon, halibut or ling cod, you want the temp to be just past warm for medium. The top often won’t look cooked but that doesn’t mean the inside isn’t. If using a thermometer, take it off around 135º.
Notes:
1.5 inch thick piece of fish will usually take 8-9 minutes using the above method.
I love my chef’s slice (off set spatula) for everything grill. So much so that we sell them in store 😉 I find they get under the skin perfectly, have great flexibility and can support a larger piece of fish better than most standard BBQ tools.I always serve the fish skin side up so that everyone gets a look at that crispy skin (and also so that the skin stays crispy).
And that’s it! Easy peasy, right?
Excited to see you get your grill on!!
Fall Cooking Classes are OPEN!
Salmon Every Way! September 25th
5 different ways to cook and eat any kind of red fish to make it brand new.
Cold Weather, Warm Tummy - October 30th
Learn dishes and techniques to keep fish in your winter repertoire. No fuss, no muss, no stink either!
Fish Butchery Fundamentals - November 27th
The time to learn is NOW. Come and hang out with Kristin for a small and very focused workshop that is completely hands on. Plus, learn to pan fry so you can eat your work!
Seats will fill up - if you’re digging the idea, make sure to snag a spot!
The Big DEAL -
Thanks for reading along.
Heat up your BBQ! We're doing $5 off per pound of Steelhead Salmon at our stores* from Thursday August 15th through Saturday the 17th.
You can totally do this on the grill.
How to get this sweet deal?
Go to a store, say hello, let the staff know you’re a subscriber then give us your name/email to get your discount. It’s really that easy.
… And let us know you’re a subscriber each time you come in to shop, even if you’ve missed the issue. We can point you at a specials you might not know about.
Be Social 🐠
If you decide to heat up the Q, tag us in your Instagram stories @Hookedinc - We love seeing what you’re making for dinner!
Have a question on a burning topic? Leave us question in the comments to get your query featured in an upcoming Issue.
*Our stores: Hooked in Leslieville, Hooked in Kensington Market, South Kingsway Hooked. Does not include our cousin store, Hooked on the Danforth.