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Barbados Grilled Fish

Barbados Grilled Fish

It’s all about the electric orange hot sauce.

By Laura RussellJune 3, 2019

  • Makes
    4 servings
  • Cook Time
    1 hour 10 minutes
  • Active time plus cooling
    35 minutes active
  • Rating

On the island of Barbados, meaty and moderately rich wahoo is the fish of choice for marinating in a fragrant lime-spiked garlic, chive and onion puree. We found mahi mahi fillets to be a great stand-in for hard-to-find wahoo. Or you could use swordfish or halibut, but if the pieces are thicker than 1 inch, they will take slightly longer to cook. If the fish you purchased was previously frozen or seems particularly wet, refrigerate it on a paper towel–lined plate for a few hours before marinating. This will remove excess liquid that otherwise would prevent the fish from browning.

Tip

Don’t over marinate the fish. If the fillets are left for too long in the puree, the acidity of the lime juice will alter the texture of the meat. About 45 minutes is the maximum.

Ingredients
  • 1

    small yellow onion, roughly chopped

  • 1

    bunch fresh chives, roughly chopped (½ cup)

  • 2

    medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

  • 1½

    tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

  • 1

    tablespoon distilled white vinegar

  • 1

    tablespoon grated lime zest, plus 2 tablespoons lime juice

  • 1

    teaspoon packed light or dark brown sugar

  • ⅛

    teaspoon ground allspice

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • 4

    6-ounce mahi mahi fillets (about 1 inch thick), patted dry

  • Bajan Hot Pepper Sauce, to serve

Step 1

In a food processor, combine the onion, chives, garlic, thyme, vinegar, lime zest, sugar, allspice, 1¾ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.

Process until coarsely chopped, about 5 seconds. Scrape the bowl and add the lime juice, then process to a coarse puree, about another 10 seconds.

Step 2

Place the fishin a glass or ceramic baking dish. Scrape the marinade on top, then turn to coat both sides. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Step 3

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill. For a charcoal grill, ignite a large chimney filled three-quarters full of coals, let burn until lightly ashed over, then distribute the coals evenly over the grill bed; open the bottom grill vents and the lid vent.

Heat the grill, covered, for 5 minutes, then clean and oil the cooking grate. For a gas grill, turn all burners to high and heat, covered, for 15 minutes, then clean and oil the cooking grate.

Step 4

Place the fish on the grill,allowing the marinade to cling to the fillets. Grill, uncovered, until lightly grill-marked, about 5 minutes.

Using a wide metal spatula, flip and cook until lightly grill-marked on the second sides and the center of the thickest pieces reaches 130°F, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a platter. Serve with Bajan pepper sauce.

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