Slovenian Grilled Catfish
Garlic Parsley and Olive Oil Bring Out Flavor in this Catfish Recipe
Aug 25, 2009
There is an old Slovenian saying that fish must swim three times: first in water, then in oil, and finally in wine. In keeping with this saying, the subtle taste of this recipe goes beautifully with a good white wine. Although fairly simple, those who have had this recipe often consider it the best recipe for catfish in existence.
Ingredients
- Catfish (whole or fillets)
- ½ c. olive oil
- ¼ c. minced garlic
- ¼ c. minced parsley
- Salt
- Grilling baskets
- Basting brush
Directions
- Combine oil, garlic and parsley and allow to sit for at least an hour, preferably longer, so that the flavors have a chance to combine.
- If necessary, thaw fish. Fresh fish is best, but if fresh catfish isn't available, get still-frozen fish rather than fish that was frozen and already thawed in the grocery store.
- Salt fish liberally on both sides; if using whole fish, be sure to salt inside the body cavity.
- Lay fish out in a single layer in the grilling basket(s). They can touch, but not overlap.
- Start grill; be sure to have a good hot fire – if fish cooks too slowly, it will become rubbery.
- Place closed baskets of fish on grill and baste, then turn over, and baste the bottom side liberally as well.
- Have a spray bottle of water on hand in case flames flare too much because of dripping oils, but be careful not to cool the fire too much.
- Allow to cook for three minutes, then turn over and baste liberally again.
- Repeat turning and basting every three minutes for a total of 12-15 minutes for fillets, depending on thickness of fish and heat of the fire; or about twice that for whole fish.
- Baste on both sides a final time, then carefully remove from the grilling baskets. The fish will probably stick to the baskets and have to be scraped free; however, if sticking is excessive, it may need to be cooked slightly longer. (Fun tip: the bits of fish that stick to the baskets are some of the best parts of the fish, and much fun to pick off and enjoy.)
Serving
This recipe is known as "Na Tržaški Nacin", or "Fish as from Trieste", and any fatty fish can be substituted effectively for the catfish. As said before, this fish is usually served with white wine. It also goes beautifully with Slovenian potato salad, found in Slovenian Fresh Vegetable Salad Recipes. If any of the basting oil is left, it can be basted onto bread to make a wonderful quick and easy garlic bread; a little salt really brings out the flavor in the garlic for this. In the summer months, when fresh fruit is available, a Fresh Fruit Tart rounds out this meal delightfully.
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