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Home » Fish » Grilled Redfish on the ‘Half Shell’

Grilled Redfish on the ‘Half Shell’

By Hank Shaw on August 19, 2013, Updated June 6, 2022 - 17 Comments

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4.58 from 7 votes
fish on the half shell recipe
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grilled fish on the half shell

Redfish on the half shell is a classic Gulf Coast dish, and it is easily translatable to many other kinds of fish.

Take Pacific rockfish, for example. I don’t often get excited about rockfish. They are tasty enough, but they are usually only a pound or two, are ridiculously easy to catch, and are caught mostly as an afterthought when you are salmon fishing.

Then I went to Alaska, and they grow rockfish big up there.

I can routinely catch 4 pound rockfish there, and often much, much larger. I do this in California, too, but it’s a bit rarer. If you happen to catch a giant, like a yelloweye rockfish, S. ruberrimus, you will want to treat it more like a Gulf redfish. Here’s why.

Hank Shaw with rockfish
Photo by Tyson Fick

As big, bass-like fish tend to get thick, their meat gets coarse, and their scales get big. Just like a bull red.

This can make them challenging to cook, but the Gulf anglers’ technique of redfish on the half shell is the answer. You fillet the fish, but leave the skin and scales on. You do this with redfish because the scales on a drum of any color, red or black, are big and tough.

Why leave the scales on? Because that armor shields the meat, allowing you to set the fish, ideally coated in Cajun seasoning, on a smoky grill and allow it to cook to perfection without destroying the fish. When it’s ready, you slide a spatula under the meat but above the skin, and the meat will slip off, leaving the charred skin and scales.

And, since the scales are basically made of the same stuff as your fingernails, they won’t stick to your grill, so you can take the whole thing off if you want. It’s a genius preparation for big fillets. Try it with any large, bass-like fish: largemouth bass, snapper, grouper, big black seabass or sheepshead, and of course black and red drum.

fish on the half shell recipe
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4.58 from 7 votes

Grilled Fish on the 'Half Shell'

This recipe is designed for large fish, originally the redfish of the Gulf States. Any fish with heavy scales will work, however. In this case I am using a large yelloweye rockfish, but you could also use a California sheepshead, pargo, largemouth or smallmouth bass, grouper, snapper, a big black seabass... you get the point. The one vital thing you need is a piece of fish with the skin and scales left on. If you don't have that, you cannot make this recipe. The scales protect the fish from the high, direct heat of the grill. All you do is slap that puppy on the grill and watch the magic happen. It's super, super easy.
Prep Time1 hr 30 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Total Time2 hrs
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Cajun
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 168kcal
Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup kosher salt
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 cups crushed ice
  • 2 to 3 pounds large fish fillets with the skin and scales still on
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

CAJUN SEASONING

  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon celery seed
  • 2 tablespoon sweet paprika
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano

Instructions

  • Mix the salt and water until the salt dissolves, then add the ice. Brine the fish for 1 hour. Remove, pat dry with paper towels and put on a rack in a cool, breezy place for 30 minutes. While you are doing this, get your grill nice and hot.
  • When you grill is ready, coat the fish with the vegetable oil, then sprinkle the meat side of the fish with the Cajun seasoning. Lay the fish on the grill with the fat side of the fillet over the hottest part of the fire, and the tail sections out toward the edge where the fire is a bit cooler. Let the fish grill undisturbed until the meat is fully cooked; it will just begin to flake when that happens. This can be done in an uncovered grill if it's a) not too windy, and b) the fillet is less than 2 inches thick. If you are worried about timing, cover the grill, or tent the fish with some heavy-duty foil.
  • When the fish is done, gently remove it with a large spatula, or two spatulas if you need to. Move it to a platter and dot the top of it with the butter. Serve when the butter melts alongside rice, potato salad, maque choux, etc.

Notes

Serve the fish with grilled vegetables, rice, potato salad or something simple. This is, to me, beer food. Wine? Maybe an off-dry Riesling, an oaky Chardonnay, a decent rose. But nothing too fancy.

Nutrition

Calories: 168kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 11mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 509IU | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg
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Filed Under: American Recipes, Essays and Stories, Featured, Fish, Recipe, Southern

Avatar for Hank Shaw

Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet's largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

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Comments

  1. Avatar for Adrian del RioAdrian del Rio says

    September 29, 2022 at 6:04 am

    Turned out better than expected and couldn’t believe how easy this recipe was! Thanks.

    Reply
  2. Avatar for JoanJoan says

    January 21, 2020 at 2:48 pm

    Love this recipe. Easy after a long day catching him?

    Reply
  3. Avatar for JaimeJaime says

    August 1, 2017 at 6:00 pm

    Absolutely love this method! Probably one of my favorite of your recipes. Making it again tonight and my mouth is watering already! Thank you!

    Reply
  4. Avatar for AmandaAmanda says

    April 11, 2017 at 1:13 pm

    This is a great technique for no-angst grilled fish. No worries about sticking, just make sure you don’t leave it on the grill too long and it’ll be great.

    Reply
  5. Avatar for ken mcbroomken mcbroom says

    July 1, 2016 at 5:55 am

    Hi Hank

    I lived on a boat in Juneau for a couple years and treasured the Yellow Eye when I was able to catch one. I miss those days when I could catch a Yellow Eye or Halibut and pop it on the grill or in the oven within minutes. Alaska is a sacred place that all should visit. Of course we cooked salmon on the planks but I have never heard of this method but I want to try it. Do you think it would work with walleye? I know the scales aren’t big but the skin is fairly thick.

    Thanks

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      July 1, 2016 at 7:37 am

      Ken: You’d want to do it with a large walleye, but sure, it will work.

      Reply
  6. Avatar for John VanderMydeJohn VanderMyde says

    July 1, 2016 at 4:17 am

    This is how I do Triggerfish – even though it’s not that thick, the meat is so dense and the scales so tough it can take it.

    Reply
  7. Avatar for Mike SowardsMike Sowards says

    August 23, 2015 at 10:57 pm

    Hank,

    Yelloweye is probably the tastiest fish we have in Alaska.

    If you have a chance make fish sauce from the head of your yelloweye.

    See Marcella Hazan’s Elements of Classic Italian Cooking.

    The result is a very intensely flavored sauce, so rich.

    Put those fish heads to use you will be amazed at the results.

    Everybody that I know that has tried this just raves about how good it is.

    Reply
  8. Avatar for Chelsea McCarthyChelsea McCarthy says

    May 6, 2015 at 5:36 am

    I’m glad to hear that you loved your time aboard the Sikumi, especially fishing! Haha.. I love your description of catching the Yelloweye… classic!

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      May 6, 2015 at 7:44 am

      Chelsea: Planning on returning to the Sikumi in December in search of ducks and Sitka blacktail deer…

      Reply
  9. Avatar for Mike WascherMike Wascher says

    July 26, 2014 at 5:44 pm

    Years ago I was working off the coast of Vancouver Island, BC. One of our boats asked if they would be needed, they wanted to dig some clams & catch some fish for dinner. They were fishing a deep hole right off the island I was working on. I watched a sailor pull up a rockfish that was somewhat shorter than he was, but probably outweighed him.

    The bat had steamed clams & roast rockfish for us to dine on when it took us back to shore.

    Reply
  10. Avatar for TaylorTaylor says

    February 12, 2014 at 7:44 am

    When we do this with redfish (yup, gulf coasties) we scoop the meat right out of the “half shell” when the fish is done and leave the skin right on the grill. It’s easy to scrape off the next time you fire it up.

    Reply
  11. Avatar for IsaacIsaac says

    August 22, 2013 at 9:50 am

    I cook walleye the same way minus the brine, and rub the fillet with butter rather than oil before dousing it with Cajun or blackened fish seasoning. I’ll have to try brining it next time, thanks for the idea. I also like to toss a handful of alder chips on the grill right before I throw the fish on, gives it a nice smoky flavor.

    Reply
  12. Avatar for RobbieAnn MontgomeryRobbieAnn Montgomery says

    August 20, 2013 at 4:38 am

    Hey Hank,
    Your story reminds me of Crappie fishing in Colorado when I was a teen-ager. We were catching them like crazy but throwing them back. Finally one of the locals asked my Daddy why we were doing that and when Daddy told him that they weren’t big enough to keep the man told Daddy that that was as big as they got! Needless, to say we were glad to move home to Mississippi where the Crappie are routinely 2 pounds and bigger!

    Reply
  13. Avatar for MarkMark says

    August 19, 2013 at 10:39 am

    I’ve never heard of brining fish. What’s the upside? Don’t they come pre-brined from the ocean?

    Reply
  14. Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

    August 19, 2013 at 8:56 am

    Joel: Yep. But you don’t eat the skin in this preparation. The meat is wonderful!

    Reply
  15. Avatar for JoelJoel says

    August 19, 2013 at 8:31 am

    Won’t grilling with the scales on create really nasty, burned fingernail like char on the underside of the fish?

    Reply

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Hank Shaw holding a rod and reel in the American River

Hi, my name is Hank Shaw; I’m a James Beard Award-winning author and chef. I started this site back in 2007 to help you get the most out of all things wild: fish, game, edible wild plants and mushrooms. I also write cookbooks, have a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature, and do a podcast, too. If it’s wild, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site!

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