Husk Grilled Fish

Last time I shucked corn, I looked at the big pile of husk leaves and thought, “there has got to be some culinary use for these!”  So after some late-night googling, I came up with a few things to try.  The first of which is Husk Grilled Fish.  It turned out so good that my kids ate it, which is worth mentioning.  This recipe synergizes well with the Mexican Street Corn recipe I recently wrote up, so try doing them together for a nearly full meal!

Ingredients & Equipment

Ingredients (Husks and Fish, not much else)

You need to have prepared something with corn recently. Or buy some corn in the husk, and prepare it with this fish as a meal. Shuck it and toss the very outer layer of leaves, and save the inner leaves for the recipe.

The fish is obviously a crucial ingredient as well. The fish in the photos was inexpensive Aldi’s salmon. Please, if you like fish, but something fresher. My wife doesn’t really enjoy fish, so it’s hard to justify buying expensive fish. We are also in Missouri, where good fish is expensive.

But I digress… Get some nice fish for this recipe. It is very difficult to ruin the fish since the husks provide an excellent layer of protection. There is also no flipping required which is a major pain point of fish on the grill. I have mutilated many a fillet on the grill by failing at flipping it.

The spices I used on the fish were a cajun seasoning from Gimme Some Oven it’s a great all-around cajun seasoning. I cut the spice down by using less cayenne and smoked paprika since my girls don’t appreciate spicy food yet.

Equipment

As for equipment, I used my trusty Weber grill to cook the fish. It’s a great gas grill and gets the job done. I used my Calpholon chef’s knife for general chopping. It’s my go-to for when I don’t need the lightsaber that is my Cutco knife.

Preparation & Cooking

Preparation (Dressing the Fish)

The simplicity of making Husk Grilled Fish is the best part. First, you cut off the curved part of the leaves and flatten them. I used 3 leaves per cut of fish. Lay them flat and brush or spray with oil, then place the fish on the leaves. I used my knife to keep the leaves flat as I placed the fish and slid it out once placed.

After the fish are placed on the leaves, I brushed reached with olive oil and seasoned them on top with the cajun seasoning. You can allow them to marinate if you wish, this time I didn’t and it was delightful.

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To the Grill! (Time for Roasting)

Place the fish on a hot grill and cook over medium-high heat. The husks will protect the fish and slowly char as they cook, adding a roasty smoke to the fish. The cuts I used were quite small and cooked quickly.

While they cooked I didn’t flip them or close the grill top. I just let them cook slowly from the bottom and they were don’t when the top cooked. All the fish came out cooked through but still very moist. The leaves curled and caught most of the juices, making sure they didn’t dry out.

Pairings

When I prepared this recipe, I also made my Elote since the grill was being used. It went well together and the preparation synergized very well. I recommend trying them together, it worked so well. You could also hit the corn with the cajun seasoning and it would be a whole thing.