Memorial Day is coming, so fire up that grill because this is one heck of a recipe and it’s using one of my favorite sustainable seafoods – rockfish! The resurgence of (West Coast) rockfish is the ultimate success story when it comes to sustainable seafood. You can read all about how local government and conservation groups brought this fishery back to life so we can now enjoy this delicious fish! Use Seafood Watch (download the app on your smartphone) to locate the best choice for rockfish at your local grocery store / fish market and grill away! (P.S. You can watch me cook this on TV in a spot I did with Seattle Refined to educate people about the Seafood Watch App)
Herb Grilled Rockfish with Lemon Garlic Potatoes
Yields: 4 servings
Lemon Garlic Potatoes:
1½ pounds peewee or small fingerling potatoes
6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
7 sprigs fresh thyme
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
5 ¼-inch slices of lemon (reserve leftover lemon for grilling)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for coating the grill
Preheat a grill to medium-high. Once hot, clean the grill, then, using tongs, lightly dip a cloth in olive oil and wipe to coat the grill rack.
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and toss to combine. Place potatoes in the center of a large sheet of aluminum foil. Create a well sealed pouch ensuring that the potatoes are laying flat and not stacked on top of each other so they all cook evenly.
Place on the grill and cook for 20 minutes, shaking the bag every 5 minutes.
Remove from grill and open pouch carefully (hot!). Use a fork to test potatoes for doneness (fork should pierce through the potato easily). Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
Rockfish:
1½ pounds rockfish, pin bones removed, cut into 4 equal sized pieces
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for coating the lemons
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon zest (zest of 3 lemons), grated on a Microplane, chopped finely
¼ cup packed fresh Italian parlsey leaves, chopped finely
¼ cup packed fresh mint leaves, chopped finely
¼ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped finely
2 lemons (plus the remaining lemon from the potato recipe), halved
Pat the rockfish dry (all sides). Next, coat the rockfish with olive oil (all sides), then season both sides with salt and pepper. Finally, season the fish (all sides) with the lemon zest and chopped herbs.
Rub the flesh side of the lemons with enough olive oil to coat.
With the grill on medium-high, place the lemons, flesh side down on the grill. Cook for approximately 4 minutes (this will time out perfectly while cooking the rockfish).
Place the rockfish on the grill. Cook until the edges of the fish begin to turn opaque, approximately 2 minutes. Flip rockfish and continue cooking for 1½ to 2 minutes, until fish just begins to flake at the thickest point.
Remove fish and lemons from the grill.
To serve, evenly divide the potatoes onto plates, top with the grilled rockfish and add a grilled lemon half to each plate.
Chef Nathan Lyon 