Weakfish Grilled over Basil
Welcome to our ongoing series highlighting Rhode Island’s fresh seafood in the growing trend of providing local and sustainable fish and shellfish to consumers and restaurants. In this Sea-to-Table column, we highlight a different seafood each month, interview the folks who grow and catch the food, as well as the restaurant owners and chefs who prepare it. We feature their favorite recipes along with wine and beer pairings to enhance the experience. We invite you to enjoy our recommendations and to submit your own to us.
Weakfish are one of the most common sea trout caught in our waters. Whether you call them sea trout, weakies, or by their Native American name, squeateague, weakfish are delicious…and, we hear, they are being caught right now off the coast.
Unlike their bruisin’ cousins, striped bass, weakies are slim and spotted, speckling sliver in the sunlight and beautiful in the water. They are quick predators, feeding on squid, worms, Ocean State scup and clams. And they can grow to 3 feet and weigh around 17.5 pounds, but the norm in our area is more like 6-10 pounds. Once boated, the male makes a croaking sound that can surprise you…and keep the kids entertained for hours! But be sure to ice them right away if you want to preserve this fish’s fine eatin’ because its delicately textured flesh is fragile.
The “meat” of weakfish is white, sweet, lean and finely textured. It lends itself to being stuffed and baked whole (especially to preserve the skin and prevent from over-baking, which can turn the delicate fish to mush!), filleted and fried, or even smoked. Gracie’s owner Ellen Slattery recommends pairing weak sh with their private label Connecticut Pinot Gris, available at their restaurant or from Jonathan Edwards Winery. She says, “The combination of locally sourced food and a New England- made wine is the ultimate testament to what we believe: Respect the land, care for the crop, and enjoy the harvest.”
Weakfish Grilled Over Basil Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 three to four pound weakfish, bluefish or sea bass, filleted, or 2 fillets, each about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 big bunches basil, about 1 pound total 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Preparation
Heat grill, preferably with hardwood charcoal fuel. Brush grates with a tablespoon of olive oil.
Place fillets on a platter, brush each on both sides with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Remove 1/4 cup basil leaves from bunches and chop very fine. Mince garlic. Mix chopped basil and garlic with remaining oil, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
When grill is hot, place grates about four inches above heat. Pile remaining basil across grates, covering just enough area to hold fish. Place fillets, skin side up, on bed of basil. Allow to cook until most of basil is shriveled and burned, 5 to 7 minutes, and fillets are cooked at least halfway through at thickest point. Use one or two large spatulas to flip fish fillets off basil, onto their skin side and directly on grill. Scrape most of burned basil out of the way. Continue grilling until fish is just cooked through and skin is crisp, 8 to 10 minutes longer.
Lift fillets off grill and transfer them, skin side down, to a serving platter. Remove any burned bits of basil. Add vinegar to basil and oil mixture and drizzle over fish, then serve.
This recipe was originally published in the New York Times column “Weakies, Blackies and Blues: In Praise of Local Fish” by Florence Fabricant.
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