A whole plaice cooks beautifully over charcoal if you keep the skin off the bars: I lay it on thick slices of potato and onion, skin side up, and let the embers do the work. I am Giuseppe Manzoli, an Italian private chef in Scotland. This is how I do it — garlic, rosemary, olive oil, a calm fire, and a Mediterranean salsa at the end. It works for a garden lunch, a shooting-party barbecue or a summer dinner at a holiday house.
Wait for the fire
Flames are for photographs. Fish wants embers. I light the charcoal early and wait until the flames have gone and the coals are grey and glowing. A flat fish is thin; over a live flame the skin burns before the flesh near the bone is warm.
Garlic, rosemary, olive oil — nothing else
While the fire settles, the plaice sits in a tray with crushed garlic, rosemary and good olive oil. You can tell a fresh plaice by the orange spots: bright means fresh. These were very bright.
The trick: a bed of potato and onion
Plaice skin is delicate and it sticks. So the fish never touches the bars. I lay thick slices of potato and onion on the grill first and the plaice goes on top. The slices take the fierce heat, the fish cooks gently above them, and you get grilled potatoes and onions as a side for free.
Turn it once
One turn, no more. On this fire it took about ten minutes a side; it depends how hot your barbecue is, so watch the fish, not the clock. The white side goes up and you can see it is ready when the flesh has turned opaque and starts to colour along the edges.
To the plate
Off the grill the skin is crisp and scored, with the rosemary still on it. You could serve it exactly like this with lemon and oil.
I finish it with a Mediterranean salsa: garlic, cherry tomatoes, spring onions, thyme and olive oil, with the grilled onion rings from underneath, spooned over the top. It goes to the table whole and I portion it off the bone in front of the guests.
In short: to grill a whole plaice over charcoal, wait for embers not flames, marinate the fish with garlic, rosemary and olive oil, cook it on a bed of thick potato and onion slices so the skin never touches the bars, turn it once, and finish with a salsa of garlic, cherry tomatoes, spring onions, thyme and olive oil.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you stop fish sticking to a barbecue?
Keep it off the bars. I grill whole plaice on thick slices of potato and onion; the fish cooks above them and never touches the metal.
Can you cook a whole flat fish on a charcoal grill?
Yes. Plaice works very well as long as you cook over embers rather than flames and turn it only once.
What do you serve with grilled plaice?
The grilled potato and onion slices it cooked on, and a Mediterranean salsa of garlic, cherry tomatoes, spring onions, thyme and olive oil.
Can a private chef cook on a barbecue at my house?
Yes. I cook whole fish over charcoal for garden lunches and dinners across Scotland, and portion it at the table. Menus start from £75 per person, VAT and travel included.
I’ve been cooking professionally for 35+ years, with 220+ five-star Google reviews from clients across Scotland. If you’d like this on your menu, get in touch and check a date.