Grilled Seafood Recipes - Cooking Light

Grilled Orange-and-Bourbon Salmon

To make a complete meal, serve the salmon over a bed of brown rice, with green beans and a salad on the side. Save some orange-and-bourbon marinade and drizzle over the salmon and rice to impart complementing flavors of bourbon and citrus throughout.

View Recipe: Orange-and-Bourbon Grilled Salmon

Grilled Lemon-Bay Shrimp Recipe

The simplicity of this dish belies its incredible taste. Bay leaves and lemon wedges infuse peppered shrimp with woodsy and citrus flavors. If your grocery store doesn’t carry fresh bay leaves, substitute good-quality dried bay leaves (such as Spice Island) soaked overnight in water. Leave the tails on the shrimp for a prettier presentation.

View Recipe: Grilled Lemon-Bay Shrimp

Grilled Striped Bass with Chunky Mango-Ginger Sauce

Tasty, easy, and beautiful–with just the right combination of savory and sweet–this sauce also makes a great salsa for turkey, chicken, or other mild fish. To make the sauce even chunkier, reduce the final cooking time to 10 minutes.

View Recipe: Grilled Striped Bass with Chunky Mango-Ginger Sauce

Grilled Tuna over Lemon-Mint Barley Salad Recipe

The flavors of the vinaigrette are mirrored in the marinade, so there’s a double dose of the refreshing combination of lemon and mint. The salad can be made an hour ahead. You can halve it for two people.

View Recipe: Grilled Tuna over Lemon-Mint Barley Salad

Zesty Swordfish Kebabs

This recipe is perfect for both family and company. A side of grilled vegetables completes this quick-and-easy meal. Use the marinade for grilled swordfish steaks, too.

View Recipe: Zesty Swordfish Kebabs

Scallops with Roasted Pepper-Butter Sauce

Scallops are usually classified into two groups: bay scallops and sea scallops. The larger sea scallops are best for grilling because, like shrimp, they have a meatier texture and can be easily skewered. They cook fast, so keep a close eye on them.

View Recipe: Scallops with Roasted Pepper-Butter Sauce

Shrimp on Sugarcane with Rum Glaze

Caribbean-influenced shrimp, skewered with sugarcane and basted with a dark rum glaze, rely on high heat to caramelize the glaze and infuse the shrimp from the inside out with the cane’s mild sweetness.

View Recipe: Shrimp on Sugarcane with Rum Glaze

Photo: Mary Britton Senseney/Wonderful Machine

Grilled Salmon and Brown Butter Couscous

Flavorful grilled salmon is served alongside fluffy couscous and fresh summer squash. For a simple substitution, use thick slices of yellow squash and zucchini in place of baby squash.

For the Grilled Summer Squash: Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Combine 2 cups baby zucchini, halved lengthwise, and 2 cups baby yellow squash, quartered lengthwise, in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper; toss well. Place vegetables on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 5 minutes on each side or until lightly charred and tender.

View Recipe: Grilled Salmon and Brown Butter Couscous

Photo: Iain Bagwell

Sautéed Tilapia Tacos with Grilled Peppers and Onion

These quick and easy fish tacos combine simple ingredients with flavorful results. Serve with a side of black beans for a great weeknight meal.

View Recipe: Sautéed Tilapia Tacos with Grilled Peppers and Onion

Photo: Anna Williams

Grilled Char with Yukon Golds and Tomato–Red Onion Relish

Sweet heirloom tomatoes are the crowning glory on this grilled meal. Soaking the onions in cool water removes some of their harsh bite.

View Recipe: Grilled Char with Yukon Golds and Tomato–Red Onion Relish

Photo: John Autry

Grilled Trout

This rustic campfire classic is stuffed with dill and lime and grilled over direct heat to create a mouth-watering culinary experience.
View Recipe: Grilled Trout

Photo: John Autry

Mahimahi with Bacon-Tomato Butter

Mahimahi is simple and easy to prepare, as is the bacon-tomato butter. It's rich and sweet, and the dish is great served with a salad, pasta, or fresh vegetables.

View Recipe: Mahimahi with Bacon-Tomato Butter

Photo: Charles Masters

Salmon Burgers

For best results, choose salmon from the meaty center of the fish and avoid portions cut from the tail section (where the body starts to taper). Tail-end flesh contains more connective tissue than center-cut fillets. Use black sesame seed buns, if available.

View Recipe: Salmon Burgers

Photo: Darren Soh

Sotong Bakar (Barbecue Squid)

The spice rub and dipping sauce are hot, hot, hot (but quite good). Serve with slices of cucumber and fresh cilantro leaves for a cooling effect in the mouth. Thai chiles are very spicy, so you can use fewer (and increase the mild bell pepper) to tame the heat.

View Recipe: Sotong Bakar (Barbecue Squid)

Photo: John Autry

Striped Bass with Peach Salsa

Sweet peach salsa with a slight kick (courtesy of thinly-sliced shallots) is topped on simply seasoned grilled bass. You'll love the bright, fresh flavors and smoky fish.

View Recipe: Striped Bass with Peach Salsa

Photo: Levi Brown

Chimichurri Halibut Tacos

Make these fish tacos a sustainable choice by opting for wild-caught Alaskan halibut. If not available, choose another U.S. or Canadian wild-caught Pacific halibut, or substitute striped bass or U.S. line-caught cod.

View Recipe: Chimichurri Halibut Tacos

Photo: John Autry

Grilled King Salmon with Tomato-Peach Salsa

Use a peach that’s just ripe so it’s juicy but still holds its shape. King (also called chinook) salmon is the best quality and works well in this dish, though sockeye works.

View Recipe: Grilled King Salmon with Tomato-Peach Salsa

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Halibut with Grilled Tomato and Olive Relish

Mild halibut pairs nicely with this tangy relish, starring tasty late-summer tomatoes. Any other meaty, firm fish, such as wild salmon or striped bass, will also work.

View Recipe: Halibut with Grilled Tomato and Olive Relish

Photo: Charles Masters

Smoked Oysters with Olive Relish

If your experience with smoked oysters is limited to the oily, strong-flavored bivalves sold canned, you're in for a revelation. The brininess of the olive- and caper-laced relish echoes the fresh, oceany notes of the oysters. Keep as much of the oysters' juices as possible in the shells while shucking and grilling.

View Recipe: Smoked Oysters with Olive Relish

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Grilled Mahimahi with Mango Salsa

Dress up your grilled mahimahi with a sweet mango salsa for a healthy and palate-pleasing summer supper.

View Recipe: Grilled Mahimahi with Mango Salsa

Photo: Anna Williams

Grill-Braised Clams and Chorizo in Tomato-Saffron Broth

Spanish flavors inspire this simple but intense summery braise. Saffron gives the tomato broth a nutty complexity, while the spice and heat of chorizo liven up the clams.

View Recipe: Grill-Braised Clams and Chorizo in Tomato-Saffron Broth

Photo: Darren Soh

Chile Crabs

This iconic dish is a favorite in Singapore, but traditionally, the crabs are fried in the chile mixture. Here we offer a healthier grilled version.

View Recipe: Chile Crabs

Photo: Marcus Nilsson

Grilled Maine Lobsters

If you don't have the grill capacity to cook all the lobsters at once, the relatively brief cooking time makes it easy to do them in batches. The lobsters will be bright red with a few blackened spots when done cooking. To check doneness, break a lobster open where the tail and body meet–the meat should be opaque and white.

View Recipe: Grilled Maine Lobsters

Photo: Randy Mayor

Grilled Salmon with Smoky Tomato Salsa

If you prefer a milder relish, remove seeds from the jalapeño before grilling.

View Recipe: Grilled Salmon with Smoky Tomato Salsa

Photo: John Autry

Grilled Fresh Sardines

The average weight of a fresh sardine is 3 to 6 ounces, but they can grow up to about a pound. The number of servings and serving size will vary depending on the size of the fish you find.

View Recipe: Grilled Fresh Sardines

Photo: Randy Mayor

Mango Shrimp Kebabs

These fresh-flavored mango shrimp skewers are a great option for entertaining.

View Recipe: Mango Shrimp Kebabs

Photo: Oxmoor House

Grilled Whole Red Snapper with Citrus-Ginger Hot Sauce

Although fish is often grilled over indirect heat, we prefer cooking whole snapper over moderate direct heat.

View Recipe: Grilled Whole Red Snapper with Citrus-Ginger Hot Sauce

Photo: William Meppem

Ocean Trout with Coleslaw and Crispy Smoked Bacon

Skin-on fish holds together better on the grill—plus the skin gets deliciously crisp and lightly charred. The recipe traditionally uses Australian bacon, called bacon rashers or back bacon. Because that's less available in the States, we recommend Canadian bacon.

View Recipe: Ocean Trout with Coleslaw and Crispy Smoked Bacon

Photo: Randy Mayor

Grilled Teriyaki Shrimp Kebabs

Tender and juicy, shrimp are a quick pick for a fresh meal. These brightly flavored kebabs feature chunks of fresh pineapple, teriyaki sauce, shrimp, and red onions. Serve with mashed sweet potatoes and grilled asparagus for a complete meal.

View Recipe: Grilled Teriyaki Shrimp Kebabs

Photo: Gentl and Hyers

Grilled Halibut with Peach and Pepper Salsa

A fresh fruit salsa is a lovely accompaniment to grilled fish in the summer; try it also with striped bass or arctic char. Here, the season's juiciest peaches pair with fiery habanero pepper for a sweet-spicy flavor. Leave the peaches unpeeled for more color and texture.

View Recipe: Grilled Halibut with Peach and Pepper Salsa