Grilled haddock is a white fish that has a mild flavor and is deliciously enhanced by a lemon and herb marinade. You will not believe how quick and easy it is to grill this delicate fish.
Why this recipe is just so good....
- Versatile fish- Because of the delicate flavor, it lends itself to take on a variety of flavors. We personally prefer a lemon and herb marinade or sauce for white fish. But you can go the savory or spicy route and that would be great as well.
- Firm and flakey fish- Because of its firm texture, haddock is a perfect grilled your BBQ gas grill. Using a few simple techniques and the fish will not stick or fall through the grates.
- Healthy grilling- Grilling fish is a healthy method to guarantee delicious flavor and a low fat way to cook it. You only need a bit of oil for the marinade and some to rub on the grill grates. No frying or baking in butter is needed for the recipe.
I have lots of recipes for all the seafood lovers. Some of our favorites you will want to try: Blackened Grouper, Pan Seared Shrimp or Cod Francese.
Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this grilled haddock recipe:
- haddock fillets
- fresh lemons
- basil
- thyme
- garlic
- Old Bay
- lemon pepper
- olive oil
Substitution Suggestions
***I always recommend following the recipe as written but I realize sometimes we may need to substitute an ingredient for different reasons....These are just some suggestions you may try.***
- Lemon juice- Bottled juice is a sub for fresh, add a bit of sugar since I think it is more sour. One regular size lemon has about 2-3 tablespoons of juice.
- Old Bay-We love this for all fish recipes but you can try ¼ teaspoon paprika, celery salt, black pepper, cayenne.
- Lemon pepper-use lemon zest and pepper or just skip it and add a bit more lemon juice and black pepper.
- Herbs-Fish is delicious with parsley, tarragon, fresh dill and cilantro. Use your favorites.
How to make Grilled Haddock
(The full instructions are in the recipe card below.)
- Combine the chopped herbs, olive oil, seasonings and lemon juice. Place haddock fillets in a bowl or plastic storage bag and pour the marinade over fish. Keep covered in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Remove from refrigerator, drain marinade and lightly pat dry fish with paper towels.
- Preheat grill to medium heat.
- Dip a heat safe basting brush with oil or a paper towel dipped in some vegetable or canola oil and rub over the grates. Don't use too much oil or have flame too high to avoid flare ups.
Place fillets on grill and cook the first side 3-4 minutes without moving. Slide a metal spatula under the fish and flip over. Continue grilling for another 3 minutes or until browned and an internal meat thermometer registers 145°F.
Recipe Tips
- If you are not using fresh fish, you can use frozen haddock. Defrost in refrigerator overnight. Or put the unopened package in a bowl of cold water for about 30 minutes or until defrosted. Change the water after 15 minutes or so.
- Make sure to preheat the grill for at least 5 minutes to help burn off any previous food residue.
- After oiling the grates, wait another minute for the oil to heat on the grill.
- For best results, we like to grill thinner fish horizontally to avoid any chance of it falling through the grates. My husband also makes a more 'rolling' type of turning the fish rather an actual flip like a pancake.
- You can also use a fish grilling basket to avoid any chance of it sticking.
- If your haddock is thicker than ½ inch, they will take longer to cook. Always use your meat thermometer to check.
- You can baste the fish with more oil and seasonings if you want. But use fresh, don't use the marinade that the raw fish was in.
Serving
We served the haddock with this spicy tartar sauce recipe. Any leftover sauce can be used on a sandwich, burger or fish taco. Use it for grilled or raw vegetables or put it in egg salad.
You can also make a spicy aioli sauce to serve with the haddock.
Store leftover haddock in an airtight container for 2 days. Reheat on the stovetop in a pan lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray until heated through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Make sure to preheat the grill for 5 minutes. Lightly oil the grates with oil. You can use a heat safe silicone brush or a paper towel dipped in oil. Or use a fish basket made for BBQ grills.
I don't recommend using frozen fish since it will cook very unevenly. Since haddock is not a very thick piece of fillet, the outside will be done before the inside and could dry out the fish.
Thin fish, like haddock fillets can be marinated for 30-60 minutes. Thicker, firmer fillets like swordfish, tuna and salmon should be marinated for 1 hour, up to 2 hours. Marinating fish too long can cause the texture to be mushy due to the acid (citrus juice or vinegar) breaking down the flesh too much.
Some suggestions for using leftover fish would be to :
Make a salad and top with fish.
Make a salad from the fish itself, like tuna, shrimp or salmon salad.
Combine the cooked fillets, some breadcrumbs and seasonings and make fish patties. Lightly fry them in a pan until heated through.
Add to a taco with some cabbage or other vegetables and some delicious sauce.
If you tried this recipe and enjoyed it, I'd love if you gave it a 5 star rating. This tells me what you like and want to see more of. Thank you!
HERE are more seafood recipes to try:
PrintGrilled Haddock
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Marinate: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Total Time: 46 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
Description
Grilled haddock is a white fish that has a mild flavor and is deliciously enhanced by a lemon and herb marinade. You will not believe how quick and easy it is to grill this delicate fish.
Ingredients
- 2 haddock fillets, defrosted if frozen - about 6 ounces each
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning *
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning*
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- Chopped fresh herbs-sprig of thyme, oregano and 2 basil leaves*
Instructions
- Prepare marinade-chop herbs and stir together with the lemon juice, oil and seasoning.
- Pour over the haddock in a large bowl or plastic storage bag. Cover and keep in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes up to 1 hour.
- Drain marinade, pat dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle a bit more lemon pepper over top of the dry fillets.
- Preheat your grill to medium high heat.
- Lightly brush grates with oil or rub with a paper towel dabbed with oil.
- Place fish on grill over direct heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Slide a metal spatula under fish and gently roll/flip over. *
- Cook another 2-3 minutes until browned and the internal temperature register 145°F.
- Depending on the thickness of the fillets, it may take 1-2 minutes longer. Besides using the thermometer, the haddock should be opaque (not see through) and flakey.
- Remove to plates and serve with tartar sauce or lemon wedges.
Notes
*For substitutions, see post section above where I give lots of ideas to use different ingredients.
*If fish fillet doesn't feel like it's releasing easily, cook for another minute before flipping. You can also rub a little oil on the top of the spatula and see if that makes it easier to get under the fish.
*Store leftover fish in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Use in a sandwich, taco, salad. Or lightly reheat in a pan on the stovetop. Spray a little nonstick cooking spray and heat the leftover fish on low-medium.
*This recipe will make 2 portions. Just double the marinade recipe and buy as much haddock as you need if you need to serve more people.
* The nutrition is calculated using only 2 teaspoons of olive oil. When the marinade was drained off the fish, almost all of it was remaining.
Breanna says
Loved it! Grilling fish is our favorite. I’m not as keen on lingering fish odor on the house.
Deb Belsha says
Glad you liked it!
Suze says
We loved the fish. And I was so happy they didn’t stick. Much easier than I thought!
Deb Belsha says
I'm really glad you liked the recipe.