So you’ve cleaned the fish properly and it’s time to ‘butterfly’ it...

I prefer using this mini cleaver to ‘butterfly’ the fish... It’s super sharp and slices brilliantly, even through the bone... You could of course use a filleting knife...



Whereas when you cleaned the fish, you would cut up to the head from the anal hole... You are now going to cut in exactly the opposite direction... Sort of following the bone as close as possible toward the tail from the anal hole, with short quick slices...





Once you have done that you’ll need to work your way up along the spine, again with short slices, making sure you cut right down to the skin...



You will eventually get to a section of hard bone; this is where the cleaver comes in handy... By having someone hold the fish rest the cleaver on these bones and with a sharp chop (I just strike the back of the cleaver with the side of my hand) you are almost able to penetrate right through to the inside of the head... Of course you don’t want to chop your wife’s fingers off... lol.



And finally... For the fish to lie completely flat there’s a small piece of muscle/sinew/something like that just behind the gill plate that needs to be cut... You’ll see that once you have done this, the head lays nicely to one side, making it a lot easier to put into the grill...



Now it’s time to spice, season and oil... When you’ve done all this, let the fish rest in the fridge for a while... The longer the better...





I’ve found that by cooking the fish skin side down (facing the flames) in the beginning really helps the flavour to penetrate the meat... You can also safely leave it a little longer to cook on this side... Don’t turn the fish too many times, it will leave the meat dry...



Time to eat...



The dogs can’t wait for this part of the evening... lol.

[img]http://i40.tinypic.com/2m4ytz4.jpg[/img]

And there you go gents and ladies... lol.

Pretty slick Z! That looks really good! Only way I have ever fixed fish on the grill is wrapped in tinfoil with veggies and some seasonings along with a bit of lemon juice.

I've never seen a fish like that. But I have never been to Africa either.

lol... The east coast of africa has some of the most diverse species of fish in the world... Here I've assembled a black tail, a few scavengers and a soldier... lol...

I spent a few years in Mozambique and learn't this method from one of the local skippers... I can't even remember when last I cooked a fish in tin foil... I personally think this is the best way to braai (BBQ) a fish...

I ALMOST always fillet my fish, don't like bones!

That looks like it works pretty good , thanks . I'll have to give that a try . [censored] , if I'd of gone ice fishing earlier like I was thinking of I'd have some fresh fish to try that with !

My wife and I stayed with some friends in Tunisia during the Eid a couple of years ago. One of the best meals I had was Mediterranean-caught fresh fish cooked a similar way to this. Good stuff!