Slovenian Grilled Catfish

 

There is an old Slovenian saying that fish must swim three times: first in water, then in oil, and finally in wine. In keeping with this saying, the subtle taste of this recipe goes beautifully with a good white wine. 

This recipe is known as "Na Tržaški Nacin", or "Fish as from Trieste", and any fatty fish can be substituted effectively for the catfish.  Although fairly simple, those who have had this recipe often consider it hands-down the best recipe for catfish.

 

 

Ingredients

• Catfish (4-5 whole or 8-10 fillets)
• ½ c. olive oil
• ¼ c. minced garlic
• ¼ c. minced parsley
• pepper to taste (optional)
  
• Salt
• Grilling baskets
• Basting brush

Directions

1. Combine oil, garlic and parsley (and pepper, if using) and allow to sit for at least an hour, preferably longer, so that the flavors have a chance to combine.
2. If necessary, thaw fish. Fresh fish is best, but if fresh catfish isn't available, get still-frozen fish rather than fish that was frozen and already thawed in the grocery store.
3. Salt fish liberally on both sides; if using whole fish, be sure to salt inside the body cavity.
4. Lay fish out in a single layer in the grilling basket(s). They can touch, but not overlap.
5. Start grill; be sure to have a good hot fire – if fish cooks too slowly, it will become rubbery.
6. Place closed baskets of fish on grill and baste, then turn over, and baste the bottom side liberally as well. (Start out using mostly just the olive oil, then add the bulk of the parsley and garlic during the last rotation or two, to keep them from charring.)
   
7. Have a spray bottle of water on hand in case flames flare too much because of dripping oils, but be careful not to cool the fire too much.
8. Allow to cook for three minutes, then turn over and baste liberally again.
9. Repeat turning and basting every three minutes for a total of 12-15 minutes for fillets, depending on thickness of fish and heat of the fire; or about twice that for whole fish.  Fish are done when flesh is white, no longer translucent to the fire beneath, and the top sides sizzle lightly.
   
10. Baste on both sides a final time, then carefully remove from the grilling baskets. The fish will probably stick to the baskets and have to be scraped free; however, if sticking is excessive, it may need to be cooked slightly longer. (Fun tip: the bits of fish that stick to the baskets are some of the best parts of the fish, and much fun to pick off and enjoy.)

Serving

As said before, this fish is usually served with white wine. It also goes beautifully with Slovenian potato salad, found in Slovenian Fresh Vegetable Salads recipes. If any of the basting oil is left, it can be basted onto bread to make a wonderful quick and easy garlic bread; a little salt really brings out the flavor in the garlic for this.

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