Grilled Dorado with Citrus Chimichurri
The Argentine river fish par excellence, butterflied open and grilled on its scales: the layer of scales acts as a heat shield, so the flesh cooks gently from below instead of scorching on the grill bars. The chimichurri with lemon and smoked paprika is the natural partner.
Dorado is not sold outside South America. The technique works with any large scaly freshwater fish, though: carp is the closest substitute and easy to find at this size, and pike-perch or a whole large trout work too — cook smaller fish for correspondingly less time. What stays fixed is the rule: leave the scales on, scale side down, and do not be sparing with the basting.
Ingredients
- 1 dorado of 3-4 kg (or carp, or another large freshwater fish), butterflied, with the scales on
- 150 ml olive or sunflower oil
- Juice of 3 lemons
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin (optional, for the northern touch)
- Coarse salt and black pepper, to taste
Method
- 1
Preparing the fish: make sure the fish keeps its scales. Salt the flesh generously and let it rest for 15 minutes while the coals settle.
- 2
The marinade: in a jar, emulsify the oil with the lemon juice, the garlic, the parsley and the spices. Shake hard until the mixture is even.
- 3
Getting it on: put the fish on the grill over medium-high heat, always scale side down. That layer acts as the heat shield.
- 4
Constant basting: brush the flesh with the marinade every 10 minutes. Being a leaner fish, it needs this input of fat and acidity so it does not dry out.
- 5
Doneness: cook for 45-50 minutes on the scale side. The flesh will start to come away from the backbone and turn opaque. Cook smaller fish for correspondingly less time.
- 6
The finish: turn the piece only for the last 5 minutes, to get an even colour on the top. Lift it off carefully with a wide spatula so the piece does not break.