Fish, Meet Fire

Flatfish turns buttery and crisp-skinned on the grill. Here’s how to make it at home.

GRILLED WHOLE FLATFISH

INSPIRED BY chef Joshua Skenes’ whole grilled petrale sole at Angler restaurant in San Francisco, we set out to master grilling flatfish, which are sustainably caught off the West Coast. These delicate fish aren’t typically grilled—they’re prone to drying out or falling apart—but with the right technique, their flesh stays buttery and juicy, and it takes on a light smoky flavor and sizzling skin when grilled over hot coals. Airdrying the fish first helps to firm the fillets, which grill up crispy; using a grilling basket guarantees the fish won’t stick to the grill and is easy to flip. Finally, deboning the fish at the table makes this the party trick of the summer. ROBIN BASHINSKY

1 SCRUB WITH SALT

Scrub fresh, cleaned flatfish with coarse sea salt to clean the slick skin of the fish. Rinse the fish well, inside and out, and pat dry thoroughly. Removing impurities from the skin ensures it dries completely.

2 AIR DRY

Place fish on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet; refrigerate, uncovered, until skin of fish is very dry, at least 36 hours.

3 RUB WITH OIL

Just before grilling, coat fish with a thin layer of oil to help conduct heat and prevent the fish from sticking to the grill basket.

4 GRILL IN BASKET

Place fish in a large grill basket. Without closing basket, grill over medium-hot embers, uncovered, until skin is slightly charred and shrinks away from basket, 8 to 10 minutes. Close basket.

5 FLIP AND GRILL