Grilled Whole Fish Tandoori Style

This grilled whole fish just plain gets it!

There are of course many ways to cook a whole fish. In this post I will show you how to do it over fire. The grilled whole fish you see in the photo was cooked in tandoor on skewers but you could also cook the fish directly on the barbecue grate or in a fish basket. All of this methods get amazing results.

About this recipe.

Grilled whole fish is one of the most challenging things to cook in a tandoor oven. You need to skewer the fish just right but don't worry there... I explain to you how to do that in the step by step photos below.

So if you have a tandoor oven, try this grilled whole fish in it. 

I know that most people don't have a tandoor oven so I used my new Doori tandoor oven which is less expensive than a clay tandoor and portable. Great for the beach!

If you intend on using your barbecue to cook this grilled whole fish recipe, that is easier and tastes about the same too.

How do you prepare this grilled whole fish?

No matter which cooking method you use, preparing the fish and marinade is the same. 

If you want to cook this on your barbecue grate, I recommend looking at this recipe post where you do exactly that with step by step photographs.

To prepare the fish, scrape a sharp knife down the fish skin several times on each side to get all of the excess moisture out of the skin. This will help produce crispier, tastier skin when you serve it.

Score the fish on both sides about 5 to 10 times to help the fish cook through and to ensure the marinade gets right into the flesh of the fish. 

How do you make the marinade?

Making the marinade is easy. Just whisk all of the ingredients together and apply inside and outside the fish. When and how you do this depends on if you are cooking this grilled whole fish on your barbecue or in a tandoor oven.

Whole fish marinated in tandoori spices is really fun to serve. It looks the part. I like to use sea bream or sea bass but you could really use the whole fish of your choice. I’ve even used this recipe with fresh water trout.

How do you cook the fish in a tandoor oven?

Cooking fish in a tandoor oven can be a little difficult at first. Once you do it a couple of times, it's a breeze.

You need to skewer the fish either through the mouth, down the spine and out the tail end or in reverse, through the tail end, along the back bone and out the skull of the fish.

Running your skewer through the mouth is the easiest but I prefer to do it through the tail end so that the fish head is facing the coals. Either way, you need to ensure that the fish is secure on the skewer and place it in your tandoor oven at an angle which will make it more difficult for the fish to slide down.

Be careful! Be ready with a good heat proof glove or another skewer in case your fish begins to slide. With practice it won't but you don't want to lose any expensive fish in the meantime.

Cooking fish in a tandoor is of course very popular in India. Get it down and you will be happy you did.

How long can you store leftovers in the fridge?

This is a recipe that is best eaten on the day you make it. Freshness is always best. If you do have some of the meat left over, you can keep it in your fridge, wrapped tightly for about 3 days.

The leftover meat can be served on it's own or warmed up and wrapped up in flatbread.

Step by step photographs.

If you like this grilled whole fish tandoori style, you might like to try some of these seafood dishes too.

1. Mediterranean Grilled Fish
2. Tandoori Fish on the Barbecue
3. Salmon Mean Molee - A delicious fish curry!
4. Spicy Stuffed Crab
5. Spicy Seafood Curry with Coconut
6. Indian Pan Seared Halibut
7. Indian Fish Fry
8. Kedgeree Recipe
9. Cod Curry With Coconut
10. Tandoori Baked Salmon
11. Easy Monkfish Curry
12. Malabar Fish Curry
13. Sri Lankan Fried Calamari
14. Sri Lankan Prawn Curry
15. Crab Curry Sri Lankan Style
16. Vietnamese Grilled Scallops
17. Vietnamese Cha Ca
18. Ikan Bakar - Indonesian and Malaysian Grilled Fish
19. Sambal Lala - Spicy Malaysian Clams
20. Indonesian Blackened Grilled Fish
21. Seafood Laksa
22. Korean Blackened Salmon
23. Indian Fish Pie
24. Butter Egg Floss Prawns
25. Prawn Puri

Have you tried this recipe for tandoori whole fish recipe?  

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