Over Charcoal: Seafood

Fruits of the sea

For some summer seafood cooking inspiration, we made our way to the Crown & Anchor, a Young’s pub in the historic hamlet of Dell Quay, West Sussex – one of the most picturesque spots imaginable for enjoying fresh fish, cooked over fire. The pub’s long terrace looks straight out over the Fishbourne Channel, a tidal creek known for its scenic mudflats, rich birdlife and perfect sailing conditions.

There, we headed out on a local day-boat to fish for mackerel, then joined the Crown & Anchor’s chef Phyl Corleone to fire up the pub’s Big Green Egg for a seafood feast. As well as stuffing and grilling our freshly caught mackerel, Phyl showed us three simple, flavour-packed recipes for monkfish fillets, barbecued mackerel and hand-dived scallops.

WATCH CROWN AND ANCHOR'S RECIPE REELS

MONKFISH SHAWARMA WITH FLATBREADS AND LIME YOGHURT

BARBECUED MACKEREL WITH LEMON GREMOLATA & HAND-DIVED SCALLOPS WITH ROE BUTTER

Cook Phyl’s seafood recipes

Recipe Monkfish Shawarma with Flatbreads and Lime Yoghurt

Recipe Hand-Dived Scallops with Roe Butter

Recipe Barbecued Mackerel with Lemon Gremolata

Six tips for cooking fish

Cooking fish over the coals of a Big Green Egg is simple, forgiving and rich with potential, just so long as you stick to a few basic principles. Here are our top six tips for guaranteeing perfectly cooked fish, every time.

Fish for compliments

1. Buy fresh

Bright eyes, firm flesh

Buy the freshest fish you can, ideally sourced from British day boats. Or catch it yourself like we did in the video! Fresh fish holds up well to heat and needs very little embellishment. Look for bright eyes, firm flesh and a clean smell of the sea.

2. Go thick or go whole

Thick fillets or whole fish

Bigger, meatier fish such as tuna, monkfish and swordfish can be cooked as fillets. Make sure those fillets are thick and chunky (around 3-5cm) so they stay juicy while developing a beautifully caramelised exterior. Smaller fish and fish with oily meat, such as mackerel, are at their best when cooked whole.

4. Feel the heat

Get the grid good and hot

Get the grill properly hot. If the grid isn’t hot enough, the fish is much more likely to stick. A Cast Iron Searing Grid is perfect for this, as it absorbs and holds heat spectacularly well.

3. Choose the right surface

Griddle or grid?

Use the right cooking method. Fillets of flakier fish such as cod or hake benefit from the security of a Cast Iron Plancha Griddle or an Alder Cooking Plank, while whole fish and firmer fillets cook brilliantly on a grid directly over the coals.

5. Don’t mess

Leave that fish alone

Once your fish is on the grill, leave it alone. Resist the temptation to move the fish too early. Giving it a good sear helps prevent it from sticking.

6. Be quick

Don’t overcook

Be careful not to overcook your fish. Fish cooks quickly and continues cooking after it comes off the EGG. Remove it when the flesh is turning opaque and then rest it for a few minutes for perfectly moist results.

The EGG at the Crown & Anchor

The Crown & Anchor’s Big Green Eggs are set in an outdoor kitchen at the end of the pub’s beautiful quayside terrace, where they’re used to turn exceptional local produce into flavour-packed dishes. “For now, it’s all about grilling fish, summer stuff, light food, barbecued vegetables,” says Phyl. “In the winter, we’ll try our hands with roasts, big joints, sharing platters.” He’s been experimenting with the different modes and gradually developing his repertoire. His favourite dish to cook on the EGG? “Monkfish shawarma – as of today!”