Grilled fish with seafood sauce

This recipe for grilled fish with seafood sauce is prepared with grilled fish -cod, halibut, mahi-mahi, etc – topped with a creamy garlic seafood sauce made with shrimp, calamari, scallops, garlic, onion, white wine and cream. I had a delicious grilled fish in a seafood sauce a couple of years ago in Salinas, a beach town in Ecuador. Of course I had to try to make it as soon as I got home.

En español

The fish I had at the restaurant was robalo, which is called white snook in English, but it can be made with any fish, from halibut to snapper. The first time I made it with cod and it was very good, though cod usually has a few bones so beware – especially for the kids.

I recommend this grilled fish with seafood sauce recipe for one of those days where you want to make something that tastes great, looks impressive and can be made quickly. I didn’t add any seasoning to the fish besides salt and pepper, I wanted to taste the fish since it was very fresh. Also the seafood sauce is so full of flavor that I didn’t want a flavor fight between the fish and the sauce.

I used an indoor grill, a panini press type one, and the fish needed only 3 minutes to be done. I find that this type of electric grill is perfect for fish as it applies heat evenly to both top and bottom and allows the fish to cook nicely without overcooking it.

For the seafood sauce I used shrimp, calamari or squid and bay scallops, but you can use any combination of seafood that is available. I’ve served this dish with fried green plantains and rice and it goes very well together – the rice soaks up the seafood sauce nicely. I also likely serving this grilled fish with fingerling potatoes tossed with butter and parsley, some steamed (or grilled) asparagus, and bread (to soak up the sauce). If you’re also grilling veggies at the same as the fish, they also make a great side dish.

Grilled fish with seafood sauce

Recipe for grilled fish with seafood sauce, prepared with grilled fish (cod, halibut, mahi-mahi, etc) topped with a creamy garlic seafood sauce made with shrimp, calamari, scallops, garlic, onion, white wine and cream.

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Ecuadorian, International, Latin American

Keyword: Al ajillo, Garlic, Grilled fish, Seafood, White wine

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4 – 6

Ingredients

• 2 lbs of fish filets can use cod, rockfish, halibut, mahi mahi, or your choice of fresh fish – cut into 4-6 fillets
• 1/2 tablespoon oil
• ½ lb of raw shrimp peeled and deveined
• ½ lb of calamari cut in small pieces
• ½ lb of small bay scallops
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons finely diced white onion
• 6 garlic cloves minced
• ¼ cup white wine
• ½ cup cream
• 1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley to sprinkle on top when serving
• Salt and pepper

Ideas for side dishes (choose your favorites):

• Latin style rice
• Fried green plantains
• Fingerling potatoes with butter and parsley
• Steamed or grilled asparagus
• Tomato and onion curtido salad
• Lime slices
• Aji hot sauce

Instructions

To grill the fish:

• Season the fish with the oil, salt and pepper and pre-heat the grill.
• If you are using an indoor panini style grill, then you can grill the fish quickly right as the sauce is finishing as they should both be served warm. If you are using a regular outdoor grill you can do grill the fish before preparing the seafood sauce – and keep the fish on a warm plate until ready to serve.
• To grill the fish on the outdoor grill, heat it to a high temperature (~400F), grill the fish on each side for about 5 minutes. The exact time will depend on the thickness of the fish fillets and the grill. Be careful to not overcook the fish as it will dry out.
• To grill the fish on the electric indoor grill it will take just 3-4 minutes, set it to high heat and use both the lower and upper grill racks to press down on the fillets.

To prepare the seafood in a garlic white wine sauce:

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan on medium heat, add the minced garlic and onion, cook for about 2 minutes.
• Stir in the shrimp and cook for 1 minute.
• Add the white wine and increase the heat, cook for another minute
• Add the cream and cook until the shrimp are almost done.
• Add the calamari and scallops, cook for 1-2 minutes at the most and remove from heat.
• Serve the sauce on the side or on top of the grilled fish, sprinkle with chopped parsley.
• Serve with garnished with a slice of lime, plus your choice of side dishes: fried green plantains, or potatoes, or steamed or grilled vegetables, plus rice, and/or bread to soak up any leftover sauce.

Photos of grilled fish with a garlicky seafood sauce: