I think you are going to find some interesting ideas in this recipe. Most of all, it is simple, quick and I'll bet it will become your favorite fluke dish period. Most of the time, when barbecuing fish, it ends up in a pan or a foil envelope and quite frankly the fish is steamed and not truly barbecued (unless it's a tuna, swordfish or shark steak). Well, try this. The next time you are filleting your fluke, leave the skin on a few fillets. No, don't waste your time scaling it. Leave the scales on too and read on.
OK, all you need is some herbs and your fluke fillets with the skin on (scales and all). Clean or rinse the fillets and pat them dry. Put a small amount of olive oil on a dish and place your fillets on the dish skin side down (the oil will help prevent sticking to the grill). If you have fresh herbs, then by all means use them. If not, go dry. First, put a dash of old bay on the fillets, according to your taste. Next, chop up some fresh oregano or use dry and sparsely cover the fish. Do the same with about 1/3 as much rosemary and some parsley (you can add a bit of basil too if you like-I add the basil and a tiny amount of lemon balm which I grow). Now add some pepper to taste and a dash of garlic salt. Note, aside from the oregano & old bay, all seasonings should be light. Now, what I like to do is add some course sea salt. If you go light with the sea salt, then fill in the blanks with a dash of regular salt. If all you have is regular salt, then just go with that. I like the surprise flavor you get when you crunch into a grain of sea salt. And finally, drizzle a bit of good extra virgin olive oil on the fillets. Let this stand for the 10 minutes it takes to heat up your grill (please oil your grill a bit to help prevent sticking). Once the grill is hot, add the fillets skin side down and let them grill for about 6 to 8 minutes (check for doneness in the usual way). What happens is the scales will melt and burn a bit. This will add a nice bbq charcoal flavor and will help to crisp up the skin. Once cooked, remove the fish and serve on the skin. The fish is easily removed from the hard skin with a fork and the flavor is absolutely incredible! Just make sure you make extra because everyone will enjoy this fish. (oh, don't eat the skin!)

Good Fishing - Good Eating - Captain John
(cr) June 2002