Ingredients
Fish
- 8flying fish, whole
- or 8 small whole fish
- juice of 3 limes
- 2 teaspoonssalt
- black pepper
Sometimes rubbed with
- 2garlic cloves, crushed
- 1chilli, chopped
- a little oil
To serve
- boiled breadfruit
- or boiled taro
- or rice
- coconut cream
- lime wedges
Directions
- Rinse the fish under cold water. Scale them if the scales are large. Gut them through the belly side. Rinse the cavity out thoroughly. Pat them all completely dry first.
- Rub them with lime juice and salt. Add black pepper to them as well. Let them sit for fifteen minutes.
- Cut two shallow slashes into each side. They are small fish and need little. Wait until the coals are covered in grey ash. Spread the embers into an even bed.
- Oil the grill bars before the fish go on. Fish skin sticks to a dry grill. Lay the fish on the hot grill. Give them about four full minutes.
- Turn them once with a wide slice. Give them another four minutes. Check the first one before the rest.
- Turn them once over as they cook. Serving them is done hot from the fire. Pile them all onto a large platter. Serve boiled breadfruit or taro alongside.
- Pour a little coconut cream over the starch. Eating them takes some real care. Peel the flesh away from the backbone. The roe is eaten if it is there.
Technique
- Flying fish do not truly fly: they build speed underwater, break the surface and glide on enlarged pectoral fins, sometimes for over a hundred metres, to escape predators below.
- They are drawn to light at night, so fishers go out in small boats with a torch held over the water and scoop them from the air with long-handled nets, a method used across the Pacific.
- Tuvalu is nine low-lying atolls with almost no soil, so the sea provides most of the protein, with breadfruit, taro and pulaka grown in pits alongside.
Substitutions
- Any small whole fish grills the same way.
- Salt and lime alone are enough, and many cooks use nothing more.
Variations
- Some cooks add garlic and chilli to the rub.
- The fish are also dried and salted for keeping.
- Cooking them on a stick beside the embers is the beach method.
History
Flying fish are attracted at night by torchlight and scooped from small boats, a fishery practised across the central Pacific.
Frequently asked questions
What is Grilled Flying Fish?
Grilled Flying Fish is a main from Tuvalu: flying fish caught at night by torchlight, grilled whole. Flying fish are attracted at night by torchlight and scooped from small boats, a fishery practised across the central Pacific.
How long does Grilled Flying Fish take to make?
Grilled Flying Fish takes 20 minutes of preparation and 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Grilled Flying Fish?
Yes, within limits. Any small whole fish grills the same way. Salt and lime alone are enough, and many cooks use nothing more.
What is the most important thing to get right in Grilled Flying Fish?
Flying fish do not truly fly: they build speed underwater, break the surface and glide on enlarged pectoral fins, sometimes for over a hundred metres, to escape predators below.
