grilled fish - came out soggy

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weekend smoker

Newbie
Original poster
Jan 16, 2014
24
11
Southern Illinois
Just pulled some flounder off of the grill.  It turned out very soggy.  Any ideas how to prevent this?

It was from the freezer and I thawed it on my counter top for a few hours.  Patted dry with paper towels to get moisture off if it.  coated with oil and some spices. Grilled at about 350 F for about 9 minutes each side.

Had a little applewood on on my grill for some good smoke flavor and the taste was not bad, but could not get past the texture.  

Any ideas what I did wrong?  Do not want to repeat this.
 
Hi there!

I think the timing would have been better cut at least in half (3-4 minutes per side MAX) and so maybe, just as when over boiling fish, it all just got too cooked, mushy, or whatever it be. (Flounder being so thin and delicate as it is).

However, that's just a fine excuse to do it again right? Delicious fun!!!

Happy Saturday to you!!!

Cheers!!! - Leah
 
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Hi there again!

I asked a former fisherman if he could figure out what "soggy" hails from.

He said that sometimes if fish was frozen TWICE, (a store will sell fish they thawed without marking it as such, someone takes it home and freezes it, and then thaws it again, and cooks it, and it is very soggy), then that can often happen.

However, if that wasn't the case, then it could be overcooking or such.

In any event, I share only what I learned and so hopefully that helps? Otherwise just ignore it entirely, as I simply mean well, and was interested myself in learning about it too!

Regardless, it's just a fun opportunity for you to do it even better! Have fun!!!

And happy Saturday!!!

Cheers! - Leah
 
Leah,

Thank you for the advice.  I did buy this fish on sale at one of the big box stores so it would not be outside the realm of possibility that it had thawed or started to thaw before I got it.  

Have one more packet of flounder in my freezer.  Next time I cook it I will keep the grill time on each side to about 3-4 minutes and see if that works.  After that I am staying with the swai fish I grilled 2 weeks ago, it turned out great

Thanks again
 
Hi there!

Happy to help in way. Hopefully that helps some, although every now and then something can just be soft or whatever it is.

I bet the next round is great!

And your other fish must be sensational! I must say, there isn't a fish I dislike! I'm not "thrilled or excited" about sole, but will certainly eat it if served such. Otherwise I could rave about each one!!!

In any event, happy new week and here's to lovely food!!!

Cheers!!! - Leah
 
Flounder's weird. Never trust a fish with both eyes on the same side of his face. That being said, I think your heat may have been a little low and, like Leah said, your time too long. Sounds like you essentially braised it in it's own juices. Get your grill HOT, like as hot as it'll get, oil your grates well and then give it a 2 minute sear per side. Contrary to what you'd think from looking at it, you gotta be aggressive with flounder to get those proteins set.
 
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