Grilled Grouper & Fennel Bulbs

Well, this past Saturday my old boss invited me out on his grouper boat for a day fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. And since I love fresh fish and being out on the water it was just too hard to say no. He really had to twist my arm. After a long day we managed to catch three large grouper, a ton of pink mouths (better known as grunts), seabass and one flounder. 

Sunday morning I prepped the grill, soaked a plank of maple and a handfull of wood chips in a pan, and then separated out two nice grouper fillets for Adrianne and myself. I put the grouper in a large Zip-Lock bag with virgin olive oil, soy sauce, and chopped garlic. I let them sit all day in the fridge while I ran some errands. On a side note, my father discovered this wonderful marinade while working in the Florida Keys. He said the local fisherman would grill everything using it and I can see why. Try grilling portabello mushroom caps with it! Mmmmm mmm taste just like steak, so rich and earthy. 

The market had some great looking fennel bulbs and squash so I picked them up along with a few other items. Back at the house I split the bulbs and rubbed the insides with curry paste and virgin olive oil. I fired up the grill and had Adrianne crack open a bottle of chilled Hopler (Gruner Veltliner 2005). During the transition from spring to summer I love to sit on the back deck with a chilled pinot grigio or some other white wine and cook. The weather is mild and the bugs have yet to descend upon us. 

I put everything on the grill at once; the fish, the split fennel and squash. I tossed the handful of soaked woodchips on the coals and closed the lid. The grouper grilled up nicely on the maple plank in no time. The fennel came out slightly charred and very aromatic. Along with the wine it was a perfect evening to end the weekend.