I have a feeling you’re intimidated by fish. You like fish, but you’re afraid of splurging on an expensive fillet only to end up with a flavorless, overcooked meal. Good news – I can help! I have created dozens of fish recipes for my site. I’ll show you how to take expensive fillets, like sablefish, and turn them into the mouthwatering meal they were meant to be!

If you’ve never had sablefish, it’s a rich, buttery white fish – sometimes called black cod. My kids call it “butter fish” and LOVE when I make it!

Fillets like this only need a handful of ingredients. This recipe has easy to find ingredients and comes together really quickly! Overcooking and under seasoning fish are probably the biggest mistakes that people make, but with my tips, your fish will turn out beautifully!

How to cook Sablefish and why you’ll love this Sablefish Recipe

I’m a self-proclaimed fish lover and have been cooking fish weekly for over a decade. Sablefish has a rich, buttery taste that’s different from other types of white fish. (It’s also called black cod, FYI.) But it’s just as easy to prepare!

This grilled white fish is a buttery, flavorful dish that will impress everyone at your table – and won’t stress you out! You can use this technique with any firm white fish, too. (Like cod, halibut, or rockfish.)

I have a couple of tips to get the most out of your sablefish fillet (hint: use fresh herbs!). And I’ll walk you through every step.

What is sablefish?

I got a box of sablefish (also called Alaskan black cod) thinking, “Nice! More cod!”

But when I read a little about sablefish and tried some out, I realized this wasn’t like Pacific cod.

Sablefish has the highest omega-3 content out of all fish (even more than salmon!) and has a rich, buttery texture and taste.

I was seriously blown away. It’s my new favorite fish.

When you get your share boxes in the mail, the fish is packed with dry ice and blast-frozen just hours after its caught. It’s about the freshest fish you can get without eating it boat-side.

How to season Grilled Sablefish

In my opinion, the best way to get fish (and shrimp) well-seasoned is to sprinkle a little sea salt on it and let it sit for 10-15 minutes before you cook it.

If I’m using a marinade, I still sprinkle salt on it before I add the marinade so the marinade doesn’t wash all the salt off.

When I made this sablefish recipe, I literally just sprinkled it with salt, let it sit for a while, and the put it on the grill.

How to cook Sablefish

1. Lay the fillets on a large plate, skin-side down, and sprinkle each fillet with a generous pinch of sea salt. Let the fish rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, put the oil and garlic into a small skillet and GENTLY heat over medium-low heat. When the garlic starts to sizzle a little, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the herbs and a pinch or two of sea salt. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes so the flavors can combine well.
3. Preheat the grill to high heat. Grease the grill grates, if needed.
4. Place the fillets on the grill skin-side UP. Cook, covered, for 3-4 minutes and then flip them over. You’ll want to use a large spatula for this and use swift movements.
5. Continue to cook until the fish seems to be separating and it pulls apart easily with a fork. Don’t over cook it.
6. Transfer the fish to a large platter and drizzle the herb oil over the top.

Tips for cooking Whitefish on the Grill

1. Only grill thick fish fillets like sablefish, salmon, cod, halibut, snapper, and rockfish — especially if you’re a beginner. Thinner fillets like Dover sole fall apart much more quickly and you may end up with half of your fillet slipping between the grates. For fish like that and smaller things like shrimp, I highly recommend using a grill basket.
2. Make sure your grill grates are greased. You could also drizzle some heat-safe oil on the fish itself to keep it from sticking.
3. If your fish has skin, put it on the grill skin-side up first. (This also applies when cooking fish in a skillet.)
4. Only flip it once. Or you’ll be sad.
5. Don’t overcook it. The fish should start to separate on its own and pull apart easily with a fork. It’ll continue to cook a little with its residual heat.

When I took my sablefish off the grill and tasted it — WHOA. I have never had such great tasting fish before using such little seasoning.

Just salt. That was it.

But, of course, I wanted to take it a step further.

How to take this Sablefish Recipe to the next level

I went out to my herb garden (the only thing I can grow sometimes) and picked a few herbs — dill, thyme, mint, basil, and sage.

I wanted this to taste like those dipping oils you use with crusty bread at Italian restaurants.

I gently heated some extra-virgin olive oil. Like… super gently. EVOO shouldn’t ever be heated to high temps because it oxidizes super quickly.

I added some microplaned garlic and chopped herbs, took it off the heat, and just let it hang out while the fish was cooking.

I’m glad I followed my gut with this one because THIS. SABLEFISH. WAS. AMAZEBALLS.

This infused oil drizzle would be great with any type of fish, but starting out with a super high quality fillet like sablefish made it even better.

What to serve with Grilled White Fish

Grilled fish makes such an easy dinner! Here are a few ideas for sides you could whip up super fast…

Grilled Vegetables — toss the asparagus (or another quick-cooking vegetable) with oil and put it on the grill alongside the fish. They’ll be done at the same time.

Seasoned Rice — Honestly, I’d go for grilled vegetables AND rice. My Instant Pot Lemon Herb rice would be FANTASTIC with this fish.

A Great Salad — I’ve been known to hack salad kits, but when life is nuts and you just want to eat a great salad, buy a salad kit. If you have an extra few minutes, my Copycat Costco Kale Salad would go well with this fish. Speaking of asparagus, this Grilled Asparagus and Melon salad would be a fancier, fun side, too.

I’d love to know what you think of this. And how it works with other types of firm fish, too.

More Recipes on Perry’s Plate

• Berry Cobbler With Frozen Berries
• Caramelized Onion Burgers
• Prosciutto and Cantaloupe
• Mediterranean Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad
• Sheet Pan Chicken Recipe
• Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Butternut Squash
• 3 Ingredient Flourless Chocolate Cake
• How to Make Chocolate Bark

Best Grilled Fish FAQs

How can you tell if fish is fresh?

When you’re at the store, smell the package of fish, if you can. If there’s a fishy smell, PUT IT BACK.

I usually buy my wild-caught fish at Costco, which is pretty good most of the time. Our Costco stores out west have a lot of Alaskan salmon and other types of fish.

How do you thaw frozen fish?

The safest way is to let it hang out in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Fish thaws out much faster this way than ground beef or chicken.

If I’m in a rush or I forgot to take it out of the freezer, I put the frozen fish in a bowl of tepid water. Usually within a couple of hours (depending on the thickness of the fish) it’ll be thawed out.

(This is probably breaking all kinds of food prep violations, but I do it anyway. #rebel)

Don’t use your microwave’s thawing program. In fact, don’t ever put fish in the microwave. Ever