Recipe

Paul's Grilled Puppy Drum

My friend Paul makes this for his wife whenever he brings home puppy drum or redfish from a day out on the boat. Talk about good!

Ingredients

4 tablespoons melted butter
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Emeril's Original Essence or Creole Seasoning
4 tablespoons olive oil
One 3 1/2 to 4-pound puppy drum or redfish, fillets removed with scales intact
One-fourth cup finely chopped fresh herbs, such as tarragon, thyme, basil, or chives

Preheat a grill to medium-high.
In a small bowl, combine the butter, garlic, Parmesan, Creole seasoning, olive oil, and herbs.

Lay the fillets on the grill, scale side down, and brush generously with melted butter mixture. Close the grill cover and cook for 3 minutes. Open the grill and brush the fillets again generously with more melted butter mixture. Close the grill cover and cook for 3 additional minutes. Repeat this process until the flesh is firm and opaque, for a total cooking time of about 15 minutes for this size fish. Remove from the grill and serve immediately.
Note: I suggest serving this with some grilled veggies for a complete “al fresco” dining experience. We grilled zucchini slices (about ½-inch thick) in about the same time it took to grill the fish.