Michael Symon's Aluminum Foil Trick Makes Grilling Fish Even Easier

Michael Symon is the celebrity "chef next door." Symon, who rose to fame by winning the first season of "The Next Iron Chef" in 2008, is a regular fixture on Food Network and is the author of several cookbooks. But the chef still runs his restaurants alongside his wife, Liz, parents, and in-laws. In a 2017 USA Today interview, Symon shares that, even though he now has 20 restaurants that generate about $60 million a year, "there's still a mom and pop feel to it."

The chef is best known for his meat recipes, as evidenced by his books "Carnivore" and "Playing with Fire." The chef has numerous recipes for grill lovers, including recipes for smoked pork ribs and leg of lamb souvlaki, which taps into his Greek heritage. The chef, who knows his way around a grill, frequently shares tips and tricks for making your barbecue better on Food Network. There is one tip that the chef shared that works amazingly when you want to grill a piece of fish. 

Symon shares his hack to create a great grilled fish dish at home by wrapping your fish and fresh vegetables in aluminum foil. The celebrity chef shared the tip for Food Network's BBQ Brawl show. In a video, Symon says that, when cooking seafood on the grill, "foil is your friend."

Symon explains that this technique resembles the classic en papillote method of cooking. According to Serious Eats, chefs place a protein (usually seafood), vegetables, and spices in a bag, usually made of parchment, and cook it in that bag. The bag seals in the flavors and juices. 

Symon explains that you can't put parchment on a grill, because it will burn. Instead, the chef places parchment on a piece of aluminum foil. He then places the fish on the parchment, along with squash, zucchini, and asparagus chunks. Symon then adds butter, salt, and herbs, and says that home chefs can add some white wine to the mix. He then folds everything into a foil bundle and places it on the grill for 10-12 minutes. If your grill is already packed with meat, you can place the bundle under the grate directly on the coals. 

The result, according to Symon, is delicious: moist fish prepared on your grill.