Steckerlfisch (Grilled Fish on a Stick)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Long wooden sticks or thick skewers (50cm, soaked in water)
• •Charcoal grill or open fire pit
• •Sharp filleting knife
• •Fish bone tweezers or needle-nose pliers
• •Small crosswise skewers or kitchen twine (for securing fish)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the sticks

   If you're using raw wooden sticks, soak them in water for at least an hour before you start. This keeps them from catching fire over the coals. Thick dowels from a hardware store work well, or sturdy branches you've stripped and cleaned. The stick needs to be long enough that your hand stays well away from the heat, about 50 centimeters. Sharpen one end to a point.

   Traditional Steckerlfisch sticks are thicker than standard skewers, closer to the width of your thumb. The fish needs a sturdy support or it will spin and slide. If you can only find thin bamboo skewers, use two side by side and bind them with kitchen twine at both ends.
2. 2

   Butterfly the fish

   Lay each mackerel on its belly. With a sharp knife, cut along both sides of the backbone from inside the cavity, working carefully so you don't pierce the skin on the back. Remove the backbone entirely, along with the rib bones. Open the fish flat like a book, skin side down. It should lie in one connected piece, hinged at the back skin. Run your fingers over the flesh and pull out any pin bones with tweezers or pliers. This takes two minutes per fish and makes the difference between a pleasant meal and one spent picking bones out of your teeth.

   Ask your fishmonger to butterfly the mackerel for you. Most will do it happily if you explain what you need. Just say you want the backbone removed and the fish opened flat, skin still connected.
3. 3

   Make the garlic paprika rub

   In a small bowl, mix together the minced garlic, sweet paprika, smoked paprika if using, oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and marjoram. Stir it into a loose paste. It should be wet enough to spread easily over the fish. Taste it. It should be savory and warm from the paprika, sharp with garlic, and just bright enough from the lemon. Adjust the salt now, because you can't adjust it later once the fish is on the fire.

4. 4

   Skewer and rub the fish

   Lay each butterflied fish skin-side down. Thread the pointed end of the stick through the tail, running it lengthwise up through the body so the fish is held flat and open against the stick. Some people use a second smaller skewer crosswise near the head to keep the fish from flapping. Rub the paprika paste generously over the flesh side of each fish, getting it into every crevice. Don't be shy. The paste should coat the entire surface in a visible red-orange layer. Let the fish sit with the rub for fifteen minutes while you tend the fire.

   The fish goes flesh-side toward the heat first, skin-side away. This is the opposite of what most people assume, but it's how the Volksfest vendors do it. The flesh firms up and takes the smoke, then you turn the stick to crisp the skin at the end.
5. 5

   Prepare the fire

   You want glowing embers, not flames. If you're using a charcoal grill, light the coals and let them burn down until they're covered in white ash and radiating steady heat. Push the coals to one side to create a hot zone and a cooler zone. If you're working on open ground the traditional way, build your fire and let it burn to coals, then plant the sticks in the ground at a 45-degree angle, fish leaning toward the embers at a distance of about 20 to 25 centimeters. On a grill, you'll prop the sticks at an angle with the fish over the cooler side.

   The distance from the heat matters more than the cooking time. Hold your hand where the fish will be. If you can keep it there for three or four seconds before pulling away, that's the right distance. Any closer and the skin burns before the flesh cooks through.
6. 6

   Grill the fish

   Position the sticks with the flesh side facing the heat first. Let them cook slowly for about fifteen minutes. You'll see the flesh turn opaque from the edges inward and the paprika rub will darken slightly. Don't rush this. The low, steady heat renders the fat gently and gives you that silky, smoky texture inside. After fifteen minutes, rotate the sticks so the skin side faces the heat. Cook for another ten to fifteen minutes until the skin tightens, blisters, and turns deeply golden and crisp in places. The fish is done when the flesh flakes easily at the thickest point and the skin pulls away from the meat when you press it.

7. 7

   Serve with bread

   Bring the fish to the table still on their sticks. Set out Semmeln, lemon wedges, and a small dish of freshly grated horseradish if you like. The proper way to eat Steckerlfisch is to hold the stick in one hand, pull flakes of fish off the bone with your other hand or a fork, and tuck them into a torn piece of Semmel. Squeeze lemon over the fish as you go. A cold beer alongside is not optional, it's structural. Mahlzeit!

Chef Tips

• •Buy the freshest mackerel you can find. The eyes should be clear and bright, the flesh firm, the smell clean like the sea. If the fish smells like fish, it's too old for Steckerlfisch. The simplicity of this dish means the ingredient quality carries everything.
• •Sweet Hungarian paprika is not the same as the dusty stuff that's been in your cupboard for two years. Good paprika should smell warm and almost fruity when you open the tin. If yours doesn't, buy new. This is the backbone of the rub.
• •If you don't have access to a charcoal grill, you can use a gas grill set to medium-low on one side with the fish on the other, but I won't pretend it's the same. The charcoal smoke is half the dish. It's worth borrowing a kettle grill from a neighbor.
• •Trout works beautifully as a substitute for mackerel, and in the Alpine regions of Austria, it's actually more traditional. Use the same technique. The flesh is more delicate, so handle it gently on the stick and check it a few minutes earlier.

Advance Preparation

• •The paprika rub can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Bring it back to room temperature before using so it spreads easily.
• •Fish can be butterflied, skewered, and rubbed up to two hours before grilling. Keep them covered and cold until the fire is ready.
• •Grate the horseradish just before serving. It loses its bite quickly once exposed to air.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)