Most Fish Don't Taste Better With BBQ Sauce — These 2 Are The Exception

Barbecue sauce is one of America's favorite condiments. It's a staple for most smoked and grilled meats, but one thing you don't often see barbecue sauce paired with is fish. Heavy, robust sauces tend to overpower the mild flavor of white fish. Fish enjoyed for their stronger taste profiles, like trout, can also become masked by the strong seasonings. Barbecue sauce is designed to complement the texture of fattier meats, and it can ruin the flakiness of a light, delicate filet of something like sole or flounder. 

Because of this, Christie Vanover, head cook and pitmaster for Team Girls Can Grill and contestant on Food Network's "BBQ Brawl", likes to avoid barbecue sauces when working with white fish. "When I'm grilling white fish, like halibut or sea bass, I never add barbecue sauce. I may finish with a bit of butter, lemon, or malt vinegar, but not a sugary sauce. The fish is so buttery and tasty on its own, it doesn't need it," she told Tasting Table. However, there are two types of fish that work well with a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce: salmon and swordfish.

The best types of fish for grilling are leaner, firmer pieces that can withstand a strong cooking environment, like salmon, sea bass, halibut, mahi mahi, and tuna. Most of these can withstand the taste of a strong barbecue sauce, and Christie Vanover likes working with salmon and swordfish in particular. However, regardless of the fish, you do still need to think about the flavors at play. 

"When I'm cooking salmon, I like brushing it with a bourbon glaze. Asian BBQ sauces also go well with salmon. The balance of sweetness with ginger or miso complements the fish," said Vanover. There's a timing rule to remember when grilling salmon, too, and when you're at that store, you want to make sure you pick up the only salmon cut worth grilling. "Swordfish is another type of fish that holds up well to a sauce, because it's more firm and meaty," she said. "Instead of traditional BBQ sauce, consider a mustard-based sauce or Alabama white sauce." 

A lot of pitmasters like to coat their fish with barbecue sauce toward the end of cooking to infuse the flavor, and you only need to apply it once to avoid it taking over. There are more chef-approved tips for cooking fish on the grill if you want to ensure a perfect result every time.