Grilled Haddock with Lemon-Caper Sauce

Mild and tender haddock is grilled then topped with a delicious salty lemon sauce. Grilled Haddock with Lemon-Caper Sauce is a perfect combination! This recipe is also one of the easiest haddock recipes – try it!

The Best Haddock Recipe

This is my favorite grilled fish recipe and in my opinion, one of the best grilled haddock recipes I’ve had.

The lemon-caper sauce is a delicious compliment, salty and lemony, and so good you’ll want to find other things to put it on! Definitely double the sauce recipe if you want more – we top rice or even green beans with it.

What are some of your favorite grilled haddock recipes? I’d love to hear them!

Does Haddock Have a Mild Taste?

Haddock is one of my favorite fishes. It is a saltwater fish, has a firm flesh, an almost a sweet flavor, and a very mild taste / mild flavor profile.

It tends to take on the flavors of other ingredients so it’s quite versatile and perfect for a healthy dinner.

Worried about whether haddock has a fishy smell? Here’s a secret: NO FISH SHOULD EVER SMELL FISHY. If it does, it’s likely it has gone bad. Smelling like the sea is not the same thing as smelling fishy. Most fish have a mild sea smell.

Health Benefits of Fish

Fish is one of the easiest ways to incorporate a healthy meal into your rotation. The health benefits of fish are many and one of them is it’s a great source of fatty acids. This healthy recipe is a wonderful way to use fresh haddock or frozen haddock.

How to Grill Haddock

My secret to cooking haddock on the grill is to use lemon slices! It’s my favorite way to keep the fish (this works with any fish!) from sticking to the grates and away from direct heat. Using this method, I’ve consistently gotten the best results without the fish sticking to the grill.

Just slice a lemon, place a few slices directly onto the grill and place the fish on top of the slices – then cook for about 8-10 minutes until done!

You’ll know the haddock is done cooking when turns opaque and flakes when using a fork.

If you want those grill marks, this is not the best method, but in that case, just oil the grates with paper towels but be careful if you do this!

You can use your favorite grilling method for this recipe:

• Outdoor grill / Gas grill
• Grill pan
• Grill mat
• George Foreman Grill

How Do You Know When Haddock is Cooked

No need to worry about an internal temperature with fresh fish. Most of the time, once the fish is opaque and flaky, it’s cooked.

Seasoning Grilled Haddock

Whether you’re using fresh or frozen haddock, your favorite seasonings will do. You can season mild white fish like haddock, halibut, mahi mahi, cod, or flounder the same way you would season chicken.

Some additional ideas for flavoring:

• Lime juice
• Fresh Dill Weed
• Thyme

The great thing about this type of fish is that it will take on the flavors or profile that you choose! So grab your favorite seasonings and make it your own!

What to Serve with Grilled Haddock

Just like any other protein, any side dish and veggie will work with this recipe. Our favorite is green beans and rice or couscous. It would even be perfect with some crusty bread.

Try my Homemade Rice Pilaf!

Ingredients in Grilled Haddock with Lemon-Caper Sauce

Haddock fillets or other mild fish fillets (I wouldn’t recommend whole haddock for this recipe, if you have it, I would cut it into fillets)

Lemons (finish with some lemon zest as an option), you can also use lemon juice in the sauce if you don’t have fresh lemons.

• Butter
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Shallots
• Capers
• Kosher Salt or Himalayan Pink Salt
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• Garlic salt, garlic powder, or garlic seasoning, a little salt and pepper
• Optional: pinch of red pepper flakes

How to Make Grilled Haddock with Lemon-Caper Sauce

There is very little prep time for this recipe. Once you have everything prepped, this recipe comes together very quickly. In fact, I bet your side dishes will take longer than grilling the fish!

• Preheat your grill or grill pan to medium / high heat.
• Pat the fish dry and spray with non-stick cooking spray or olive oil. Season with the salt and garlic seasoning. 
• If you are using your grill, coat it with a little bit of olive oil.
• Next, place about 2-3 slices of lemon (for each haddock portion) onto the grill grates.
• Now, place a fish filet onto the lemons, close the grill, and cook for about 8 minutes or until the fish is opaque and flaky.

• If you are using a grill pan, you can do the same thing with the lemon slices, and cook for about 8 minutes or until the fish is opaque and flaky.

While your fish is cooking, make your sauce.

• in a small saucepan, combine all of the ingredients for the sauce. 
• Simmer on low for about 5 minutes. Just long enough to soften the shallots a bit.

Remove fish from grill or grill pan and top with sauce.  I think your taste buds are going to thank you for this one, friends!

This recipe was updated on June 8, 2022

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