How to Grill Small Whole Fish

METHOD: Direct grilling

ADVANCE PREPARATION: 30 minutes to 1 hour for marinating the fish

When the first Europeans landed in the Caribbean, they found Arawak Indians grilling on a high wooden grate over a smoky fire. As distinctive as the cooking method were the indigenous seasonings: fragrant sprigs of thyme, fiery Scotch bonnet chiles, and sweet-scented allspice. A lot has changed since the days of Arawak cookouts, but Caribbean people still flavor their fish and meat with fresh herbs, tongue-blistering chiles, and allspice and still grill them. Here’s a way to emulate their technique for grilling small fish.