Use foil or a grill basket for thin fish

Don’t put them directly on the grates. Thin fillets (trout, tilapia, flounder) fall apart before they develop a crust. You’re fighting physics.

The reliable method: oil the fish, put it on a sheet of foil (pierce a few holes for smoke), and cook skin-side down. Better: use a perforated grill basket designed for fish. You can flip the whole basket without the fillet disintegrating.

Two non-negotiables: the grill must be clean (scrape it hot) and the fish must have some oil on it. Not a ton—just enough so the surface isn’t dry. But none of that matters if the fish is too thin to hold together on open grates. Foil or basket solves that.

The “grill marks” crowd will disagree. Let them. You’re eating fish, not Instagram.