Labor Day does not mean Put the Grill Away

Before global warming, when it actually was chilly for the start of school, people would start rolling their grills back into the garage for the winter. Now that so many of us have gas grills (we only converted last year, but we love the convenience, and the food tastes great), there's no reason why we can't grill all winter long.
     We did have to dig the grill out of the snow once or twice last winter, but we covered it with a tarp that protected the grill and made using it a matter of dumping the snow off the tarp and unwrapping the grill. It was great to have that tasty grilled flavor in the middle of January.
     Technically, it isn't actually fall until Sept. 21st, so a few more weeks of meteorological summer are left, and then fall is a great time of year for seafood. October is National Seafood Month for a reason - there are loads of great fresh fish in season during the fall months.
     Here's a list of fish and shellfish that are great on the grill this time of year:
Salmon, tuna, swordfish, Chilean sea bass, mahi mahi, tuna, marlin, halibut, grouper, wahoo/ono (when available), scallops, shrimp, red snapper, lake trout, black sea bass, whole fish, lobster tails. 
     Any time of year, when you're grilling, preparation is important. Always scrape any residue off of your grate, and rub it with oil before you start your fire.
     Pre-heat the grill to medium high - hold your hand about 5" from the grate and see if you can count to 5 before pulling away - if it's too hot, lower the gas or let the charcoal burn a little longer.
     You can cook almost any fish on the grill with a grill basket or grill topper, which allows you to turn the fish easily. Whole fish, like trout or snapper that have been cleaned can be stuffed with fresh vegetables and herbs, and roasted in foil on the grill - really delicious, with some roasted sweet corn on the side. Yummy.
     We don't know why, but fish consumption seems to go down in the fall, and we think it's because many people like their fish grilled and don't consider grilling when the weather gets chillier. My advice: If your grill isn't under 10 feet of snow, there's no reason not to use it, no matter what month it is. Just keep the grill close to your back door, and put on a jacket if you have to. Grilled fish tastes even better when it's cold out!