The £2 buy Tom Kerridge says you need for your BBQ

Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge has revealed the one BBQ essential you need to make grilling even easier this bank holiday – and the good news is you can pick it up for less than £2.

I doubt it’s escaped you, but the sun is shining and the bank holiday is about to begin, so it’s likely most of us will be wheeling out our best BBQs to celebrate the festivities – after all, a hot bank holiday only blesses us Brits on a rare occasion.

You may have your meat and veggies prepped and ready to hit the grill, a novelty apron ready to wear and your best serving plates, but have you considered using a fish clip? In a recent feature on This Morning, Tom revealed this nifty outdoor kitchen gadget is a ‘really good little investment’. This is everything you need to know.

Famous for his two-Michelin-starred pub, appearing on BBC shows such as Saturday Kitchen and Great British Menu, as well as his best-selling cookbook Tom Kerridge’s Outdoor Kitchen (£18.57 on Amazon), it’s safe to say Tom Kerridge knows his way around a BBQ grill.

In an episode airing on 24 April this year, Tom Kerridge was in the This Morning kitchen to share his top tips and tricks this BBQ season. Answering viewers’ questions, it was presenter Cat Deely who asked if you needed a fish kettle (fish clip) when barbequing fish.

‘It works really well. Because people worry so much about fish sticking to the grill and the skin coming loose and it breaking up,’ Tom said.

‘It’s a really good little investment, one of those little fish clips that you can put the fish in, and it makes life really easy. And then when you’ve got it, you can use it for anything. You can use it for vegetables, and you can use it for fruit, as it works really nicely. You can use it for anything.’

A fish clip is a special type of basket you can use to perfectly grill fish on a BBQ without worrying about it sticking. They’re typically made from a non-stick coated metal, acting as a barrier between the fish and the grill. As well as fish, you can slot vegetables and other meats into the clamp and cook without fear of leaving half the food caked to the BBQ grill.

‘The biggest benefit of using fish clips is that they help you cook your fish more evenly. You don’t have to worry about parts of it getting overcooked while others are underdone,’ says Dean Harper, Chef at Harper Fine Dining.

‘The clips also help you maintain a firm hold on the fish, making flipping much simpler without it breaking apart. Plus, they’re a great time-saver; no need to wrestle with the fish while you’re trying to get a perfect cook. They’re especially helpful if you’re cooking larger pieces or grilling fish on the bone.’

Alternatively, our recent reviewer of the HexClad BBQ Grill Pan (Gordon Ramsay’s favourite cookware brand) found this was a great option for cooking fish. It’s a high-quality pan that can easily cook delicate food. The pan is more costly than a classic fish clip, costing £159 on Amazon, but it does come with a lifetime guarantee, and we can vouch for how great it is.

If you fancy yourself a BBQ connoisseur, then you’ll need a fish clip in your cooking arsenal. Impress your guests with perfectly cooked fish and veggies this bank holiday.