More than many foods, fish really benefits from the hot and fast cooking of the grill.

The secret is to let the grill do the work and not to monkey with the fish any more than you have to. Fish benefits from added flavors, but doesn’t need long marinating times — so grilled fish is a great, quick meal.

Victor Scargle, executive chef at Cindy Pawlcyn’s temple to fruits of the sea, Go Fish in St. Helena, tipped us off to the fact that this is the ideal time of the year to feature local fish on your dinner menu.

“A lot of it is available now,” he noted, “everything from king salmon to sand dabs, sardines to local sole. And most of them do well on the grill — or can be quickly seared and sautéed on the stove top.”

A current favorite at the restaurant at the moment is branzino, a European seabass his supplier is bringing in from the waters off Greece.

“The branzino is great to do whole on the grill. A one-pound fish will cook up in eight to ten minutes total on the grill. We like to serve it with a couple of sauces, to give it additional flavor profile.”

Otherwise, Scargle and his culinary team look to local waters for restaurant fare.

“People tend to forget about sardines, but they’re great at this time of the year and cook up in a matter of minutes on a good, hot, well-oiled grill.”

Line-caught salmon is one of Scargle’s favorites for the grill. “Make sure you clean the barbecue grill and then rub it down with grapeseed oil. It can take the heat. Then put your fish skin side down so the skin gets nice and crispy. You want to cook it almost the whole way on one side, then flip it over just to seal in the juices.

“Local king salmon you can eat rare. You’ll want to cook it medium rare at most — about six to seven minutes depending on the size.

“If you’re doing it on top of the stove, sear the skin in a very hot skillet for a little less time overall. Oil the skillet with grapeseed oil as it has a high smoking point.”

The wine country chef prefers Alaskan halibut — “it’s a little fattier and I like the flavor better.”

He maintains halibut fillets “are a little trickier to grill. But the cold water richness of the fish goes well with the smokiness of the grill.

“Make sure to give your grill a coating of oil so the fish doesn’t stick, then put the fish fillets on a white hot spot and close the lid. Leave the fish on that hot spot for four or five minutes so it won’t stick.”

Scargle said the halibut can also be seared — “get the skin crispy” — in a hot skillet for about six minutes for a six ounce fillet.

“Ask the fishmonger for center cuts of fish, especially for grilling, as you want even thickness and fattier pieces.

Both sand dabs and local sole should be sautéed, advised Scargle. “Sauté the sand dabs on both sides in a little butter, and the middle bone will come right out. And always sauté sole — and get the local stuff.”

For added flavors, Scargle prepares salsas for the fish from stone fruit, peppers and chiles. “But remember to calculate the degree of spice for the particular fish you’re cooking,” he added.

For example, branzino is full-flavored with a higher degree of fat, so a spicy salsa would complement it. “For sand dabs or sole, stay with milder sweet peppers,” he noted.

He likes to combine peaches or nectarines with some onions and a little garlic, or even try some lighter skinned plums in a fish salsa.

“If your salsa needs it, add a little vinegar — a red wine vinegar for fatter fish, a white wine vinegar for the lighter variety, “or even add some lemon juice to cut through the sweetness.”