Seafood and the grill. A match made in heaven. The ultimate fast food. Everything from shrimp to fish steaks and whole fish welcomes smoky tones from one of our summertime pleasures — grilling.

No matter the equipment or the fuel, most seafood takes to grilling. I like to make fish kebabs on the hibachi, soak cedar planks for grilling a slab of salmon, light the gas grill for quick-cooking thin fillets, slow-smoke fresh-caught trout, griddle-grill mussels or shrimp and hardwood-roast meaty fillets for a special-occasion dinner.

Here are some tips to get you started:

Seasoning: Add herbs and spices judiciously. I want the flavor of the protein to come through. Think salt and pepper, or a rub of herbs, a spritz of citrus or a dash of good quality oil. Then, boost flavors after grilling with a finishing sauce or a small pat of herbed butter or drizzle of aromatic olive oil and a shower of fresh herbs.

For a zesty touch, try the spicy fish marinade that follows; I especially like it with skewered meaty fish.

Alternatively, the lemon, ginger and chive finishing sauce tastes terrific on most grilled fish.

Heat: Good heat from hardwood charcoal or neutral-tasting gas is a must. Most seafood cooks nicely when positioned directly over the heat source. Large whole fish or fish fillets weighing more than 3 pounds do better with indirect heat.

Timing: Forget the adage of 10 or 11 minutes per inch of thickness; the fish will be overcooked. Start with 8 minutes per inch.