Halibut is a great fish – low in fat, low-mercury, a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, lots of protein, and it cooks up nice and firm with big, fat flakes. All of that, and it tastes great. It’s a wonder why it’s not used more in cooking. If you’re looking for recipe to incorporate in your monthly menu routine, here’s a round up of some great recipes to try. In no particular order of favorites.
- Brown Butter-poached Halibut with Celeriac Puree and Caper Crumbs – From BBC Good Food, this quite simple halibut dish seasons butter as it browns with peppercorns, bay leaf, and shallots. It is butter basted in the oven.
- Pan-Seared Marinated Halibut Fillets – From the NY Times Cooking section, this halibut starts of marinating in a garlic, basil, lemon and olive oil blend before searing. The marinade is brushed on as it cooks.
- Grilled Halibut with Basil-Shallot Butter – From Bon Appetit, this simply grilled halibut is topped with the basil-shallot butter spread before serving.
- Halibut Roasted on a Bed of Salt – From Sunset, this uses a hot salt cooking method – where coarse sea salt is heated until very hot before the lightly browned but not done halibut fillets are placed on top and finished in the oven. The heat underneath helps to cook the center before the edges dry out.
- Baked Halibut with Panko-Butter Topping – From Food52, this uber-simple dish is simply panko and butter topped halibut fillets baked in a very hot oven. Simple, and good.
- Poached Fish in Milk – From Great Grub, this calls for generic boneless white fish fillets but halibut would work well here. The fish is poached in a flavorful milk-based poaching liquid. The sauce is the reduced milk poaching liquor finished with parsley and butter.
- Poached Halibut with Artichokes and Bernaise Sauce – From BBC Food, this is a classic flavorful poached halibut recipe with some real Bernaise (it’s easier than you think to make from scratch, so ditch the packaged stuff).
- Roasted Halibut with Garlic Sauce – From Epicurious (and Gourmet magazine), this ultra simple dish consists of garlic-mayo topped halibut fillets baked until it flakes.
- Pan-Seared Halibut with Tomato Vinaigrette – From Food & Wine, the tomato vinaigrette is well flavored with ground fennel, garlic, shallots, white balsamic vinegar and herbs. After pan searing and butter basting the fennel and salt/pepper fillets, they are topped with the tomato mixture.
- Honey Glazed Smoked Halibut – From Meat Church BBQ, the halibut fillets are brined for two hours before smoking in a Big Green Egg. After rinsing the brine off, rub seasoning is rubbed on all sides, and smoked. Honey is drizzled during the last 10 minutes of cooking for a simple honey glaze.