Volume 12, Issue 047 - March 6, 2007

Good Day Chef,

Today we will talk about another flat fish, the Halibut. The halibut is one of our favorites and we look forward to the season every year. Read on and enjoy the recipes.

Halibut
Hippoglossus hippoglossus

Halibut live in both the North Atlantic and the North Pacific and are a prized food catch. Like a flounder, adult halibut have both eyes on the right side of its head. The side with the eyes is the top of the fish and it is usually a brownish, sometimes speckled color much like the bottom of the ocean floor. Its underside is a creamy white color which camouflages it when viewed from below by other fish.

Halibut are not picky eaters. They will eat most anything they can fit in their mouths, including other flounders! Other victims of their diet include octopus, crab, salmon, herring, cod, and Pollock. They have few predators in the wild, but those include sea lions, orca whales and salmon sharks.

Halibut are among the largest fish in the ocean. They can grow a long as eight feet and weigh up to 700 pounds. Halibut weighing over one hundred pounds are called "barn doors" or "Soakers," while smaller halibut in the twenty pound range are called "chickens."

Halibut spawn in the winter months with peaks from December through February. Most spawning takes place off the continental shelf in deep waters of 200 to 300 fathoms. A female halibut can lay two to three million eggs annually, depending on her size.

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Spicy Alaska Halibut Stew

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 Alaska Halibut steaks or fillets (4 to 6 ounces each), fresh, thawed or frozen
6 ounces mild Italian sausage
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 can (14 ounce) fat-free chicken broth
1 can (15 ounce) whole kernel corn
1 can (15 ounce) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (28 ounce) peeled diced tomatoes
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon seafood seasoning
1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried dill weed

Preparation:

Cut halibut into 1-inch pieces.

Brown sausage in large soup pot over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, breaking into chunks. Drain sausage. Add onion, green pepper, chicken broth, corn, black beans, and tomatoes. Simmer 10 minutes. Add seasonings and halibut. Simmer an additional 7 to 10 minutes until halibut is cooked.

www.AlaskaSeafood.org

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More on Halibut:

Halibut is prized for its delicate sweet flavor, lily-white color and firm flaky flesh. It is an excellent source of high-quality protein and minerals, low in sodium, fat and calories and contains very few bones.

Halibut is very versatile in the kitchen. It can be used in any recipe for baking, broiling, pan-frying, deep-frying, poaching, grilling or barbecuing.

A fletch refers to a single halibut fillet. One halibut will yield four fletches. The cheeks of halibut are prized for their sweet flavor and are considered a delicacy.

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Alaska Halibut with a Green Chile Blanket

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise or low-fat plain yogurt
1 can (4 ounce) mild diced green chilies
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
4 Alaska halibut steaks or fillets (4 to 6 ounces each)
1 sheet (12"x18") aluminum foil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro or chives

Preparation:

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

Combine mayonnaise, green chilies and lime juice; set aside.

Place halibut on a spray-coated foil sheet on grill. Cook 5 minutes for fresh/thawed fish. Turn halibut over and liberally spoon mayonnaise mixture onto cooked side of each portion. Sprinkle with cilantro and cook an additional 5 to 10 minutes. Cook just until fish is opaque throughout.

www.AlaskaSeafood.org