Baking Halibut
The Rewards Of Baking Halibut
If you've never tried baking halibut before, you're in for a treat. The halibut is a fish that even those who claim not to like fish or seafood in general, will often rave over. If you should happen to have a friend or acquaintance who his going to do some halibut fishing in Alaskan waters, tell that person you'd like to take a try at baking halibut, and ask for a sample.
The halibut is a very large fish, and your "sample" could end up being 20 pounds or more, enough make 3 or 4 roasts if you choose to go that route. Don't despair, as the fish freezes well, and after your first try at baking halibut, you'll quickly come to the conclusion that 20 pounds wasn't really all that much after all. The halibut is a non-oily fish, with white meat that can easily be cut with a fork when done cooking. A halibut "cheek", or round fillet, can be a meal in itself, or try baking a bone-in halibut steak.
A halibut fillet or steak is apt to be rather thick, probably even more so if your Alaskan fishing friend has given you some samples. An inch thick fillet is not unusual, but like most fish, it cooks rather quickly, taking about 10 minutes for each inch of thickness when cooked over the grill or broiled.
Basic Baked Or Roasted Halibut - When baking halibut, a lower temperature is used, and baking can take an hour or more. This allows sauces and juices you add to the halibut to do their work. When baking halibut in an oven, a temperature of around 325 degrees is about right.
After placing halibut roast or halibut fillets in a baking dish, some liquid should be added to prevent the halibut from drying out excessively while baking. Milk will do fine, and some like to add a few pats of butter. One can experiment with canned soup or broth to cover the fish, but milk seems to work about as well as anything when all is said and done.
Baking halibut is not your only option by any means, as the fish can be pan fried (coat it with bread crumbs or Shake and Bake), broiled, or barbecued. Halibut can be boiled as well, but this seems a rather shameful way to treat such a delicacy.
Time To Try More Exotic Fare? Go For It. - The method described above may seem a little on the “vanilla” side. Most prefer not to overwhelm the delicious taste of halibut with creams or spices, but there are any number of delicious ways to prepare this fish. Halibut is excellent when prepared Creole style, with bacon, Creole vegetables, and seasoning, or baked with a Creole mustard, Parmesan cheese, egg yolk and milk. Halibut and Creole spices seem to go together as if the fish were born with the spices already there. A tarragon cream sauce lends itself to baked halibut, as does a dill sauce which contains dill, shallots, parsley, cream, butter and salt and pepper.
There's an abundance of halibut recipes on the Internet. A piece of good advice is to start with a simple recipe that will allow you to experience the full flavor of the fish, before getting into some of the more exotic ways of baking halibut. If there is anyone in your household who claims not to like fish, talk them into trying a helping of halibut. Chances are, they still won't like fish, but with the notable exception of halibut of course. It's a different story if someone is allergic to seafood. Halibut is probably not an exception in such a case, so don't force it on anyone. As good as it tastes, things may not turn out well.