Halibut

[karadekoolaid Profile]

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=261182361270518

One of the few pleasures I get over here is watching Masterchef, and here is a masterful performance. There´s no other word for it.
After this demo, Gordon made everyone cook halibut. It´s a huge shame I can´t find the fish over here, still...

So the questions are:

1) Do you buy whole or ready-portioned halibut?
2) Do you know how to fillet the beast?
3) How do you cook it?

[Earthmaiden Profile]

Interesting to watch the clip. The halibuts I have seen in the fishmongers are usually huge and you buy slices (steaks). A whole one would be too big and very expensive. Even the one in the clip is pretty big. I certainly wouldn't want to fillet one.

The meat on the steaks I have had is white and firm and good for frying, roasting and served simply or combined with other flavours. I like white fish cooked simply with lots of lemon juice but many would find that dull.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I love halibut, but seldom buy it as it is very expensive; there is something called Greenland halibut which is not the same species, it's nice but it's not as extra special

Here's a link to halibut on the Fish Society website, works out around £12+ per portion of "filet steak"
https://www.thefishsociety.co.uk/fish-a-z/halibut/
OK, the Fish Society is expensive, but not that much more than other suppliers

I haven't seen a whole halibut in a long time, they are huge, up to a couple of metres even, so I've never bought one - that one of GR's is a tiddler, but even so it's as big as his apron! Wiki says The Atlantic halibut is the world's largest flatfish. The IGFA record was apparently broken off the waters of Norway in July 2013 by a 234-kilogram (515-pound), 2.62-metre (8-foot-7-inch) fish.


If I saw a halibut recipe I would probably use turbot which is related, they grow up to 14kg but I have bought whole small farmed turbot
https://www.thefishsociety.co.uk/fishopedia/turbot

I can fillet a turbot or brill but I'd rather not! And I need a better filleting knif

[Pampy Profile]

Halibut is my favourite fish by a mile. It's very slow growing and considered to be endangered so these days, I always try to buy the farmed Gigha halibut.
I like it plain or in a wine/champagne and cream sauce. For me, it's the star of the dish so I usually serve it with buttered new potatoes and plain veg.

[northleedsbhoy Profile]

I haven’t seen halibut in the shops for years. Sainsbury’s used to sell it when I first moved here in the early 90s but they stopped as it became too expensive. I haven’t even seen it on Fish Row in Leeds market for a long, long time. I used to just fry it in butter.

Cheers
NLB

[Pampy Profile]

I usually get it from the local fish market but occasionally, Booth's have it too. Haven't ever seen it in a supermarket.

[Suffs Profile]

Just occasionally I see a few halibut steaks at one of the local fishmongers or harbour huts, but it’s a rarity ... if landed around here halibut are snapped up by the restaurants
... this is from a few years back and stresses how line fishing rather than trawling is helping fish stocks to recover

http://www.bbc.co.uk/suffolk/content/ar ... ture.shtml

[Pepper Pig Profile]

Our Waitrose occasionally has halibut steaks. They aren’t cheap. I Cook them very simply.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Luverly fish.
I've made it with 2 little bits of rosemary: just enough. And also with lemon.
I'm sure I got this stash from Waitrose too, on the iron plancha in our house, nicely sizzling hot but not to smoking, so that the heat travels through the fish evenly and well.

[karadekoolaid Profile]

They´re halibut steaks, Gill, rather than fillets? Fish is great cooked " a la plancha"; it´s a very popular way to prepare it over here.

[jeral Profile]

The only time I've seen halibut was in Ocado last summer where a "fillet" was a piece about 2" square x 1/2" deep costing lots and getting worse than mediocre reviews, unsurprisingly.

I do question the mantra that Brits eat only cod and haddock. It's rather like that old joke that "My dog doesn't eat meat." Why not?" "I don't give it any." Chance would be a fine thing when catches of the good stuff that used to be available to us are sold abroad or to restaurants. I was hoping we might see more in our fishmongers since restaurants are closed here and on the Continent.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Easy, pleasing cooking, KKA, just apply a metal spatula to shift things cleanly.
I have a le Creuset griddle pan, but things stick like a sticky thing, so fish doesn't go on there. Meat's fine.

Actually, I don't particularly like the steak type/ cutlet style of cut. Is it called a tranche in restaurants?

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Is it called a tranche in restaurants?

often yes - just French for a slice, but in restaurants usually means a chunky one

[karadekoolaid Profile]

Tranche in France - over here they call it a "rueda" (a wheel, or a slice). You can see the fishmongers at the beach, preparing their "slices" with a cleaver or a machete!

[Amyw Profile]

I prefer fillets rather than cutlets of fish . Never tried halibut , am intrigued now

[karadekoolaid Profile]

Have to agree with you there, Amy. there´s avery popular fish here called "Carite" ( King Mackerel) which is regularly served up on seaside menus. It´s very tasty but you have to be extremely careful of the bones, which are the size of large sewing needles

[KeenCook2 Profile]

Have to agree with you there, Amy. there´s avery popular fish here called "Carite" ( King Mackerel) which is regularly served up on seaside menus. It´s very tasty but you have to be extremely careful of the bones, which are the size of large sewing needles

Well at least there's no danger of you swallowing one by mistake

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Hehehe. You might take your eye out.

I am reminded of one Greek holiday in Crete. I was blown away by the food, and wanted fish every day.
But it was bone city every day too. Was it red snapper or grouper? Served whole usually but be jolly careful.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

The season has passed but I love red mullet, babounia in Greek, (and the Cornish ones are apparently sustainable)

But although I’m quite adept at filleting on the plate, having been taught by the patronne of a restaurant in France when I was a child, I’m increasingly going off dealing with the bones

The trick is never to turn the fish over - the Chinese say it’s bad luck to do so - but to lift off the top fillet, eat it, lift off the skeleton and discard, eat the second fillet

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

I shall remember that excellent tip, Sue to avoid bones everywhere.
In fact I think Tony does that.