GRILLED HALIBUT WITH CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
I
recently visited a seafood restaurant while out on a business trip in the Pacific
North West, and had a Chilean sea bass. I ordered it grilled with chimichurri sauce,
and was surprised as to how well the garlic, parsley, and olive oil flavors of
the sauce complemented the light, buttery, sweet meat of the Chilean sea bass. In
hindsight, the surprise was largely unwarranted; I’ve had pesto crusted white fish on numerous occasions, and chimichurri isn’t that far off. However,
I think the nature of my surprise stemmed more from the fact that I’d
previously had chimichurri sauce on robust meats (steaks, pork, etc.). The
following meal takes its inspiration from that dinner I had at the seafood
restaurant.
Instead
of the Chilean sea bass, I decided to go with a halibut. I’m sure this goes
without saying, but it’s important to buy your fish as fresh as possible, keep
it as dry as you can, and only let it warm to room temperature when you’re
ready to cook it. The key is really to buy and consume fish seasonally, from a
store that can guaranty the freshness. We found a great fish market close to
our house called Captain’s Catch. They only sell day-boat quality fish, and
thus their prices tend to fluctuate drastically, based upon the spot market.
For example, wild-caught Atlantic halibut runs between $16 and $24/lb as compared to the standard $8/lb contract price available at
the local Costco), however, the difference in quality is readily noticeable.
Since this recipe aims to complement the natural flavors of the fish, I went
with the more expensive cut. If you’re looking to drown out the flavors of the
halibut with spices and seasoning, go for a fish you can get at the $8/lb price
point.
The
flavor of this meal stems predominantly from the freshness of the ingredients,
both in terms of the fish, and in terms of the herbs and spices that constitute
the chimichurri sauce. For this reason, it’s important to not over-season the
fish – just salt and pepper, nothing more. There are three very important
tricks to grilling fish: (1) clean your grill rack. The grill needs to be as
smooth and even-heating as possible. (2) heat your grill to as high as it will
go. Fish cooks fast and you’ll have to watch it, but the soft flaky flesh
requires a proper sear to not break apart while cooking, and (3) properly oil
your fish. Oil your fish, not the grill. I use about a ¼ teaspoon of canola oil
on the flesh side of the halibut fillet, spreading it out with my hands and
making sure to form an even coat. I then season the flesh-side with salt and
pepper and grill the fish, flesh-side-down. For a 2-inch thick fillet, I grill
the fish for about 8-10 minutes on the flesh-side, allowing for a thick crust
to form. Flip the fish and grill it skin-side-down for another 4 to 5 minutes
to allow the meat to cook through.
In plating
the fish, I decided to take a creative license with the “surf n’ turn” concept.
While this term unarguably implies the combination of seafood with a land-based
meat option (usually mammalian), I thought a better balance to the grilled halibut
could be provided by a more literal interpretation of “turf”—a roasted brussels
sprouts and shiitake mushroom quinoa salad. The earthy flavors of the roasted brussels sprouts and shiitake
mushrooms and quinoa do well to balance out the acidity of the chimichurri
sauce, while the sweetness of the caramelized onions blend in well with the
sweet flaky flesh of the halibut.
Ingredients
½ lb
½ tsp
½ tsp
½ tsp
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Wild-caught Atlantic halibut, fillet with
skin-on
Canola oil
Salt
Ground black pepper
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Directions
1
2
3
4
5
6
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Preheat grill to high heat.
Coat flesh-side and sides of halibut filet
with canola oil.
Season with salt and pepper
Place on preheated grill, flesh-side-down.
Sear for 18-10 minutes, checking frequently
to assess the build-up of a crust.
Flip the filet and cook for an additional
4-5 minutes, until flesh flakes off readily with a fork.
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