Halibut season opened this week, and Tony’s has first-of-the-season, fresh, Alaskan Halibut!
Alaskan halibut populations are managed, and the surplus is granted through “individual fishermen quotas”, or IQFs. Each fisherman has from March through November to catch their quota.
The Halibut population in the Pacific Ocean is doing well, and this year the International Pacific Halibut Commission approved a coast-wide catch limit of 31.4 million pounds of this versatile fish. That’s an increase of about 1.5 million pounds over last year!
Halibut is a lean fish with mild, sweet tasting white flesh, large flakes and a firm but tender texture. They are the largest of all flounders/flatfish, with an average commercial catch weight of 25-30 lbs.
Since these flat fish lay along the ocean floor, they have two different colored sides—the top side is a mottled dark brown color for effective camouflage, and the bottom is off white with slight tinges of pink.
Halibut is one of the most versatile fish available. You can bake, broil, grill, poach, saute, smoke, steam, or of course batter and fry it for Halibut & Chips! When you cook Halibut, bring it to an internal temp of about 125° – 130° F. This insures the fish will be tender and moist.
We should have a healthy supply of Alaskan Halibut for the next nine months, but there’s nothing like the first catch! Celebrate the bounty of the ocean with us this weekend, and get your hands on some first-of-the-season Alaskan Halibut!! Learn more about Tony’s Seafood.
Barbecue Alaskan Halibut Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 lb Halibut Fillets
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 TBS Brown Sugar
- 1/4 cup Cider Vinegar
- 2 TBS Ketchup
- 2 TBS Dry Mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/4 tsp ground Cloves
- 1 tsp Chile Powder
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
Directions:
Combine all sauce ingredients in a pot, place over medium heat and boil until reduced to a thin syrup. Pour the syrup through a strainer, discard the cooked ingredients in the strainer and chill the syrup.
Place fish steaks or fillets in a baking dish and spoon some syrup over. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Cook the fish on a hot grill, basting with a teaspoon of barbecue syrup on each side.
Also great with salmon!