Mexican Grilled Halibut

A fish of remarkable size range, this giant member of the flatfish family has been recorded as large as 300 kilograms, and commands the highest price of any of the flatfishes. General commercial weights are from 2.3 to 56 kilograms. Young halibut are called chicken halibut, while large adults are called whales.

In appearance, halibut have a large mouth and forked tail, with an elongated flat body greenish-brown to dark brown on its upper-eyed side, with the blind side ranging from white to gray or mottled gray-white. Halibut range through the deeper waters of the western Atlantic from Labrador to the Gulf of Maine, seldom entering waters of less than 60 metres deep.

Landings of Atlantic halibut have declined from catches as high as 2,000mt experienced in the first half of the 20th century, but have been on the increase since 1995. Landings in 2001 climbed to 1,632 tonnes, with 1,005 tonnes caught off Nova Scotia. Halibut are caught largely in the nearshore and offshore areas, principally by longliners. Atlantic halibut are now also being cultured in several Atlantic provinces.

Atlantic halibut is available fresh and frozen, as whole fish, steaks and fillets. It is a mild, sweet-tasting, lean fish with fine-grained, dense meat. Cooked, the fish is flaky and tender though still firm.

Makes 4 Servings

Marinade

• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 8 pickled jalapeño peppers sliced
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups filtered water
• 4 Halibut steaks about 1inch thick

Place steaks on the bottom of glass baking dish. In a separate bowl mix marinade ingredients and pour mixture over fish. Turn pieces over to thoroughly coat. Cover dish and refrigerate for one hour.

To grill steaks

Remove steaks from marinade and brush off any peppers/ onions and spices as these will burn while grilling and taste bitter. Spray the cold grill with olive oil and heat to medium temperature. Cook steaks to medium and flaky approximately 3-4 minutes each side. This will maintain halibut’s nutritional value.

To oven broil steaks

Place on lightly oiled baking sheet under the broiler same amount of time as grilling.

Serve with large green salad.

Per serving

• Calories 156.4
• Carbohydrates 3.5g
• Protein 15.8g
• Fat 8.8g

Description

Pacific Halibut are recognized by their elongate, slender, compressed bodies. The mouth is large and has well developed teeth on both sides of the jaws. The pacific halibut is dark brown on its eyed side and irregularly blotched with a lighter white on its blind side. The maximum length of the male is 4 feet 7 inches; the female, 8 feet 9 inches.

Distribution

The Pacific Halibut is very abundant along the Pacific shores of Canada and ranges from Southern California to the Bering Sea, occurring from very shallow waters to up to 600 fathoms.

Biology

Spawning of Pacific Halibut takes place from November to January in depths of 150 to 225 fathoms. A large female of 140 pounds may lay as many as 2,700,000 eggs which will drift into shallower waters where the young fish will settle in bays and inshore banks. The main food consists of fish, crabs, clams, squids and other invertebrates.

Relation to Man

The halibut is one of the most important commercial fishes in British Columbia. Bait includes frozen herring, Pacific cod and octopus. Pacific Halibut livers and viscera are used in the production of vitamin A.

Halibut are truly a nutrient-dense food. A very good source of high quality protein, halibut are rich in significant amounts of a variety of important nutrients including the minerals selenium, magnesium, phosphorous and potassium; the B vitamins B12, niacin, and B6; and perhaps most important, the beneficial omega-3 essential fatty acids. Essential fatty acids are so named because they are essential for our health but cannot be made by the body; they must therefore be obtained from foods.

Cold-water fish like halibut are a rich source of the omega-3 essential fats, a form of essential fatty acids in which the standard American diet is sorely deficient. (The other form of essential fatty acids, the omega-6s, are plentiful in a variety of commonly consumed oils such as corn and safflower oil. In fact, the omega-6s are so plentiful in the typical American diet that too much omega-6 is consumed in proportion to omega-3s; an imbalance that promotes inflammation, thus contributing to virtually every chronic disease in which inflammation is a key component.)

Bon Appetite!...TKH