Eating halibut

[fisherman1313]

So I don't know what I'm missing. After so many years of trying to catch halibut, I finally got how to catch them pretty consistently now. Because I was always told it's one of the best eating fish on the west coast (and one of the most expensive), I thought I would be blown away by its flavour. I tried cooking it so many different ways, baking, pan-fried, deep fried, you name it, I tried it. I just can't get myself to like the fish because it's always tough, not crazy tough but tough like chicken breast. The flavour isn't very strong either and I did try cooking it very lightly to prevent overcooking it, which helped a bit but still I didn't like it that much. Lingcod and rockfish however, no matter how I cook it it always seems to turn out amazing, soft flaky tender meat and the flavour is also more pronounced. WHAT AM I MISSING???

 

[tubber]

They call it Norwegian turkey for a reason. It needs to be cooked quickly and then still needs a sauce for flavour and lubricant. I like it's denser texture, but I don't expect a lot out of its flavour.
Small cubes dropped briefly in salted water then dipped in garlic butter is always good.

 

[BLing]

Halibut is at the bottom of my list for white fish.

 

[kaelc]

I like to cut into nice think slices 1cm and pan fry dipped in panko or beer battered 2-3 cm pieces. Alternatively bake in the oven fresh with a Parmesan mayo recipe. Did one in my last one or two videos.

 

[adanac]

yeah they are a non fish lovers fish .fresh fish texture is much better but i find that the quality degrades rapidly once frozen. i basically do what kealc does, cut them thin and prepare them the same way we do our Pork Schnitzel.

these days i much prefer keeping a limit of the ever abundant rock or petrale sole. a quick scale , cut the gut bag out, light flour dredge and shallow fry whole until crispy. They arent much hassle and you would be shocked at the yield you get . succulent sweet meat .

 

[sly_karma]

It works well as fish n chips. But overall, you're right. The window between overcooked and undercooked is very narrow with halibut.

 

[Duffy]

It works well as fish n chips. But overall, you're right. The window between overcooked and undercooked is very narrow with halibut.

Do you not have any Ketchup.

 

[Rain City]

So I don't know what I'm missing. After so many years of trying to catch halibut, I finally got how to catch them pretty consistently now. Because I was always told it's one of the best eating fish on the west coast (and one of the most expensive), I thought I would be blown away by its flavour. I tried cooking it so many different ways, baking, pan-fried, deep fried, you name it, I tried it. I just can't get myself to like the fish because it's always tough, not crazy tough but tough like chicken breast. The flavour isn't very strong either and I did try cooking it very lightly to prevent overcooking it, which helped a bit but still I didn't like it that much. Lingcod and rockfish however, no matter how I cook it it always seems to turn out amazing, soft flaky tender meat and the flavour is also more pronounced. WHAT AM I MISSING???

Nothing, you just figured out what the truth is.

 

[RiverBoy]

ling cod is by far my choice, but i recently had some poached halibut in some sort of edamame (sp?) broth. sounds gross but it was amazing.

 

[fisherman1313]

Interesting to hear. I actually like sole/flounder because they have very delicate and flavourful meat, I expected halibut to just be a bigger version of them. I guess my expectations were too high. I actually really like greenling as well for their super soft texture and really good meat/weight ratio, they make great hot pot or fish and chips. I always bring back my limit when I travel to the island but have never targeted them locally, as I figured there would be too much rockfish bycatch. Anyway, I think I will be releasing any halibut I catch now.

 

[Squire]

I was surprised by a side by side comparison at a family fish fry this summer. We cut the fish into approximately 1”x1”x4” long sticks before battering and deep frying and the ling was the 80%+ favourite over halibut. The meat was juicier and sweeter vs a firmer texture for a lack of a better connoisseur’s description but I had to admit I agreed with the majority.

I will try a couple of my baked halibut recipes with ling over the next couple of months to see how they compare as well. A couple of family favourites are a piece of halibut fillet stuffed and topped with a crab, cheese and garlic mixture or with the panko crust with lemon and herbs.

Admittedly I have mostly had halibut caught offshore VI to experiment with and I have only recently figured out the ling thing locally so I may shift my focus in the future.

 

[Sharphooks]

Take a chunk, salt it,
A pinch or two ofSeasoning of choice, place on a bed of spinach leaves, then Wrap in oven proof parchment paper and bake at 350 for approx 30 minutes, a bit longer if fillet is thick…. Test to see if meat flakes… if it does it’s done

 

[Samnjoe]

Most people who don't like it are overcooking it.
Barely cook it. It's awesome.

 

[sly_karma]

Overcooked fish is rubbish in general, but hali is super sensitive IME.

The wife of one of my fishing buddies is infamous for her insistence on very well done steak. No surprise then that she loves halibut above all other fish. Lol.

 

[Esperanza-time]

We (my family) don’t even fish for halibut anymore, nobody likes it!
I enjoy sitting on anchor and whacking big flattys, but of course that’s not aloud anymore
Used to give away halibut to friends mostly.

Lings are top tier, Copper rockfish second and third is the “bomber”Dusky rockfish or whatever the real name is, nice moist tasty meat!

 

[Rain City]

If i could target larger P-cod consistently, I'd be all over them.

Maybe another unpopular opinion, but I also think moisteness can go too far. Here it goes... I don't like black cod

 

[scott craven]

After trying Halibut many ways, we now only deep fry in a light tempura style batter.
Blend white flour, baking soda, salt and water into a thin batter.
Heat oil to almost smoking, dip thin pieces of halibut in batter and gently lay into the hot oil.
Cook until golden brown
This seems to seal in the moisture.
Over cooked halibut is like eating sawdust

 

[Squire]

If i could target larger P-cod consistently, I'd be all over them.

Maybe another unpopular opinion, but I also think moisteness can go too far. Here it goes... I don't like black cod

We had a bonanza of black cod offshore from Bamfield summer of 2024 and my family wouldn’t eat it either. My first attempt at cooking it I treated it like halibut and barely cooked it but nope: butter fish is just slimy fish to some. Next time I tried a different recipe and cooked it longer but that only made it tolerable. I even went to the trouble of making the famous Nobu Miso black cod recipe; no raves heard in this house.

Surprisingly my son’s BiL and SiL liked it enough that they traded his halibut for my son’s black cod; win-win I guess.

I couldn’t reconcile with wasting fish so I made up a brine and smoked my remaining black cod as a snack product, not an entree. It turned out all right after 12 hours in the brine and 5 hours in the smoker at 160 degrees to reduce the moisture enough to give it some texture but I personally won’t retain any more of them in the future.

 

[tubber]

Tempura and/or deep fry makes everything good, even eggplant and rutabagas.
I like it all, but did not target halibut this year in 3 trips to Ukee due to weather and effort required for one small. I did get a good pile of lings.

 

[eroyd]

Other than deep fried in batter, I'm not a fan. I have however had it cooked by a good chef and it was wonderful. I guess it is kind of a blank slate for those who have the know how. I prefer Lings, though I probably will stick to the sub 15 lbr's from now on.