Ran across some really fresh Alaskan / Pacific halibut yesterday while shopping with The One Who Must Be Obeyed and after a quick deliberation it was determined that grilled halibut was on the menu last night.
IMHO halibut is a great fish for the grill; it offers a very clean, ‘not very fishy’ flavor that takes rubs / seasoning very well and it’s one of the easiest fish to grill as it tends to hold its shape cleanly as it cooks in just minutes. Nifty.
The day transpired such that dinner came of the grill well after dark, so no pics from the grill this morning.
We’ve been experimenting a bit with a chipotle-cumin rub for white fleshed fish, and think we’re really close to having it fine tuned. Here’s the latest version of the Chipotle-Cumin rub which was tremendous on the fresh halibut with a spicy Southwestern Tartar Sauce on the side.
Chipotle-Cumin Rub
- 4 tbs ground cumin
- 4 tsp chipotle powder
- 1 tbs smoked paprika
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp sea salt
Southwestern Tartar Sauce
- 3 fresh hot green chiles (larger rather than smaller)
- 1 cup mayonnaise (exponentially better if made fresh)
- 1 tbs fresh jalapeno, small dice
- 1 medium sized, tart dill pickle, diced small
- 3 green onions, diced small
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp fresh lime juice
- 2 shakes Tabasco (or more)
For the tartar sauce – fire the grill and grill the chiles until blackened and blistered on all sides, about 7 to 8 minutes. Steam for 10 minutes in a paper bag, peel, stem and seed the chiles, then chop medium. Should have somewhere between 1/3 and ½ cup when you’re done. If you’re too lazy to do this, an 8-ounce can of chopped green chiles will work, though you’ll be missing some of the spice.
Mix everything together, adding Tabasco and salt to taste. Best served immediately.
For the rub / fish – mix well in a small bowl. Simply rinse the fish and coat with the rub, grill over a medium-high fire about 3 minutes per side. Serve hot off the grill with a quarter of lime and an ice cold beverage.
Enjoy.
Tags: Friday Feast
