Presented in partnership with Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute
One of global chefs’ favourite flatfish and with a fascinating heritage to boot, Alaska halibut is steeped in myth, legend and, as is often the case, butter. Celebrated food writer Clarissa Hyman explores historic battles with 200kg specimens, looks at how 50 Best chefs apply them on their menus and gives you the best ways to enjoy halibut in your kitchen at home
The halibut is a big fish. A very big fish. They may not swim in a small pond, but they can still grow to an immense size that could knock you off your feet. Records show it was once quite common to find monster females measuring 8ft or more and tipping the scales at over 200kg; they’re still caught but increasingly rarely. Enormous specimens are sometimes given the nickname ‘barn doors’; small ones have to make do with being described as ‘chickens’. Land a barn door and it would surely be the catch of a lifetime.
Some communities would precede their halibut fishing trips by ceremonial singing to let them know a fight was coming their way: a kind of marine call to arms or a ‘come and have a go if you’re hard enough’ taunt to these immense, fighting denizens of the deep, brackish waters of the northern Pacific. Even at the beginning of the 20th century, when halibut were fished by trawl or line from frail dories launched by a ‘halibut schooner’, some epic struggles took place over the hauling, gaffing and storage of the giant fish. The fishers who pursued the halibut were engaged in real combat, their boats often capsized and lost. 
An Alaskan crew on a halibut fishing expedition
In his autobiography Roving Fisherman (1955) the Canadian author F. W. Wallace wrote: “It will spin around like a whirling top, thereby making the job of giving him his quietus with the ‘killer’ an exceedingly difficult one. For perhaps a minute or two, there is spray and profanity flying...”
Most aboriginal tribes in Alaska and British Columbia have their own creation story, many of which begin with a flood and an animal transformation. The Kwagiulth, for example, believe Halibut [sic] threw off its skin and fins to emerge as the first human after the great flood subsided in the earliest recorded case of anthropomorphism. Myth or no, wild halibut has a taste so fine and delicate you can indeed believe this is a fish of the Gods.
How to fillet a halibut:
Indigenous people along the Pacific coast would weave cedar fibres, animal innards and kelp stems into lines to catch these great bottom-dwelling flatfish. But one of the most traditional techniques was the use of, intricate ivory and wood halibut hooks, now collectors’ items: Tlingit artist Arthur B. Nelson carves gorgeous, multi-coloured halibut hooks depicting fish, animals and human spirits, and the ancient skill is slowly being revived as a celebration of cultural heritage. The hook has also been inducted into the Alaska Innovators Hall of Fame.
The well-managed Alaskan wild halibut fisheries, centred around the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, the Gulf of Alaska and Southeast Alaska, are able to supply sustainable and healthy amounts of the finest halibut. The management of the species in Alaska remains a gold standard for sustainable use. The fishery has two independent third-party certifications for sustainability from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) ecolabels. Fishers are granted a quota to catch between March and November, with the largest activity centred around the various breaks in the salmon seasons. Sport fishing out of Homer, the self-styled ‘Halibut Fishing Capital of the World’ is spread over the 100 days between Memorial and Labor Days.
The crew cleaning the fresh catch
The diamond-shaped fish are one of the longest-lived flatfish, known to reach up to 55 years. They have both eyes on their dark upper side; weirdly, although they begin life with an eye on each side of their head, when they are about an inch long, their left eye migrates over their snout to the right side of their head. This feature makes it perfect for them to act as bottom-dwellers, lying eye-side up in the sand, hiding from predators, and ambushing their prey: as an evolutionary result, their underside is white but their topside camouflaged to match the sea-floor, in mottled shades of gray, black and dark brown.
Halibut size has varied a lot over the last century, with the greatest average size in the 1980s when they were over 50kg. However, fish over 70kg are still not uncommon today. The reasons for the fluctuation are still unknown but it is likely to be a combination of environmental and ecological factors. They remain one of the best healthy eating choices in the marine repertoire, low in saturated fat and sodium, and an excellent source of protein, vitamin D and selenium.
Big fish, good eating
Traditionally, indigenous groups smoke and dry the halibut for winter use but the firm texture and mild, sweet flesh of the fresh halibut lends itself well to many recipes: one particularly delicious combination is to bake steaks in a cranberry, orange and honey sauce. In fact, wild halibut pairs naturally with other flavours of the Pacific northwest such as blueberries, hazelnuts, seaweed and wild rice. Smoked halibut has a delicate taste but take care with your supplier as the process of smoking it can overpower the natural flavour of the fish. Slice finely and serve with a simple garnish of dill and a wedge of lemon.
Good halibut is a chef’s favourite: lean and mean, Alaskan fish have a milder taste than their North Atlantic counterparts, but neither should be over-cooked or over-handled. If in doubt, simply grill or pan-fry with a flavoured butter. This essential simplicity of approach was not always appreciated. A certain Mr Rowell was ahead of his time when he wrote in Land and Water in 1818: “Let anyone get a piece of halibut… Season it with nutmeg, pepper and salt, and bake it in the oven, and I know nothing so fine.”
Halibut with roasted cherry tomatoes; halibut with mango and lime salsa
Today’s chefs appreciate the respect this imperious fish demands: bake, braise or poach to best showcase its fine qualities. Chef Vladimir Mukhin of White Rabbit in Moscow – No.13 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019 – in his exuberant and inventive manner, pairs it in a colourful but controlled way with thistle and blood orange.
On the other side of the Atlantic, Éric Ripert of Le Bernardin in New York – No.36 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019 – understands, with his Zen Buddhist sensibility, the Asian-tinted affinity of the fish, suggesting, for example, poached halibut with baby bok choy, shiitake and jalapeño-lemon dashi. Poaching in olive oil at low temperature, to serve with cucumber and dill, is a technique favoured by British TV chef and fish connoisseur Rick Stein. And, at the other end of the scale, the flakey flesh and easy-to-remove large bones (if not bought ready filleted) makes it one of the best choices for beer-battered fish and chips.
A Northwest treat is halibut cheeks, which resemble scallops on steroids. When cut from a large fish, each cheek can weigh nearly a pound. They are not always available as few seafood processors go to the extra trouble of removing the cheeks but if you are lucky enough to come across them, all they need is dredging in flour and a quick fry in the pan.
Wild halibut are powerful swimmers, capable of covering long distances especially during the first decade of their lives. When they reach adult size, these massive fish are basically at the top of the pelagic food chain. Their only predators are the occasional large shark or marine mammal and, of course, the human being. An aggressive carnivore, the halibut will eat any creature it can fit into its prodigious mouth. According to a wit in Island Fisherman magazine, a typical repast might include an appetizer of groundfish, crabs or clams (especially geoducks); a main course of herring, cod or sandlance; and a nice, tender octopus for dessert. Obviously, this extensive prelude is just for the halibut.
TRY THIS RECIPE AT HOME
Crispy pave of halibut with softened leeks and herby hollandaise
SERVES 4
4 x 175g Alaska halibut fillets
400g leeks
100g salted butter
10g chives, chopped
4 stems tarragon, leaves removed and chopped
1tbsp olive oil
1 x punnet micro purple basil or shiso
For the herby hollandaise
150g unsalted butter
1tbsp white balsamic vinegar
3 egg yolks
juice 1 small lime
10g flat-leaf parsley, leaves removed and chopped
Trim the leeks, leaving as much of the green end as possible. Cut down through the top green half of the leek lengthways as far as the white part to enable you to wash thoroughly under running water to get rid of any grit between the layers. Cut into 1cm rounds.
Melt 65g of the salted butter in a heavy-based medium-sized pan. Stir in the leeks and place a piece of scrunched-up baking paper trimmed to size right over the them. Put the lid on the saucepan and turn the heat to the lowest level. The leeks should gently soften and absorb the butter without changing colour. Check occasionally. Fold through half of the chives and half of the tarragon.
To make the hollandaise, melt the unsalted butter in a small pan until just warm, then transfer to a jug. Put the vinegar, 2tbsp of water, a pinch of pepper and sea salt crystals in the same pan. Add the yolks and whisk until frothy. Put over a very low heat stirring continuously for 3-4 minutes until just warm (it must not overheat).
Remove from the heat and sit the pan on a board lined with a double layer of kitchen paper. Using electric beaters whisk in the melted butter starting with dribbles, then in a steady stream, whisking until emulsified. Gently stir in the lime juice. Put 1tbsp of the hollandaise into a mini-processor with the parsley, the rest of the chives and tarragon and whizz to chop a little finer. Transfer the hollandaise and the herb mixture to a bowl and sit it over a pan of just-boiled water (heat turned off) without allowing the base to touch the water. Covered, it will keep warm like this for up to 30 minutes.
Season the Alaska halibut fillets. Melt the remaining butter along with the oil in a frying pan over a medium-to-high heat. Add the fish and fry for 3-4 minutes until golden, then turn the pieces and fry for a further 2-3 minutes. The fish will continue to cook from the residual heat, so be careful not to overcook. Raise the heat on the leeks and season. Spoon the hollandaise onto each plate and add leeks. Top with the fish and scatter over some micro purple basil to serve.
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