Monday, July 28, 2008

Alaskan Halibut




King Salmon from Alaska is the prize fish here, but the Halibut is king too. I ate more halibut then salmon on this trip and that's fine because it was so fresh and Delicious. They can be massive fish weighing over 400 pounds, the younger smaller ones are much better for eating, being more tender. I had the chance to go fishing on glacier bay with a retired fishing guide on his boat, we fished in a area called icy strait. It is the main body of water that connects the Pacific ocean with Glacier bay, rich in sea life and the summer feeding grounds for humpback whales. We dropped anchor in a one hundred feet of water and baited our huge hooks with dinner sized chunks of salmon. When the baited hook reached the bottom it was only a few minutes before a fish was hooked, a quick fight and the first fish weighing around 25 pounds was in the boat, one more halibut tipping the scale at 40 pounds was caught and it was time to head back in. The fish were quickly cleaned on the boat into long fillets which were later cut into eight ounce fillets. To cook the halibut I choose to do bold Mediterranean flavors with this mild and very fresh fish, pan seared a golden brown and finished in the oven, I made a quick pan sauce of browned butter, capers, chopped garlic and parsley. I placed the fish on bed of sauteed cauliflower, artichokes and sun dried tomatoes.

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