Halibut is my go-to fish for grilling season.  It is a mild white fish with a firm, meaty texture that holds up well on the barbecue.  I marinate the halibut in a soy honey mixture infused with citrus juices, and brush on the reserved marinade to glaze the fish while grilling.  I like to serve citrus grilled halibut with quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) and confetti corn timbales.   Quinoa is a highly nutritious ancient grain that has become very popular.  It is readily available in most supermarkets, and is easy to prepare following package instructions.   To make quinoa timbales, follow my directions in the confetti corn recipe that follows.   Happy Grilling!

Ingredients

  • 4 halibut filets—about 6 to 8 ounces each

Marinade

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2  cup canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons orange juice
  • 1/4  cup honey
  • 1/2  teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • pinch of red pepper flakes

Rinse halibut filets in cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels.  Place them in a glass or ceramic baking dish.

In a blender or food processor, combine soy sauce, oil, juices, honey, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes.  Process until smooth.

Pour about ½ cup of the marinade over the halibut and place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to ½  hour.  Reserve the remainder of the marinade to use as a glaze while grilling.

When you are ready to grill the halibut, remove it from the refrigerator.  Lightly brush a grill pan or barbecue grate with oil or spray with Pam BEFORE you turn on the flame.  Preheat the grill for 5 to 10 minutes.  With tongs, lift up the filets, allowing the excess marinade to drip back into the glass dish.  Discard the used marinade.

Place the halibut filets on the preheated grill and  cook the for a total of about 8 to 10 minutes per measured inch of thickness.  Flip the halibut midway through its cooking time and brush on some of the reserved marinade.  Remove from grill, place on serving platter and brush on some more of the reserved marinade.

Ingredients

Confetti Corn Timbales

  • 4 ears of corn, cooked
  • ½ small red pepper, diced
  • ½ small green pepper, diced,
  • ½ small orange pepper, diced
  • ½ small red onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • juice of one lime
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper

With a knife, remove the kernels of corn from the cobs.  Place corn kernels in a large mixing bowl.  Add red, green and orange peppers.  Add red onion and garlic.  Toss all vegetables together.  Sprinkle the juice of one lime over all ingredients, then drizzle on about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Mix well all ingredients.  Then add salt and pepper to taste.

To make timbales:  use 2 to 4 ounce custard cups, ramekins, or measuring cups. Spray them lightly with Pam or brush with oil, then spoon the confetti corn into the cup and press hard to pack tightly.  Gently invert the cup on a serving plate, and it should release and take the form of the cup.

Makes 10 to 12 timbales.

Essex Fells Magazine

June 2013