This lemon rosemary grilled cedar plank halibut made dinner feel like a mini-vacay in the Pacific Northwest. Citrusy, herby, and a bit woodsy from the cedar plank, this recipe is as delicious as simple. I’m telling ya, the flavor payoff is HUGE!
Yum, halibut!!! Halibut is one of those foods that we just adore and brings out seriously happy memories. Do you have one that creates a reaction like that for you? One of my favorite recipes for this delicious white fish is Grilled Lemon Rosemary Halibut on a Cedar Plank.
Back in the late 1990’s, Jason was still active duty Coast Guard and traveled a lot. He had a “hardship trip” to Alaska – please note my sarcasm! His dad decided to meet him up there and they went out on a fishing charter boat to catch halibut! Have you ever seen a halibut fresh out of the ocean? That is one ugly fish!!!
They limited out pretty quickly and each of them pulled in fish over 100lbs. He said it was like hauling up a barn door. They had a fish processor meet them at the dock, and the freshly caught halibut was packaged up and sent back home.
I received an urgent call from Jason saying that I should to go to Sears and buy a deep freezer as he was shipping halibut back and we needed somewhere to store it. I still look at that freezer and think of packs and packs of halibut that arrived via FedEx!!
He also warned me not to look at the credit card statement that month! Yikes! But it was worth every penny.
When I think back about that story, I question why we didn’t get the freezer before he left? We knew he was going fishing but we didn’t prepare for it. It is one of my favorite memories!
That was hands-down the best halibut we have ever ate! There was so much of it that we struggled eating all of it before we transferred. Towards the end, we were eating halibut almost every day!
🛒 Ingredients
- Halibut steaks (make sure they are cut small enough to fit on the cedar plank)
- Lemon slices
- Fresh rosemary sprigs
🥣 For The Marinade
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Dijon mustard
- Grated lemon zest
- Fresh rosemary sprigs
- Salt
- Pepper
🍲 Preparation
💦 Soaking The Cedar Planks
Plan ahead and soak the cedar planks in water for 1-2 hours before grilling. We’re using them to cook over direct heat and soaking will prevent the planks from catching fire. The bottom will still get scorched and release a fantastic flavor!
Make sure to use a container where they can be fully immersed. You can use something heavy like a pot or a pan to weigh down the planks.
🥣 Marinade
The marinade is extremely simple and uses ingredients that are most likely already in your kitchen.
👉Step 1 – Add all the marinade ingredients (olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, fresh chopped rosemary, salt, and pepper) to a ziplock bag and add the small halibut steaks.
👉Step 2 – Let the fish marinate for 30 minutes.
🔥 Grilling Instructions
👉Step 1 – Set the grill for direct heat at 350°F. You really don’t want the grill to get too hot as you may actually burn the cedar plank. A bit of char on it is ok, but you don’t want it to catch fire. ***Don’t ask me how I know this.***
👉Step 2 – Place the halibut on the soaked cedar plank and add the freshly sliced lemon and Rosemary sprig on top.
👉Step 3 – Grill the halibut for approximately 20 minutes or until it is fully cooked (internal temperature must be 145°F). The meat will turn a nice opaque white color and will flake apart easily.
Do yourself a favor and closely watch the price of your cedar planks. They are between $1 – $2 EACH unless you buy them in larger quantities.
📌 Recipe Tips
✔️Marinating – Do not over marinate! Fish (halibut included) absorbs flavors really fast which is what the marinade is all about. Fish meat is already tender so marinating for too long can turn it mushy.
✔️Cedar Plank – Optionally, you can place the cedar plank on the grill 5 minutes before the halibut. This way it will release more flavor. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
✔️Grilling – For this recipe there is no need to turn the fish halfway through cooking. Halibut is delicate and will easily cook through. Turning it might break your steaks which is totally undesirable, of course!
♨️ More Cedar Plank Grilling
Our cedar plank grilling adventures have pushed us to try this method with other types of fish. It was always a success!
⭐This grilled bourbon-glazed cedar plank Chilean sea bass was a total treat. The bourbon’s warm and slightly sweet depth plays so well with the smoky cedar and the richness of the sea bass!
⭐We were also blown away by this garlic Parmesan crusted salmon on a cedar plank. That crunchy, savory crust, the tender flaky salmon, and the smoky cedar aroma made us feel like we were dining in a fancy restaurant.
Except it was our backyard, and way cheaper!😎
Both of those recipes really highlight how versatile and darn delicious cooking on cedar planks can be!
Lemon Rosemary Halibut on a Cedar Plank
Ingredients
- 2 Halibut Steaks small
- 2 Lemon Slices
- 2 Rosemary fresh sprigs
Marinade
- 1/3 cup Olive Oil
- 1/3 cup Lemon Juice
- 2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 tbsp Grated Lemon Zest
- 2 Rosemary Sprigs fresh, chopped
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
Soaking The Cedar Planks
- I highly recommend soaking cedar planks for 1-2 hours before grilling. We will use direct heat and this will prevent them from catching fire.
- Place the planks in a bucket or a large container so they can be fully immersed in water. Weight them down using a heavy pot or pan to keep them submerged.
Marinade
- Add all marinade ingredients (olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, lemon zest, chopped rosemary, salt, and pepper) to a Ziploc bag and shake.
- Add in the halibut steaks.
- After 30 minutes of marinating, remove the halibut.
Grill the Halibut
- Place Halibut on a cedar plank and top with a lemon slice and rosemary sprig.
- With the grill set to 350°F on direct heat, add the soaked cedar plank.
- Let cook for about 20 minutes or until the internal temperature is 145°F.
Notes
Nutrition
Jason’s been firing up the grill for over 30 years after graduating from the US Coast Guard Academy. His love of finely-grilled steak and chicken led him to buy his first Weber grill to put on his apartment patio in 1992. Each military move led to a new grill (a mixture of gas and charcoal) until he fell in love with the Big Green Egg in 2008. Since then, he has added another 4 grills to the collection. Yes, he has a problem. Jason loves smoking in the ceramic BGE with exotic woods including olive wood from Egypt and hard to find varieties such as sassafras and orange wood. Jason takes the term “foodie” to a whole new level, jumping at the chance to take food tours and cooking classes during foreign travels. These have provided inspiration to incorporate new ideas into recipes when he gets back home. He has been featured in Fox News, Parade, Yahoo News, Kansas City Living and more. After retiring from the military and moving to southwest Florida, he has focused grilling and smoking locally sourced meats and fish (read: he likes to catch his own fish!)
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