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. The 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!
Preparing the Halibut Marinade
The marinade is extremely simple and uses ingredients that are most likely already in your kitchen. Add the marinade ingredients to a ziplock bag and add the small halibut steaks.
Plan ahead, as you’ll want the halibut to be cut small enough to fit on the cedar plank.
How to Grill Halibut on a Cedar Plank
Set the grill for direct heat at 350 degrees. 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.***
Place the halibut on the soaked cedar plank and add the freshly sliced lemon and Rosemary sprig on top.
Grill the halibut for approximately 20 minutes or until it is fully cooked.
What Temperature should the Halibut Reach?
It is best to have the internal temperature of the halibut reach 145 degrees. The meat will turn a nice opaque white color and will flake apart easily.
Ingredients
- 2 small Halibut steaks
- Lemon Slices
- Fresh Rosemary Sprigs
Marinade
- 1/3 c Olive Oil
- 1/3 c Lemon Juice
- 2 tbs Dijon Mustard
- 1 tbs Grated Lemon Zest
- 2 sprigs of Fresh Rosemary chopped
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
Marinade
- Add all marinade ingredients to a ziplock bag and stir
- Add in Halibut steaks
Prepare the Fish - 30 Minute Marinade
- After 30 minutes of marinating, remove the Halibut and place on a cedar plank
- Add lemon slice and rosemary sprig
Grill the Halibut
- With the grill set to 350 degrees on direct heat, add the halibut on the cedar plank
- Let cook for about 20 minutes or until the internal temperature is 145 degrees
