One of my favorite recipes from the Pacific Northwest is Grilled Cedar Plank Halibut. It is extremely easy to make. The lemon and rosemary sprig are a match made in heaven!
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!
🍲 Preparation
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.
🔥 Grilling Instructions
Step One: 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.***
Step Two: Place the halibut on the soaked cedar plank and add the freshly sliced lemon and Rosemary sprig on top.
Step Three: Grill the halibut for approximately 20 minutes or until it is fully cooked.
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.
🌡️ Temperature
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.
Related Recipes
Grilled Salmon – This classic Pacific Northwest recipe is made even better with the addition of lemon and brown sugar. The glaze will melt in your mouth!
Smoked Salmon – Nothing in the world is better than a well prepared smoked salmon. With just a few steps, the brine and subsequent smoking will turn a delicious filet into a world-class meal.
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 fresh, chopped
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
Marinade
- Add all marinade ingredients to a Ziploc bag and shake
- Add in 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 degrees on direct heat, add the cedar plank
- Let cook for about 20 minutes or until the internal temperature is 145 degrees
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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