Halibut with Mushrooms & Onions

Absolutely delicious recipe for halibut! These flavors compliment each other so nicely. I can see this being a warm and comforting cold weather meal or a light summer dinner with fresh caught halibut and garden grown zucchini and onions. It's also a beautiful meal - served over creamy polenta, it's sure to entice even the most finicky fish eater. This recipe is inspired by Lidia Bastianich.

Ingredients:

10 oz. mushrooms - we used porcini and Alaska morels 

 1/2 zucchini, sliced thin 

 7 Tbsp olive oil 

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 tsp kosher salt

6 skinless halibut fillets, 1 inch thick (2.5 pounds total)

2-3 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400*

Slightly oil a large sheet pan

Slice mushrooms fairly thick, and chop reconstituted morels rather small (if using).

In a large skillet, heat 3 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook about 5 minutes until onions soften. 

Spread onion and garlic on the sheet pan. In the same skillet add another Tbsp of olive oil and sauté mushrooms until softened and a little browned - about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini the last few minutes so the slices are lightly cooked. 

Spread about 1/2 the mushrooms over the onions and season with salt and pepper. 

Season halibut with 1/2 the lemon juice, about 2 Tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper. 

Pour the remaining lemon juice and the white wine over the mushrooms and onions and sprinkle parsley. 

Set the halibut filets on top of the mushrooms and then top each filet with the zucchini slices (shingle them or just lay a few on each piece) and then add the rest of the mushrooms over the zucchini. Make it pretty :)

Bake fish on bottom rack until it flakes easily. Halibut can dry out very fast, so do not overcook. Probably about 10-12 minutes. Fish should have an internal temp of 145*, but the flaking method is a good gauge.

Remove from oven and serve over the creamy polenta.

Polenta takes about 30 minutes to make. Here is a basic recipe that will cook during the prep and baking of the halibut.

Notes: 

Morels are considered among the choicest of edible mushrooms in the world. Here in Alaska, they are harvested after a forest fire; the rich, sooty soil is a perfect growing environment for them. Click here to see how to dry, store and cook with them. Click here to find out more about these little treasures. That being said, Morels can be hard to find, so if you don't have access to them just use what you have. Even button mushrooms taste great in this recipe. 

Margaret, Sep and Audrey.

Morels harvested near Fairbanks,
summer of 2014.
 

Just a girl and her halibut :)

 Prince William Sound, AK

Alaska Blueberry Bran Muffins

 This is a basic wheat bran muffin recipe, but I wanted to make it a bit healthier so the ingredients reflect that. These muffins love being filled with fresh Alaska blueberries, but any berry - frozen or fresh - will work just fine. Consider making a double batch and freezing, they thaw quickly and are just as tasty. Perfect snack when you're on the go! ~Patti

Ingredients:

1 cup almond milk + 1 Tbsp lemon juice = "buttermilk"

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

 1 egg

1/3 cup melted coconut oil

1/4 cup molasses 

1 tsp vanilla

1.5 cups wheat bran

1 cup whole wheat flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

1.5 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1.5 cups blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425*

Lightly spray muffin tin with non-stick 

Yield: 12 muffins

Whisk together the plain, unsweetened almond milk with a Tbsp lemon juice - this will make the "buttermilk" which helps keep the muffins moist and tender. In a small glass bowl, add this to the yogurt, egg, oil, molasses and vanilla. Whisk together well.

In a large, separate bowl whisk together the bran, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing with a wooden spoon until just combined. Gently fold in berries.

Scoop batter into prepared muffin pans, dividing evenly. If you happen to have one, a heaping #20 standard yellow handle portion scoop,(1.75 oz.) works perfectly.

Bake for about 14-16 minutes until the tops are a bit golden and spring back when touched. Remove from oven and allow to cool about 5 minutes before popping out of the pan. Let them cool completely on a wire rack. 

Notes: Make life easier by making sure ingredients are at room temp - egg can be warmed in a glass of warm water for a quick fix if its just out of the fridge and you can zap the milk in the microwave for a few seconds if needed. Also let the coconut oil cool a bit after melting. If the oil is too warm and added to cold ingredients it can start to solidify...😞

Freshly picked wild Alaska blueberries. 

Basic Creamy Polenta

Ingredients:

1 cup coarse or fine ground polenta

4+ cups water

2 Tbsp olive oil (or unsalted butter if preferred)

salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

In medium pot bring 4 cups water to a high simmer.  Add 1 tsp of salt.  Slowly whisk in the polenta. Continue to stir for a few minutes until polenta thickens.  Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently, about every 10 minutes.  Add up to a cup more water if needed to keep polenta soft enough to stir. The polenta should be gorgeous and creamy.  Turn off heat, whisk in olive oil and the salt. If you want to add 1/2 cup finely grated parmigiana-reggiano, and why wouldn't you, this is the time to do it.

Polenta thickens as it sits - so if not using immediately, you can reheat and whisk in a bit more water or olive oil to make it smooth and creamy again.

Notes: It is not necessary to use olive oil or butter if you prefer not to. Polenta is basically cornmeal mush and it can be made with any kind of cornmeal and any size grind you prefer - coarse for a more rustic finish or fine for a creamier finish.

Blueberry Zucchini Cake

 

Great little snack cake! Nice use of fresh Alaska blueberry and garden-grown zucchini. This cake is rather dense which makes it easy to hold in one hand while multi-tasking :) The lemon buttercream frosting makes it celebration-worthy, but even without the frosting it is very good. 

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 cup veggie oil

1 Tbsp vanilla

2 cups sugar

2 cups shredded zucchini 

3 cups AP flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

Frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temp

4 cups sifted confectioners sugar

2-3 Tbsp lemon juice

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350*

Lightly grease and flour 9x13 pan

Beat eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar until well blended. You can use a hand-held whisk. Fold in the zucchini.

In separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add it to the wet mixture and mix just enough to blend.

Fold in blueberry and pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake about 50 minutes, just until the top starts turning golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool on rack.

To make the frosting, put softened butter into the bowl of a food processor and process until creamy. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time until smooth. Add the lemon juice after the second cup of sugar. You can adjust the texture with a bit more lemon juice or powdered sugar. 

Once cake is cool, frost that baby. 

Notes: This cake is best stored in the fridge. It sliced nicely if you want to wrap slices individually. 

If you are using frozen berries, do not thaw - just fold in frozen. Zucchini can be grated thick or thin, and no need to squeeze out extra moisture for this recipe.

Halibut á la Nage with Yukon Golds and Lemon Relish

This is a wonderful way to use halibut. The finished dish more rustic than refined, despite the fancy name. Nage is a term used for flavored liquid used to poach delicate foods - usually seafood. The lemon relish is a perfect compliment to the richness of the fish and potatoes. I used Alaskan halibut (I am still cleaning out my freezer!), local Yukon Gold potatoes, fresh grown herbs and of course Alaskan-grown zucchini for a side. I loved how many of the ingredients could be locally sourced. This is an adapted version of a recipe by Chef Inaki Aizpitarte ~Patti

Ingredients:

6 garlic cloves

1/2 medium onion, halved and peeled

4 thyme sprigs

1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

4 cups milk (whole or low-fat)

4 large Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1-1/4 pounds)

Kosher salt

1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons olive oil

1-1/2 pounds halibut filet, cut into 2" cubes

Preserved Lemon Relish:

Mix 1/2 cup finely chopped preserved lemon (see directions at end of post), 1 bunch finely chopped chives, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons smoked paprika, and 3 tablespoons olive oil in a small bowl. Set aside for serving.

A nice tasty catch in Prince William Sound, Alaska.

Bring milk, onion, thyme, and peppercorns to a boil in a large pot. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Then, strain the infused milk into a medium saucepan, discarding the solids.

Meanwhile, cook potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water, about 25 minutes, until tender. Drain, peel and coarsely mash potatoes in a bowl with about 1/3 cup olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Bring infused milk just to a boil. Add cubed halibut and cook until it starts to flake, about 5 minutes. Remove fish from saucepan with slotted spoon and set aside. Use the remaining infused milk, about 1/4 to 1/2 cup and mix it into the potatoes.  

Put potatoes on plate, place halibut pieces on top and finish with a drizzle of lemon relish. Make it pretty! 

Zucchini is a nice side dish. Just quickly sautéed in a touch of olive oil and seasoned with salt & pepper.

Directions for Quick Preserved Lemons:

Preserving lemons takes about 30 days to make from scratch or can be purchased from specialty stores. I was unable to find it locally, and I was wanting to make this recipe right now, so I made a quick version. In my opinion, it was great, and our dinner guests raved. Preserved lemon has a powerful lemon taste, a little goes a long way! 

1 cup water

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 lemons, washed and quartered. Meyer lemons are great, a bit sweeter, but regular is fine.

Combine water and salt in small saucepan; bring to a boil. Add lemons and cook about 30 minutes, until liquid is reduced by half and the rinds are tender. Remove from heat and cool at room temperature - rinse well. Chop the lemon rind very fine to use for this recipe.  

Any unused lemon for this recipe can be used in something else, such as salads, dressings, dips, pasta dishes,etc. Anywhere you would add a squeeze of lemon or lemon zest. 

Store unused lemons in their cooking juices in the fridge. 

Alaska Spot Shrimp & Halibut Stir Fry

Heart Healthy! Alaska seafood is the best and this dish highlights my favorite spot shrimp and versatile halibut.  We caught tons this summer, and fortunately both freeze really well for winter use. I still had a few fresh carrots from the farm here in Palmer, and I used locally grown greens. Grab whatever looks freshest at your local store. This is stir fry - it cooks super fast, so have everything ready. Even your servings plates. Nothing is worse than limp, over cooked ingredients in a stir fry, so prep like you mean it!~Patti

Ingredients:

1/2 pound angel hair pasta, cooked and set aside

1 pound halibut, skinned, cut into 1" pieces

1 pound spot shrimp, cleaned and shells removed1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup water or low fat chicken broth
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup carrots, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1/2 bunch green onion, sliced thin

1 cup broccoli florets 

Sauce: 

8 tablespoons of rice vinegar

6 tablespoons lite soy sauce

4 teaspoon sesame oil

2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Note: Angel hair pasta takes about 7-8 minutes to cook, so have your pot of boiling water ready and drop the noodles to cook about the time you add your veggies to the stir fry.

Mix all sauce ingredients. Add halibut pieces. Let marinate in fridge while you prep the rest of the meal.

Grate ginger, wash and cut up veggies.

Sauté ginger, water (or broth if using) and garlic. Add veggies after a few minutes. Add all veggies except green onion; they go in at the end. Stir fry 2 minutes.

Add marinated fish, with juices. Stir fry 1 minute. Add Shrimp - stir fry 2-3 minutes, just till done.

Turn off heat. Toss with noodles and add in green onion to coat with sauce.

Serve and enjoy! 

If you have guests, take notice of how impressed they are :)

This is what you would call a really good fishing day.

Lots of halibut all packaged up and ready for the freezer. We won't go hungry this winter :)

Burbot Cakes (poor man's lobster cakes)

Fishing for burbot on the Tanana River in Fairbanks, Alaska at the end of December is definitely not for the weak and/or weary. You have to have the right gear, a good attitude and be willing to get cold...really, really cold! I had the opportunity to go with good friends who have ALL of these attributes and boy did we catch some nice fish. Often referred to as "poor man's lobster," burbot is fun to cook with and tasty. You pretty much can't mess it up. Here's a quick recipe for burbot cakes. Yummy doesn't even begin to describe how good they are, but it's a good start :)~Audrey   

Ingredients:

8 oz burbot, cooked and diced
1 egg
1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon mayo
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 green onions, minced
12 saltine crackers, crushed

Sauce:

Mix equal parts plain Greek yogurt and mayo with fresh dill and a splash of lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste.

Makes @12 mini patties

 Dice up your burbot into small pieces and season with salt and pepper.

Bake at 425 degrees for about 5-7 minutes or just until done. While it's cooking, simply combine everything else together in a bowl and mix well.  

Let burbot cool before adding to mixture. 

Form into small tablespoon size patties and dust with corn flour (or corn meal for more crust). Cook patties in a skillet with @ 1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil. 
Cook until golden brown, 3-4 minutes each side.

If you want to get fancy, add a dollop of yogurt dill sauce on top of each one and garnish with diced red pepper and dill sprigs. Pour yourself a nice glass of chilled white wine and enjoy :) 

This 38" burbot is a nice catch! The temperature was hovering about -20F, hence my rosy cheeks :)

Heading home after a successful day of burbot fishing on the Tanana River in Fairbanks, Alaska. 

The wall tent behind us had a potbelly stove which was nice if not critical to be able to warm up in after several hours out on the ice before the long snow machine ride back home. Thanks for setting this up for us, Brian!

Here's a great link that provides detailed information about burbot fishing as well how to clean and fillet them:
 
State of Alaska Fish & Game: How to Set Line for Burbot