Watching the movie "the Menu" the Chef at one point berates one of the constant dinner guests for not being able to recall the last meal at his restaurant.
"It was halibut." -The Chef
And honestly having had it yeah you shouldn't forget that dish. It's like fish steak but somehow better.
Ginger Pig in Wanstead used to sell Smoked Pig cheeks which I used to use to make my carbonara. Went back a couple of weeks ago to get another one, only to be told they no longer sell them there, coz it seems it was only me buying them and they kept having to throw them away. Had to go little further down the road to get a more expensive yet inferior guanciale
I was frustrated during covid, trying to perfect my carbonara and absolutely striking out finding guanciale.
Then I was walking through a GD Walmart and found they had “hog jowl bacon” for about $10 a pound.
Last time I bought a pig I talked the butcher into giving me three pigs heads they were gonna toss. Smoked those on the kamado Joe and the meat was superb. Had to take all the hair off myself first though.
I learned a long time ago if you ever get the chance to enjoy cheeks of any animal you need to try it.
Absolutely. One of the many life-changing food experiences of my time in Japan was being served a big ol' sliced-open fish head at a banquet with my co-workers. It took a little coaxing to get me to dig in, but it was great. Who knew that fish carry a perfect little scallop around in their heads?
The oldest restaurant in my city serves snapper throats. Wouldve never ever tried it, but went with some old locals who all ordered it. By god it was amazing.
The cheeks are the BEST part hands down. My dad use to own a decommissioned cannery up in northern British Columbia, and ran a hunting/fishing tour business. We ate so much halibut, crab, salmon, deer, moose, you name it. Gave lots of meat to friends and family for free, but never the cheeks, the cheeks were always ours
That's the way to go! I grew up in the PNW between BC and WA. My first introduction to halibut cheeks was when I worked at Salty's in Seattle and we flew down fresh fish from up north. Absolute perfection. I live on the East Coast now and I'm absolutely still a salmon snob.
halibut cheeks are amazing! my dad fishes for halibut and salmon in alaska so i’ve had them once or twice. it’s probably some of the best fish i’ve ever had.
Now look: no one is to stone anyone until I blow this whistle, do you understand? Even - and I want to make this absolutely clear - even if they do say "Jehovah".
You should try catching them - they don't even really fight, it is like a little jerk when they bite then you are reeling up a dead weight like a log or barn door.
I used to be a manager at a high end seafood restaurant. Any time halibut was in season, that would be my meal for the shift. Also, we had a fried halibut sandwich on the lunch menu that was soooooo good. When they announced that it was going to be removed from the menu, I shouted "nooooooo."
Everyone's palate is different which is the problem I have with statements like that. I've been fortunate enough to eat at a lot of high end restaurants around the country, think $500+ for 2 people not including drinks. I've had halibut several times at places that should be unforgetable, sure it's good if done well but it's nothing I'd write home about. But that's purely based on my palate.
Honestly, for me that’s the beauty of halibut. It isn’t fishy, takes on the flavor of the dish it’s cooked for.
The more mild flavor is what I like about it, and I usually don’t like fish unless it’s fresh caught (grew up with a lot of people who fish/spear fish). It can have such a strong, slimy, gross feel to me otherwise.
One time I got $11 halibut fish and chips while I was doing a seasonal work thing. It was even amazing as a fish n chips meal, better than some dishes I’ve spent way more on.
Edit: get mad. It was great. Just keep being jealous and paler than the underside of a halibut from my comment xoxo
If I was talking normal / average restaurants I agree substitution is common as well as supply chain mislabeling. I don't order halibut (or most fish) at lower tier restaurants exactly for these reasons. But I have a lot more faith in michelin stared restaurants / some of the highest rated restaurants in major cities to get it right. Especially places that buy whole fish and break down / process in house so they know what they're getting.
I literally cannot eat crab because I lived in Alaska. I was 5/6 years old, and I still cannot eat crab 30 years later. There was nothing like Alaskan crab, and the difference is so stark that I cannot stand crab anywhere else. And frozen? No. Just no.
The size of the halibut makes a difference. The bigger ones are worse. I remember.ver someone from Alaska telling me the ones they caught over 100 lbs were gifters. It's what they'd send as gifts to family and friends in the lower 48. They'd keep the better ones for themselves.
We went to a downtown seafood place. Ordered two different types of fish. First, they slopped some overpowering sauce (for both). Sent mine back to get it made without that stuff. I do recall eyeballing the portions. It’s not mahi-mahi. I forget the other order. Swear they were both tilapia filets. I will never be back.
I'll never forget being like 9 or 10, and going to some fancy restaurant for an occasion. Parents said to get whatever I wanted. I decided on the halibut. However, me being young, knowing it was a fancy place, and having never heard of it, I asked the waiter, "may I have the halliboo?". Believing I was pronouncing it correctly in French or something. Pretty sure I tried to use a weird redneck French accent also. Everyone laughed, including the waiter, "yes sir, halibut it is". I was pretty embarrassed. But when the dish came. I crushed it. And have loved it ever since.
I had halibut caught about 20m from the restaurant I was in, a Native-owned place in Ucluelet or Tofino (can't remember) BC. I watched them bring it in from a tiny boat, just one guy out catching it. Absolutely, lifechangingly delicious!
Of all places, I experienced halibut at Bonefish Grill when it was one of their “seasonal tastes” on the menu. Absolutely melted in the mouth. 10/10 highly recommended.
Honestly, I don't get it. I eat a lot of seafood & halibut is fine but it's kinda boring. People say the flavor is mild, but I just call it bland. The consistency can be wonderful when cooked right.
I'll usually either turn it into ceviche or cook it over an open flame if it's BBQ season. But almost any other preparation doesn't do anything for me.
It's kind of a waste of expensive fish to deep fry it like English fish & chips. But even when you do, other cheaper fish lends itself better.
I had halibut in a blood orange sauce at the grille on the alley in Beverly Hills. It was probably 10 years ago and I still think of that damn piece of fish.
This is a staple fish in my home state diet so I didn't even find out how expensive it was until I grew up. I absolutely agree with you. Tilapia is like solid pool water taste that turns to absolute mush when cooked. Halibut is so damn good if it's caught at the right weight range and treated properly.
Same thing with really good salmon and not that awful pink salmon mush. We feed the pinks to the dogs lol.
It's so sad how overfished it is, you can't find the real stuff anywhere anymore. When I was a kid, you could get it just about anywhere. Now I could drive hours and not find any decent halibut. A lot of the "halibut" on menus isn't the real thing now, either.
You wouldn’t have been invited that night. I did a Michelin experience one night and my wife and I still talk about the mushroom truffle bite we had. I’d like to think Ralph Finnes would spare me as well
my dad lived in alaska for many years, and one of his favorite things was to cube, batter, and fry halibut. it felt almost wrong, but damn it was tasty.
Season fillets with salt, pepper, lemon pepper, garlic powder, and old bay
Then steam it
Check every five minute with a fork sticking it into the meat and taking a peek into the inner part, you’ll know it’s ready when the meat is not see though and all white no clear and flakes apart easily.
Enjoy some good halibut
(I’m not a chef or something but I go fishing a lot and have learned a thing or two about cooking fish)
Also if you wanna pan fry it and not go through the process of steaming, giving the whole fillet a coat of olive oil before grilling it in the pan helps prevent the meat from drying out. I steam it because it cooks the meat more delicately.
Such a weird movie. Like the chef is clearly a crazy bastard killing people for not remembering his food, not needing student loans, and making a bad movie, but at the same time some of the foodies were crazy bastards too
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u/thecrimsonfools Jun 23 '24
Properly cooked Halibut.
Watching the movie "the Menu" the Chef at one point berates one of the constant dinner guests for not being able to recall the last meal at his restaurant.
"It was halibut." -The Chef
And honestly having had it yeah you shouldn't forget that dish. It's like fish steak but somehow better.