Halibut Rub - grill and/or deep fry


 
Eric Aarseth

Eric Aarseth

TVWBB Super Fan
I used the search function for "halibut rub" but only turned up a post from 2004 and what appeared to be the tired (IMHO) lemon herb rub.

Anyone have a recommendation/tried and true/ideas about a rub for halibut? I primarily cook halibut either on the grill (skin on) or deep fried (extra thin batter the coated with panko crumbs - spices in the batter).

Since I have a freezer full of salmon and halibut every year, I'm always looking for news ways to spice/flavor/cook them.
 
Try ground fennel, ground coriander and crushed green peppercorn for ther grilled, minced fresh cilantro, granulated garlic, white pepper, and ground ginger for the battered.
 
Thanks Kevin. I wish I had checked the board before dinner tonight. Did the tired lemon & black pepper. I'm just so tired of it. I will try your suggestion in each context. I'm making a point to toast some guajillo peppers tomorrows and then grind them. No specific plans, but I wanted to practice that technique and get a sense for how to do and taste the result.
 
Cool. Remember: Dried chilies are often not quite dry enough for easy grinding, a good thing as chilies are best toasted first. Toast them early on in the day. This way you can get them toasted enough to bring out flavor but not so much that they are bone dry coming off the pan (it's fine if they are; they go from toasted/dry to burnt quickly though so watch it). Leaving them out on the counter to cool and dry further is all you need do after toasting; grind when convenient.

Try in your fish batter (also good for batter for chiles rellenos): per 1 c batter-- 2-3 T ground guajillo, 2 t granulated onion, 1 t granulated garlic, some ground white pepper, pinch sugar, pinch sage. If your batter does not contain fat of any kind, add a little; a t of oil or a T of milk will do. The fat will carry the fat soluble flavors from the chile and spices much better than will water or beer, the typical liquids in fish batters.
 
I think it went well. The chilie's (guajillo) are drying further on the rack. I went with a medium heat (gas) and a cast iron skillet. I didn't go with a hot skillet as recommended. Basically just used my nose to tell me 1) aroma increase and 2) change in that smell. I also saw the peppers (most not all) start to puff. This all took about 5 - 7 minutes. I jiggled them in the skillet to avoid burned spots and also flipped them a few times. My wife says no burnt smell - I agree, I'm pretty sure I would know that smell.

I guess my only question is whether there is an appreciative/qualitative difference between toasting over a medium heat versus a hot skillet?

Later today I'll take the stem off, shake out the seeds and grind and store in a 1/2 pint glass canning jar. If you (Kevin) think there is a distinct difference between hot skillet versus lower/slower approach, I'll toast again using the hot skillet and grind and store separately for comparison.
 
There shouldn't be much, if any, difference. The aroma should be warm--with toasted notes. Any burning is odorous, quite noticeable.
 
It worked well. Although I wasn't ready for the spray of chilie powder when I was grinding the toasted pods(?) in the coffee grinder (used solely for spices and herbs).

The guajillos have a pumpkin/squash smell to them once ground. I toasted a few pasilla (sp?) chilies but haven't ground them yet. I have the ancho powder already so I will start pulling your rub (metamorphosis) together. Definitely looking forward to this.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:
Try ground fennel, ground coriander and crushed green peppercorn for ther grilled, minced fresh cilantro, granulated garlic, white pepper, and ground ginger for the battered. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ok, so I'm trying your suggestion -sort of. The batter is Krustez Tempura which I mix thin and then roll in panko crumbs. I added a 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger, coriander, white pepper and garlic. I'm thinking the garlic will be too much b/c it is already in the tempura mix, but hey, you've got to start somewhere.

I'll let you know how it works. I'm thinking I could increase the ginger and coriander but will wait and see.

What proportions of fennel, coriander and green peppercorn would you suggest for the grilling rub. If I had to guess I would use equal proportions, maybe slightly more coriander.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">If I had to guess I would use equal proportions, maybe slightly more coriander. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
That would be my suggestion: equalize then add a touch more coriander.

And yes, you sure do have to start somewhere. Post your tempura results.
 
Fantastic. Thank you for the advice. I had tried other batters that had been enhanced. They were good but I always wanted to customize a batter to my own (my family's) taste. This was great. I will add a litte more coriander next time (or fresh cilantro if available) and eliminate the garlic. The Krustez tempura batter is an easy start for me, although I suspect I'll start searching for a recipe to make my own.

Deep-fried halibut is awesome, but what many people probably don't get a chance to try is the halibut sandwich the next day. We fight over the leftovers in this family.
 
I'm glad it worked for you.

For batters, I tend mostly toward these two for bases:


1 large egg yolk
1 c all-purpose flour
1 c ice water (ice water, not just cold from the tap)
1/4 c cornstarch
1 t salt
freshly ground white pepper to taste

or--


3/4 c beer
3/4 c cake flour
3/4 t salt
freshly ground white pepper to taste


and sometimes I mix elements of both (flour plus cornstarch and beer, e.g.)
 
You know I will try this and will be sure to grab some fresh cilantro. Sometimes the fresh is hit and miss up here but it is better and better. Ironcially (or maybe not so much) all of our produce comes up via the military supply shipments to stock the commissaries - or so I've been told. So because we have growing and active bases/posts the community benefits.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:
I'm glad it worked for you.

For batters, I tend mostly toward these two for bases:


1 large egg yolk
1 c all-purpose flour
1 c ice water (ice water, not just cold from the tap)
1/4 c cornstarch
1 t salt
freshly ground white pepper to taste

or--


3/4 c beer
3/4 c cake flour
3/4 t salt
freshly ground white pepper to taste


and sometimes I mix elements of both (flour plus cornstarch and beer, e.g.) </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
 
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