Panko Halibut

A clean kitchen, a full pantry, and a free evening is a wonderful trifecta. A combination that, while rare, should immediately be taken advantage of by the experimental cook. On an evening such as this, with music blaring and a choice fillet of Alaskan Halibut, I set to work on a Japanese themed dish. With some of my favorite sushi ingredients in mind and on hand I was hoping to develop an easy yet visually and tastefully impressive meal. I hope you enjoy the following recipe.

Panko Halibut

1 Halibut Fillet (no skin)

1 cup panko

1 egg (beaten)

½ cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

shortening for frying

Cucumber Avocado Relish

1 cucumber

1 avocado

1 cup chopped cilantro

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

Peel, de-seed, and dice cucumber and avocado. Add together oil, vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce. Mix dressing with cucumber, avocado, and cilantro. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Spicy Mayo Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise

¼ cup Sriracha Hot Chili Paste

Combine mayonnaise and sriracha. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. This sauce is very versatile. From fish, to hamburgers, to sandwiches, to dipping sauce, don’t let any leftover go unused!

Combine flour and salt. Cut halibut into 3-4 inch pieces. Preheat shortening in deep fryer to 350 degrees. Now dip each piece of fish into the flour (shake off excess), then the egg, and finally the panko. Fry for about 1 to 3 minutes. Check your biggest piece to make sure the fish is cooked thoroughly  by breaking it in half and verifying the inside flesh of the fish flakes easily. Place cooked pieces on paper towels to absorb the excess oil.

Serve fish over rice and top with cucumber relish and then the spicy mayo. Don’t be shy about experimenting with this recipe. This could be done with a variety of meats and veggies. As always have fun, eat well, and enjoy! (serves three to four)

A Kitchen Trick for skinning Halibut - An easy way to skin halibut is to cut the fillet down the middle from head to tail (skin side down) just through the meat and not the skin. Then pull/cut the fillet starting at the middle away from the skin.