Halibut Culinary Information

Pacific Halibut Flavor Scale

Flavor
Oil
Texture

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Pacifich Halibut Flavor Profile

Halibut is a lean fish with mild, sweet tasting white flesh, large flakes and a firm but tender texture. Because of its leanness halibut becomes dried-out if overcooked. Frozen halibut is denser and less moist than fresh halibut and is easier to overcook.

Typical Cooking Methods

Except for deep frying and sushi, I usually cook Halibut to an internal temp of about 125° - 130° F.  This leaves the fish tender and moist.  Below are common methods of cooking Halibut.  My favorite is to grill or saute...and of course battered and fried Halibut & Chips!

Alternate Names

Pacific Halibut, Alaska Halibut, Cow of the Sea, Hirame (Sushi)

Description (Hippoglossus stenolepis)

Halibut are the largest of all flounders/flatfish. They have an average weight of 25-30 Lbs but can weigh over 600 Lbs. Flatfish yield four fillets.

How To Fillet Whole Halibut

Here is a YouTube video showing how to break-down a whole halibut into fillets.

 

Fresh Halibut Availability

Fresh halibut availability chart: green areas show peak availability, light green show limited availability, gray indicates not available fresh. Frozen available all year long. FishChoice updates info about halibut, including commercial fishing opening dates as they become available.  There is also fresh farmed Atlantic Halibut available from a UK company called Gigha Halibut http://www.gighahalibut.co.uk/

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2013 Commercial Halibut Season: The International Pacific Halibut Commission approved a coast-wide catch limit of 31.03 million pounds for 2013, down 7 percent from last year. The commission set season dates of March 23 to Nov. 7.

Halibut Butchering Yield Percentage

Item	To Skin/On Fillets	To Skin/Off Fillets	Notes
Whole Head/On gutted	56%	46%
Whole Head/Off gutted 20/40 lb fish	66%	56%
Whole Head/Off gutted 10/20 lb fish	56%	44%
Skin/On Fillets	--	80%	If you have yield info on this fish please comment below.
For detailed butchering yield % and recovery see Halibut Yield Percentage
Yield % varies according to a number of factors including: size of fish, season, sex, and the skill of your fishmonger.

 

Additional Culinary Notes

Chalky Halibut

Chalky Halibut is a fairly common condition in Halibut flesh which leaves the meat white, opaque, and a little mushy. While raw it appears as though it has been cooked. And after it is cooked the meat is soft and falls apart.

The condition tends to occur more frequently during the warmer months and is thought to occur perhaps when a fish is on the long line too long, fights too hard, and perhaps even dies during the fight. Lactic acid builds up in the flesh and does not have a chance to release before death, which leaves the flesh more acidic. It can take 3 - 7 days for chalkiness to reveal itself.

If you receive chalky Halibut you should return it for credit. The fish is not "bad" in the sense of unhealthy, but it is bad in the sense of being low quality. In the image the filet on the right is "chalky", notice that the filet on the left has an almost transparent sheen to the flesh. Whereas the chalky filet is white and opaque.

Frozen Halibut

Frozen Halibut is more dense and less moist then fresh Halibut. It is easy to over cook and the most common customer complaint with frozen Halibut is that it is "dry". The best methods for cooking frozen Halibut is breaded or battered and deep fried.

Halibut Sustainability Info

Name	Alternate Names	Catch Method	Catch Region	Seafood Watch	Blue Ocean	Ocean Wise	Sea Choice	Mercury Concerns
Atlantic Halibut Hippoglossus hippoglossus	Hirame	Wild Bottom Trawl	US Atlantic
Atlantic Halibut Hippoglossus hippoglossus	Hirame	Wild Bottom Longline	Canadian Atlantic
Atlantic Halibut Hippoglossus hippoglossus	Hirame	Farmed	Canada	na			na
California Halibut Paralichthys californicus	Chicken Halibut, Hirame, Monterey Halibut, Southern Halibut	Wild Handline	US Pacific - California				na	Yes
California Halibut Paralichthys californicus	Chicken Halibut, Hirame, Monterey Halibut, Southern Halibut	Wild Hook & Line	US Pacific - California					Yes
California Halibut Paralichthys californicus	Chicken Halibut, Hirame, Monterey Halibut, Southern Halibut	Wild Bottom Trawl						Yes
California Halibut Paralichthys californicus	Chicken Halibut, Hirame, Monterey Halibut, Southern Halibut	Wild Set Gillnet	US Pacific - California					Yes
Greenland Turbot Reinhardtius hippoglossoides	Greenland Halibut, Hirame	Wild Bottom Trawling	US, Canadian Pacific					Yes
Greenland Turbot Reinhardtius hippoglossoides	Greenland Halibut, Hirame	Wild Bottom Longline	Alaska
Pacific Halibut Hippoglossus stenolepis	Alaskan Halibut, Hirame	Wild Bottom Longlines, Troll Lines	US Pacific
Pacific Halibut Hippoglossus stenolepis	Alaskan Halibut, Hirame	Wild Bottom Longlines	Canadian Pacific
MSC Certified Fisheries
Disclaimer: The sustainability info above is accurate to the best of our knowledge. However, each program randomly updates their information without our knowledge. We therefore recommend that you verify the current accuracy of this information.
= Best Choice/Recommended     = Good Alternative     = Avoid/Not Recommended								Updated Jan 2013

Brief Sustainability Summary: Atlantic Halibut should be avoided mainly because it has been over-fished. California Halibut is sometimes marketed as Pacific Halibut which is technically a different species and has a different sustainability rating. California Halibut have their lower rankings due to concerns over their limited range and degrading habitat. Gillnet caught California Halibut have the additional concern of by-catch issues. Greenland Turbo stocks are in good shape, but have a lower rating to bycatch and habitat damage from bottom trawling. For additional info on sustainable seafood and options for purchasing sustainable Halibut visit FishChoice.

 

Halibut Nutritional Information based upon a 6 oz (171 grams) raw edible serving * Calories/Calories from fat 189 * Protein grams 36 * Fat grams 3.9 * Saturated fat grams .5 * Sodium milligrams 93 * Cholesterol milligrams 55 * Omega-3 grams .9 more Halibut nutrition

 

Additional Resources:

See FishChoice for Pacific Halibut fishery opening and closing dates as well as detailed sustainability ratings from multiple sustainable seafood programs, conservatrion notes, and sustainable halibut purchasing options.

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