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Olympia Seafood Co. Cedar Planked Halibut with Herb Butter |
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Hello Everyone!
This nice stretch of weather makes it hard to resist the thrill of the grill each night but I'm starting to realize there's a consequence for spending your entire evening on the back porch. I like to soak up the Great Outdoors as much as possible, but I also really hate using bug spray - and I'm paying the price. I've got mosquito bites in all the usual places as well as a few places that you wouldn't think a mosquito could get to.
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tarragon and baby dill |
My latest strategy is to huddle as close to the grill as possible in hopes that the bit of smoke wafting out will deter the bugs. I'm also keeping track of my 'kills', and honestly, if you're a mosquito you really don't want to mess with me. Or at least not until I've had a glass or two of wine...
One way to get your grill smoking a bit more is to use a cedar plank to cook with! When our family was in town last week we had a request for halibut, and our latest and greatest recipe was conceived - cedar planked halibut with a tarragon/dill/garlic/lemon butter. We're offering up our nice fat Alaskan halibut at special pricing this week, along with the planks and the butter. One stop shopping! Read on for all the details.
In the case this week things are looking top notch. For white fish we have true cod, rock cod and petrale sole. The lingcod is back, and we also have a nice fresh dab of sablefish (aka, 'black cod'). Halibut will be plentiful and we have another little sack of fresh sardines available. For salmon we're looking at Washington ocean kings and Alaskan sockeye, and perhaps a few more of those Snow Pass coho in before the weekend. For shellfish we have the usual suspects: clams, oysters and mussels. I will say that I got a 'soft' oyster in our little pile we put on the grill a couple of days ago, so if you're the type of person who takes a pass on the softer oysters that come with the warmer times of the year, now might be the time to bow out. (That would be me! Tony will eat
them all summer long~ he's not as picky about texture as I am.) For exotics we've got something I'm looking forward to - fresh Mahi Mahi, on the way for Thursday. The Mahi is flying in with the Ahi tuna, so if you're thinking sushi or fish tacos, we've got you covered. Crab, crab cakes, salmon burgers, seaweed salad - we're all set! Come take a stroll on Percival Landing (so pretty in the sun!) and pop in to see us!
~Kira
p.s. It's the first Music in the Park tonight! |
Fresh Alaskan Halibut | |
Halibut has a reputation for being the world's premium whitefish. Tony and I like to sort of pish posh over the self-crowning of halibut as 'the best' because it's really hard to beat a nice fresh chunk of cod (at half the price) but there's no arguing that halibut is a special kind of fabulous. Dense, firm and very light in flavor, halibut is easy to like and can work nicely with just about any form of seasoning or preparation. Halibut is sustainable and well managed with IFQ's (individual fisherman quotas) and as long as you're not regularly munching on the very large halibut (they can get up to 40+ years old and as much as 700 pounds - these huge guys carry more heavy metal contamination) the meat is an excellent healthful, low fat, high quality protein and a good source of omega-3's. We're serving up 20 to 40 pound halibut this week at the shop, (our standard ~ about a 5 to 10 year old fish) which gives us a nice thick filet with the maximum nutrient density we're looking for. Come get some! |
Cedar Planked Halibut with Herb Butter | |
Let me just start by saying - this recipe is ridiculously good. The smoky woody flavors from the cedar plank mixed with the herby garlicy lemony butter... all on top of some of the best fish on the planet - SO good. ![](https://ih.constantcontact.com/fs071/1103123744257/img/637.jpg?a=1110449016321)
For the special this week I made up a big batch of the butter using fresh tarragon, fresh baby dill, fresh lemon juice, garlic and organic butter. We've got heaping spoonfuls of the stuff in a 2oz tub available for a dollar if you'd like to keep things super simple. If you'd like to make your own - here's the details!
Herb Butter![](https://ih.constantcontact.com/fs071/1103123744257/img/636.jpg?a=1110449016321)
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
2 tsp dried tarragon (or 2 T fresh)
2 tsp dried dill (or 2 T fresh)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 heaping T of fresh lemon juice
Blend it all up and store it in the fridge for up to a couple of weeks if you've got leftovers. We put some on a side of sockeye salmon a couple of days later and yep, it was delish!
Now, get yourself a cedar plank (we have these at the shop for $4) and about a half pound of halibut per adult serving. Soak your cedar plank in water for at least 30 minutes and get your grill heated to medium highish. Place your halibut, skin side down, on the plank when you're ready and salt and pepper the fish. Melt a tablespoon or so of the herb butter (for about a pound piece) and pour it over the top of the fish. Place your plank and fish on the grill, and close the lid up. We use coals and while I was trying to get a photo of this process the edge of the plank caught on fire. This isn't a huge problem, but we don't want to burn the fish, so if you're using coals go ahead and slap the lid on and turn the air vents down a bit so we're more slowly roasting than directly heating. If you're using gas, turn the flame down so that it's not licking at the wood and starting a plank fire. I promise, this is not as tricky as it sounds! Cook your fish with the lid on for about 15 minutes, then baste with a bit more of the butter and cook for another 10 minutes or so - until it's lost its center translucentness and is cooked through. Slide it off the plank and prepare to be amazed at your culinary skill. Serve with some fresh corn or roasted asparagus and a nice cold beverage. Best meal ever!
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Tony and Kira DeRito The Olympia Seafood Company, Inc.
411 Columbia St NW Oly WA 98501
360 570 8816 Tues 12-6
Wed thru Sat 10-6
Sun 11-4
Closed Monday!
www.olympiaseafood.com
| If you're afraid of butter, use cream. ~Julia Child |
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Special pricing on fresh Alaskan halibut this week! $17.99 per pound. |
Regular price on fresh halibut is a hefty $21.99 per pound, so you save four bucks! This time of the year is not the best time to feature halibut - many of the fishermen are busy with salmon fishing and the supply drops with the lower number of boats fishing. Consequently, the price increases. This also means that they're moving fish quickly though, and the quality of our halibut is amazing. Plus, the recipe is perfect for Right. Now. Yum!
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Offer Expires: Sunday, July 15th or while supplies last.
No need to print this coupon, the special pricing is for everyone! |
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