Halibut

big, flat fish

The Alaskan halibut season opened this past weekend, and for fans of the flakey, white fish that means gold!

I have a friend who is a pilot for NWA. A few years ago he switched out some routes so that he could fly to Alaska, just to get some halibut directly from the guys on the dock. He brought a big pack home and proceeded to batter and fry the chunks at a five-family picnic. The memory of that creamy flesh and the crispy, malty batter still haunts me. I remember burning my mouth trying to eat so much, so quickly.

But halibut is just as memorable in finer dishes. Oceanaire will do, but I bet it will be good. Be sure to listen carefully to the servers in places like Kozy’s, Chart House, Stella’s Fish Cafe, and Jensen’s Supper Club where halibut will surely make an appearance as a chef’s special. Personally, I wouldn’t mind a month of dinners at the Dakota, waiting to see what Jack Riebel does with the beautifully flat fish.