One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. I’m bringing this fancy yet simple dish to Fiesta Friday #29 at The Novice Gardener. Thank you to our lovely hosts Jhuls and Selma.

You are in for a treat if you have never tasted Alaskan halibut and I hope you enjoy a little taste of the Alaskan landscape in my photo slide show. Is there a word for people who are smitten with Alaska? Alaskophile? Enjoy!

I found a fantastic online source for Alaskan seafood at Island Seafoods in Kodiak, Alaska. Halibut is expensive but there’s nothing worse than paying for expensive fish that is not fresh when you get it home from the store. I want to know where and when my fish was caught. My obvious preference is to eat fish in Alaska on a boat from my line to the galley but since I don’t live in Alaska I must have my fish shipped. Many thanks to Ian at Island Seafoods for getting flash frozen seafood from the boat to my doorstep in record time. They also have salmon, crab, shrimp and cod for sale.

Halibut is a big fish and it consumes and stores more mercury than a small fish like salmon. You should limit your consumption of moderate mercury fish (halibut and cod) to 6 servings per month and pregnant women should probably avoid the high mercury fish like swordfish and shark completely. Pacific salmon is very low in mercury but farm raised Atlantic salmon may be high in PCBs, another toxin, which should be avoided. See the National Resources Defense Council at NRDC.ORG for more seafood mercury content and consumption guidelines.

My endorsement of Island Seafoods is given freely.

Enjoy a glimpse of Alaska, America’s northern treasure.
These photos were taken on our sailing adventure from Sitka to Juneau Alaska with Sound Sailing.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Ingredients

Marinade:
1 tablespoon thinly sliced lemongrass (lime zest would be a substitute)
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, finely grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
1/4 cup fresh Thai or sweet basil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fish sauce or soy sauce
Dash of ground black pepper

Halibut en Papillote
• 4-6 oz Alaskan halibut or other white fish. May substitute cod, mahi mahi etc
1 summer squash julienned
1 carrot julienned
1/4 cup scallions sliced

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. You will need a baking sheet and parchment paper or aluminum foil to assemble.

Chop and combine all marinade ingredients. Marinade can be made in advance. Let it sit for an hour or so if you have time to allow the flavors to mingle but don’t spoon over fish until 30 minutes before baking. I find that marinading with salty or acidic ingredients longer than 30 minutes makes delicate fish tough. Chop vegetables and set aside.

Assemble fish with marinade in the center of a 18 by 12 inch piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Foil will work in a pinch. Divide the vegetables over the fish fillets. Fold parchment over fish like you would wrap a package to seal all the edges. I stapled one corner of the package to hold it together. I’m sure a French chef would cringe but it worked for me. 🙂 Bake 20-30 minutes depending on the thickness of your fish, my fish was 2 inches thick. Remove from oven. Let rest 10 minutes. Open package carefully. Fish should be opaque and flaky throughout but not dry. Serve in the parchment to rave reviews.