Broiled Halibut
Take halibut steak an inch and a half thick. Wipe dry, sprinkle with salt, and brush it over with soft butter. Broil over a clear fire until both sides are nicely browned. Place it on a hot platter, garnish with slices of lemon and parsley, and serve with sauce piquante.
French fried potatoes and baked tomatoes are a good accompaniment.
A plain grilled steak that depends almost entirely on heat management and on not overcooking the fish. Halibut is lean and turns dry and cottony a few degrees past done.
- "A clear fire"This means hardwood or charcoal burned down to glowing coals with no flame or smoke, the fish usually held in a hinged wire broiler a few inches above. An overhead gas or electric broiler at its highest setting, with the rack about 4 inches from the element, is the closest modern approximation.
- Thickness and timingAn inch-and-a-half steak needs roughly 5 to 6 minutes a side over high heat. Pull it at 130-135F at the thickest point, or when the flesh just separates into flakes at the bone; it will carry over a few degrees on the platter.
- Dry the fish properlyWiping dry is not a nicety. Surface moisture steams instead of browning, and the fish will stick to the grate. Blot with paper towels and salt it only a few minutes before it goes on.
- Soft butterButter alone scorches at broiling heat. Brush a thin film on, or mix the butter half and half with a neutral oil, and oil the grate as well so the steak releases cleanly when turned.
- Sauce piquanteIn books of this period this is a brown sauce sharpened with vinegar, shallots, and chopped gherkins or capers. Any sharp caper-and-lemon butter serves the same purpose against a lean white fish.
- YieldThe recipe gives no yield, and the weight of a cross-cut halibut steak at this thickness varies widely with the size of the fish; a single steak will generally serve two or three. Halibut steaks are now often sold cut thinner, in which case reduce the time to about 3 minutes a side.