Grilled Halibut With Indian Spices and Corn Relish

Grilled Halibut With Indian Spices and Corn Relish
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
25 minutes
Rating
5(395)
Comments
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Here, a fragrant combination of ground cumin, turmeric, coriander and fennel seed is rubbed all over fresh halibut steaks (Pacific salmon, wild striped bass and hake also work well here). The steaks are then left to marinate for a few hours in the refrigerator before grilling. The cooked fish is topped with a quick relish made of fresh corn, ginger, onion, cilantro and a bit of the spice mixture that's been sautéed in clarified butter. It's an unexpected yet extraordinary way to prepare fish that might just win over the self-proclaimed seafood-haters at the table.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2teaspoons ground cumin
  • teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 1teaspoon ground coriander
  • ½teaspoon ground fennel seeds
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4halibut steaks, 1 inch thick, 2 to 2½ pounds total (Pacific salmon, wild striped bass, hake steaks or fillets of these fish can be substituted)
  • 2lemons
  • 4tablespoons ghee (sold in Indian stores and fancy food shops) or clarified butter; vegetable oil can be substituted
  • 1tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • ½cup finely chopped onion
  • 1cup cooked fresh corn kernels (about 1 ear of corn)
  • Oil for grill
  • 1tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

1319 calories; 96 grams fat; 32 grams saturated fat; 4 grams trans fat; 49 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 95 grams protein; 1364 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine cumin, turmeric, coriander, fennel, ½ teaspoon black pepper and ½ teaspoon salt or to taste. Rub fish steaks on both sides with juice of ½ lemon, then rub with all but 2 teaspoons of spice mixture. Refrigerate 3 hours.

  2. Step 2

    While fish marinates, heat 2 tablespoons ghee in a skillet, add ginger and onion and sauté until onion just starts to brown. Stir in remaining spices and sauté, stirring, until spices smell toasty, then add corn and juice of ½ lemon. Cook briefly and set aside.

  3. Step 3

    Remove fish from refrigerator and brush on both sides with remaining ghee or butter. Heat grill and oil grates. When hot, place fish on grill over medium-hot coals or gas fire and cook about 5 minutes. Use a spatula to turn fish and grill 3 to 4 minutes, until a little liquid just begins to pool on surface of fish and a paring knife inserted just at the bone can move flesh away from it easily. Salmon should be cooked about 3 minutes on each side. Remove fish to a warm platter or individual plates.

  4. Step 4

    Reheat corn mixture, adding cilantro and a couple tablespoons water to moisten it. Spoon corn on fish, garnish with wedges cut from remaining lemon and serve.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
395 user ratings
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Comments

Delicious. I increased the amount of corn and added cherry tomatoes to make a complete one dish meal. No need to pre-cook the corn.

As a denizen of the Great NW, I am no stranger to our ocean provender. As much as I love most of the recipes that show up here, I draw the line at the halibut being overwhelmed by the spices. This is a fish that says "less is more" and I'd go with the other fish suggestions to do the Indian spices.

Excellent. I used tilapia and added 1/2 chopped green chile to the corn mixture.

I'll echo what someone else said about how the fish doesn't really need the spices--but I could eat this corn relish by the bucketload

I made this three times. Loved it. I used salmon for the cast iron pan, for the stove and oven (as per Mark Bittman), instead of on the grill.

Wow, this one’s a stunner. We used more corn but pretty much followed the recipe. Didn’t marinate for more than an hour, but oiled fish first and then used a spice shaker to even distribute mixture. Hit it hot on the grill in the sear zone for about 3 minutes until it unstuck then another minute or so on the other side. Alaskan Halibut fish was perfectly grilled. Hit the pan with the cork at high heat again and used lemon juice and water to deglaze and then top fish. We LOVED it.

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