Plate 03 of 10

Halibut Olympia

Name: Halibut Olympia
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 38 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Alaska
Ingredients: 800 g, 4 steaks Wild Pacific halibut, skinless, centre-cut, about 4 cm thick; 30 ml Neutral oil, for the sear; 300 g Sweet onions, in thin half-moons; 30 g Unsalted butter, for the onions; 120 g Whole-egg mayonnaise; 60 g Full-fat sour cream; 50 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated; 15 ml Lemon juice; 10 g Garlic, grated to a paste; 40 g Panko, tossed with 1 tsp melted butter; 10 g Flat-leaf parsley and chives, minced; 6 g Fine sea salt; 2 g White pepper; 1 g Smoked paprika

The mid-century lodge dish that solves the driest fish in the Pacific. Thick halibut steaks seared ninety seconds, set on a bed of onions sweated in butter, blanketed in mayonnaise, sour cream, Parmesan, lemon and garlic, topped with buttered panko, and baked then broiled to a golden gratin while the fish underneath reaches 55 °C and stays moist.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 18 min
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Medium

Researched · Kitchen testing pending

A thick halibut fillet under a golden Parmesan crust, cut open to show snow-white flakes, on a bed of creamy onions with mountains behind.

Pacific halibut glides over the gravel banks of the Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutian shelf, and its snow-white flesh is the finest whitefish in the North Pacific. It is also almost fatless, which is why plain-baked halibut so often comes out dry.

Coastal lodge cooks solved that in the middle of the last century. The steaks are seared, set on sweet onions, and covered in a blanket of mayonnaise, sour cream, Parmesan and crumbs. In the oven the blanket turns into a gratin and bastes the fish in fat while it cooks, so the halibut stays juicy under a golden crust.

Ingredients

800 g, 4 steaksWild Pacific halibut, skinless, centre-cut, about 4 cm thick
30 mlNeutral oil, for the sear
300 gSweet onions, in thin half-moons
30 gUnsalted butter, for the onions
120 gWhole-egg mayonnaise
60 gFull-fat sour cream
50 gParmigiano-Reggiano, finely grateddivided
15 mlLemon juice
10 gGarlic, grated to a paste
40 gPanko, tossed with 1 tsp melted butter
10 gFlat-leaf parsley and chives, minced
6 gFine sea saltdivided
2 gWhite pepper
1 gSmoked paprika

A lipid blanket

Halibut is under 1.5 percent fat and about 21 percent protein. Dry heat above 60 °C contracts it and squeezes the water out. Mayonnaise and sour cream are an emulsion of oil in egg and dairy that does not evaporate, so the crust browns while the fish underneath climbs gently to 55 °C.

Crumbs on top, not in

Panko stirred into the sauce goes soggy. Spread the sauce first, then press the dry seasoned crumbs on just before baking.

The five tastes on this plate

Salt is sea salt and aged Parmesan. Fat is mayonnaise, sour cream and butter basting the lean fish. Acid is lemon and the lactic tang of sour cream. Heat is white pepper, garlic and paprika. Umami is Parmesan and the roasted fish.

Equipment

12-inch skillet
23 by 33 cm ceramic baking dish, buttered
Fish spatula
Digital probe thermometer

Lodge kitchens seared in cast iron on a wood stove and finished under the broiler. Any oven-safe skillet or ceramic gratin dish works.

Method

Sweat the onions14 min
Melt the butter in the skillet over medium-low. Add the onions and half a teaspoon of salt and cook 12 to 14 minutes, stirring often, until translucent and pale gold. Spread them over the base of the dish.
Cook onions in butter over medium-low with ½ teaspoon salt, stirring often, 12–14 minutes until translucent and pale gold. Spread in the baking dish.
Mix the topping3 min
Stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, 40 g of the Parmesan, lemon juice, garlic, chives, white pepper and half a teaspoon of salt until smooth.
Mix mayonnaise, sour cream, 40 g Parmesan, lemon juice, garlic, chives, white pepper and ½ teaspoon salt until smooth.
Sear the halibut3 min
Pat the fish dry and salt it lightly. Heat the oil over medium-high until shimmering and sear one side 90 seconds to brown. Lift onto the onions, seared side up.
Pat halibut dry and salt lightly. Heat oil over medium-high until shimmering; sear one side 90 seconds. Place on onions, seared side up.
Blanket and crumb3 min
Spoon the topping over the top and sides of each steak in a 6 mm layer. Toss the panko with the remaining Parmesan, parsley and paprika and press it gently onto the topping.
Coat tops and sides with 6 mm of topping. Toss panko with 1 teaspoon melted butter, remaining Parmesan, parsley and paprika; press onto sauce just before baking.
Bake and broil14 min
Bake at 200 °C, uncovered, 10 to 12 minutes. Switch to a high broil for 2 minutes, watching until the panko is deep gold and the edges bubble. The centre should read 54 to 57 °C.
Bake uncovered at 200 °C for 10–12 minutes, then broil on high 2 minutes, watching closely for deep-gold crumbs and bubbling edges. The centre should read 54–57 °C.
Rest and serve3 min
Rest 3 minutes. Lift each steak with its bed of onions onto a warm plate with lemon and chives.
Rest 3 minutes. Transfer each steak with its onion bed to a warm plate; serve with lemon and chives.
07
Sensory cues of doneness
- Visual: a blistered golden crust; flakes that part into moist white petals; amber onions beneath.
- Auditory: quiet bubbling at the edges of the dish.
- Olfactory: toasted Parmesan, sweet onion, baked garlic, lemon.
Check for a blistered golden crust, moist white flakes that part easily and amber onions. Look for gently bubbling edges and toasted Parmesan, onion, garlic and lemon aromas.

Troubleshooting

Dry, chalky fish.: Baked past 62 °C, or the blanket did not cover the top. Coat the whole top and pull at 54 to 57 °C.
Soggy, greasy crumbs.: Panko mixed into the sauce. Sauce first, dry crumbs on top at the last moment.
Crunchy raw onions.: They went in raw. Sweat them 12 to 14 minutes until soft first.

Substitutions

One-to-one swaps, with the technique change each one needs.

Ingredient substitutions

Ingredient	Replace with	Culinary impact and technique adjustment
Pacific halibut	Lingcod, black cod or Pacific cod	Black cod is fatty; cut the topping by a quarter
Panko	Crushed buttery crackers, or gluten-free panko	Crackers give the original lodge flavour
Parmigiano-Reggiano	Aged Asiago or sharp white Cheddar	Cheddar browns deeper and tastes sharper

Scaling

Half

Two steaks in a 20 cm square dish. Bake time unchanged.

Double

Two dishes on the centre rack, never one crowded dish.

What to serve it with

Steamed baby red potatoes and roasted green beans
Sautéed wild mushrooms and sourdough
A piney Alaskan IPA, or an unoaked Chablis

Questions

Greek yogurt instead of sour cream?

Yes, full-fat yogurt works and adds acidity, though sour cream stays smoother under the broiler.

Why sear for only 90 seconds?

It sets the bottom so juices do not weep into the onions, while leaving the inside raw for the oven.

Doneness without a thermometer?

Press the centre; it should give with slight springy resistance, and the flakes should begin to separate at the side.