Wild-caught halibut steak is a special cut of fish that you can count on for a special meal this Mother’s Day. The texture of perfectly cooked halibut is exquisite, flaking off into large, meaty pieces that set it apart from other varieties of Alaskan white fish. And a cut of halibut steak, in particular, is an excellent fish to cook indoors or out — so it’s a no-brainer for a springtime Mother’s Day feast.
Here are 7 recipes that you can enjoy this Mother’s Day, or on any other day when you want to honor the mom in your life.
Yogurt-Marinated Halibut Steak with Spring Onions
In Nigel Slater’s recipe, halibut steak is marinated for about an hour in a spiced yogurt mixture — ginger, garlic, green chili — then tossed onto a hot grill. On the grill, it’ll pick up some tasty color, almost tandoori-style. For the finishing touch, you’ll saute up a simple spring onion and herb combo to serve with the halibut steak as a zesty dressing.
Halibut Steak with Salsa Verde
The Chicago Tribune’s recipe for baked halibut steak with salsa verde (you’ll need to scroll halfway down the page to find it!) is the perfect dish for welcoming the arrival of green things. The vibrant salsa verde, made with fresh parsley, gets a briny touch from capers and anchovy paste; you’ll want to keep that salsa verde recipe on your radar, as it happens to go well with other wild-caught white fish varieties from Alaska.
Grilled Halibut Steak with Gremolata
This recipe for grilled halibut steaks from Kate Manchester is topped with a zesty gremolata, another green condiment that’ll brighten up your Mother’s Day meal. Like salsa verde, a classic gremolata needs parsley and garlic. But rather than including briny components, this condiment gets a citrusy hit with the addition of lemon zest. The halibut steaks are marinated in lemon juice and olive oil, so they’ll be perfectly complemented by the simplicity of gremolata.
Grilled Halibut Steak with Herb Butter
If you’re excited to get outdoors but anxious about grilling fish — flipping delicate fillets can lead to epic but delicious fails — try making this simple but elegant grilled halibut steak recipe from Adam Perry Lang. The recipe first has you sear halibut steaks in a hot pan on the grill before you transfer the fish directly to grates; there, it picks up all the charred flavors you want from the grill, with the bonus of being slightly easier to handle since it’s already been seared. A garlic-herb butter that doubles as a baste and a sauce gives the halibut steaks a springy punch.
Halibut Steak Pot Roast
For a lighter yet more luxurious version of pot roast, Mark Bittman uses halibut steak instead of the more traditional meat options as its star ingredient. This pescatarian pot roast has got all the comforting elements of this classic meal — perhaps a dish your mom made for you when you were a kid — but is delicate enough to serve on a spring day. Using halibut steaks is ideal for this recipe, as their thickness allows them to braise for a longer period of time before they’re cooked through. And for best results, make your own fish stock to use as the base of the braising liquid.
Greek Fish Stew
An easy, breezy Greek fisherman-style stew made with white wine and chock full of aromatic ingredients will transport your taste buds to the Mediterranean isles — it’s surely not as epic as an actual trip to Greece on Mother’s Day, but it’ll still be a treat. In Andrew Zimmern’s recipe, bone-in halibut steaks are the star, with mussels added to the lemony broth a few minutes before serving.
Grilled Halibut and Chickpea Salad
This halibut and chickpea salad from Giada de Laurentis is a luxe lunch dish to make for Mom — either as a side dish to a multi-course feast or as a light-ish meal if you’ve got more elaborate plans for dinner. The salad itself is super flavorful, made with a combo of frisee, fennel, and arugula dressed with cumin-honey dressing. The halibut is tossed into the mix once it’s been grilled, adding an extra dimension of flavor and texture to the crunchy-fresh greens. Note: You only need one halibut steak to pull off several servings of salad, which could allow you to save your other steaks for different preparations on Mother’s Day.
