Smoked Halibut
Halibut is a flaky, firm flesh white fish perfect for smoking. It has a dense, meaty texture, mild taste, and absorbs flavors well. This recipe uses a rosemary-lime marinade and fragrant apple, cherry, or hickory wood to infuse the fish with flavor. Although too tough to eat, consider leaving the skin on the halibut. Skin-on fillets are much easier to remove from the grill.
Equipment
- Z Grills Pellet Smoker
- Z Grills Wood Pellets
- Butchers twine optional
- Grill Mat
- Probe Thermometer
- Tongs or Metal Spatula
Ingredients
- 2 pounds halibut fillets, preferably butterflied with skin on
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Rinse the fish fillets under cool water and dry them with paper towels.
- Whisk the oil, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, lime juice, and rosemary in a bowl. Transfer to a resealable bag with the halibut fillets.
- Seal the bag, move the bag’s contents around to coat the fish with marinade, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat your Z Grills (preferably with branded apple, cherry, or hickory pellets) or other wood pellet grill to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove the fish from the refrigerator and take it out of the marinade.
- Pat the fish dry with paper towels. If using butterflied fillets, tie the tapered ends together with butcher’s twine.
- Place the grill mat on the grates and transfer the fish to the grill mat. A grill mat is suggested since halibut tends to fall apart.
- Close the lid and smoke for 45-60 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove the fish from the grill, plate, and serve with lime wedges.
Notes
As mentioned, skin-on butterflied fillets are easier to remove from the grill. They also present beautifully, but skinless is fine.
