Did you know that October is National Seafood Month, National Pork Month *and* Vegetarian Awareness Month? I know! Crazy, right?

It’s hard to imagine celebrating all three at once but I’ve got a recipe that does it:

Seared Alaska Halibut (the seafood) with a Relish of Bacon (the pork) and Corn (the vegetarian)

Okay, okay, I know it’s not exactly vegetarian. But corn’s a vegetable and there’s some onion in there too. I promise. And you could totally leave out the bacon. Really. I mean, it’s not like bacon tastes that good; it barely adds any flavor at all. You wouldn’t be missing anything. I swear.

Yes, that’s the answer: Leave out the bacon and you’ve got yourself a good vegetarian relish there. For sure!

Hooray for Seafood!

Hooray for Pork!

Hooray for Vegetarians!

Hooray for October!

Seared Alaska Halibut with Corn and Bacon Relish

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

This dish is simple and hearty while also being pretty and elegant. I’ve made it both as a quick Wednesday night dinner (note that the hubs thought the corn & bacon relish was a side dish and ate half the bowl!) and as a Saturday night meal for friends. I like to serve it with wild rice and roasted brussels sprouts but it’s also perfect with a lightly dressed salad and some grainy bread and butter.

Author: Christine

Recipe type: Main Course

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 strips of bacon
• 1 medium sweet onion (like vidalia) finely chopped
• 2 cups of corn kernels (I use frozen kernels that have been defrosted)
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• kosher salt
• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 4 Alaska Halibut Fillets (about 1 to 1 and ½ lbs total)
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Cook the bacon strips in a large frying pan over medium heat until they are a bit crispy. Remove the strips from the pan and drain them on some paper towel. Pour the fat into a small bowl. Return 1 tablespoon of the fat to the pan. Turn the heat to medium-low and add the onion, stirring occasionally until it is softened (5-7 minutes). Note that the stirring combined with the liquid from the onion will cause any tasty bits of bacon that were stuck to the pan to unstick and blend with the onion. Yum! Add the corn, brown sugar and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Transfer the corn to a bowl. Add the lime juice and parley. Chop the bacon finely and stir it in. Set aside.
2. Measure the vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon fat into a large clean frying pan set over medium-high heat. Season the halibut fillets with a bit of salt on both sides. Add them to the frying pan. Cook without moving them for 3-4 minutes, until well-browned on the underside. Carefully flip them over and sear on the other side until it is also well-browned and the fish is flaky all the way through (about another 3-4 minutes). Transfer the fillets to a serving platter and serve with the corn and bacon relish.

2.2.8

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As you may know from my post on Alaska Scallops with Sriracha-Lime Butter, I recently received some delicious seafood samples from The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. The halibut for the development of this recipe came from them as well. It arrived frozen (this is a good thing since I’m not sure I’d want unfrozen fish in the mail!). Once defrosted it cooked up perfectly with a nice brown sear and succulent meat.

If you don’t know much about Alasaka halibut, allow me to fill you in. It is a mild fish with a slightly sweet flavor and firm texture. It is a wild fish that, like all Alaska seafood, is responsibly managed making this a sustainable choice.

Alaska Halibut is available fresh from March through to mid-November and frozen year-round.

Due to it’s firm texture, Alaska halibut is one of the easiest fish to cook. It maintains its shape throughout the cooking process better than many other fish and its mild flavor is pleasing to most people. It can be grilled, roasted, sautéed, pan-fried or poached and is delicious in simple sandwiches and soups or more elegant entrées (like the one above, which is elegant but also simple, quick and delicious).

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*Note that I in no way intend for this post to be offensive to vegetarians. I just find it ironic that National Pork Month and Vegetarian Awareness Month are at the same time. If you do want to make a corn relish without bacon, sauté the onion in 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add the corn, brown sugar, lime juice and parsley. Stir. Serve as a condiment. It’s great on tacos, lovely over cheeses (especially manchego and cheddar) and can take a boring falafel to new heights. Enjoy!

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A perfect picture for sharing: