Battered Halibut

[Ann_T]

Marlene, I'm really sensitive to the smell of "fish" too. There are so few that I really like for that reason. But fresh Halibut should never smell fishy.

Ann

[Anna N]

Marlene, I'm really sensitive to the smell of "fish" too.  There are so few that I really like for that reason.  But fresh Halibut should never smell fishy. 

Ann

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I agree with you, Ann but I know Marlene buys her fish from very reliable sources and I am betting she is ultra-sensitive and the fish is likely just fine.

Marlene, give it a rinse in really cold water and then see if it still smells. Sometimes keeping it closely wrapped seems to accentuate the natural sea water smell which can be interpreted as "fishy" when it's really not.

[Marlene]

Marlene, I'm really sensitive to the smell of "fish" too.  There are so few that I really like for that reason.  But fresh Halibut should never smell fishy. 

Ann

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I agree with you, Ann but I know Marlene buys her fish from very reliable sources and I am betting she is ultra-sensitive and the fish is likely just fine.

Marlene, give it a rinse in really cold water and then see if it still smells. Sometimes keeping it closely wrapped seems to accentuate the natural sea water smell which can be interpreted as "fishy" when it's really not.

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I just tried this and yes, it seems to have made a difference. Now I shall try not to filet off my fingers when I try to remove the skin that seems to be still on one side and the ends of it!

[Marlene]

Ok people, this is my fish. Does it look fresh enough, or should I be running out the door to find more?

[melkor]

It looks like fish. You need to smell it to tell if it's fresh. If you think it smells ok then it's probably fine, or you could cut off a corner and toss it in a hot pan then taste it and see if it seems off.

[jayt90]

I think it looks fine. If the water rinse helped, that should be sufficient. Koshering for a few minutes is also helpful.

The photo shows a nice glistening, and that's a good sign.

[jayt90]

Marlene, I'm really sensitive to the smell of "fish" too.  There are so few that I really like for that reason.  But fresh Halibut should never smell fishy. 

Ann

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I wonder if persons put off by fishy smells, but agreable to halibut, really give fresh fish a fair chance. If it is truly fresh, and kept on ice, few species will smell fishy. Many cookbook writers, such as Beard and Child, have observed this.

Reminds me of my lunchroom, where a wide variety of people, 'won't eat fish'; can't stand pepperoni, mushrooms, or anchovies, and pull the feta out of a greek salad.

I don't really expect this on egullet.

[Marlene]

And so the great experiment ends. I had a little trouble at first, even with lowering the basket and dropping the fish in. It still stuck, although not as badly.

So then I threw caution to the winds and dropped the fish into the deep fryer without a basket. Apart from one sticking slightly on the element, this was in fact a success. The final product:

And now, I can quite happily order fish and chips at my local take away place - for the rest of my life. Oh, and that's beef gravy on the fries - of course.

Edited September 12, 2006 by Marlene (log)

[Marlene]

I wonder if persons put off by fishy smells, but agreable to halibut, really give fresh fish a fair chance.  If it is truly fresh, and kept on ice, few species will smell fishy. Many cookbook writers, such as Beard and Child, have observed this.

Reminds me of my lunchroom, where a wide variety of people, 'won't eat fish'; can't stand pepperoni, mushrooms, or anchovies, and pull the feta out of a greek salad.

I don't really expect this on egullet.

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I do not like halibut any other way than deep fried in batter, and yes I've tried it. I've tried fresh trout caught that morning. I didn't like it. And I'm sorry, but fish still smells "fishy" when it's cooking.

[Ann_T]

Wow Marlene, your halibut and chips look perfect. Just like what I get from the Fish and Chip Shoppe. I'll take an order to go please.

Ann

[Marlene]

I was pretty pleased at how they turned out, once I ditched the basket. They still don't taste quite like fish and chips places though, partly because I was using fresh oil I think. It's still a lot of work, so now that I know I can, I probably won't again!

[Anna N]

I was pretty pleased at how they turned out, once I ditched the basket.  They still don't taste quite like fish and chips places though, partly because I was using fresh oil I think.  It's still a lot of work, so now that I know I can, I probably won't again!

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Pretty darn impressive!

I still think I prefer to eat this at a good fish and chip shop but home-made comes close and it beats out the shop on price if not convenience.

[Marlene]

I was pretty pleased at how they turned out, once I ditched the basket.  They still don't taste quite like fish and chips places though, partly because I was using fresh oil I think.  It's still a lot of work, so now that I know I can, I probably won't again!

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Pretty darn impressive!

I still think I prefer to eat this at a good fish and chip shop but home-made comes close and it beats out the shop on price if not convenience.

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I'm not sure it does beat out the shop on price. The halibut cost $32.00 and then there is the time and labour involved. Now, cod or other fish that shops also use for fish and chips may well be cheaper, but halibut sure isn't! At the end of the day, I can get a fish and chip dinner at my favourite place, for about 8 bucks that even includes coleslaw, and the pieces of fish are a lot bigger than what I made yesterday,

[CharityCase]

I find home deep-frying to be tough going and one of those things I file under "cheaper and better when eaten out". However you certainly deserve points for perseverance Marlene!

While your deep fryer maintains a constant temperature nicely you ought to try doing this the old fashion way - in a big pot or kettle of oil with a good thermometer in place. A hot pot of oil with no element would prevent the problem of things sticking even if it meant keeping a close eye on the heat source and not overloading the oil and lowering the oil temp too much.

Another good trick for home use is to cut your fillets a bit smaller, maybe just in half or hey re-live your childhood and cut them into fish stick size!. They'll cook quickly and won't sink to the bottom.

[ojisan]

Does anyone save and re-use the oil? That's a lot of oil to dump after one use. Would it have to be refridgerated?

[Marlene]

Depending on what I'm frying, I'll save the oil. In this case, to me the oil may be too "fishy" to re use with say, fried chicken. I will keep some of it though to reuse for french fries, because french fries are always better in oil that's been used. And yes, I keep my oil in the fridge and I strain it first.

[CaliPoutine]

I too say NEVER AGAIN. Frying fish is best left to the profesionals. I have the same deep fryer that Marlene does and I made haddock. It stuck to the basket, even more so than Marlene's. What a mess.

Never again!!!

[jayt90]

I too say NEVER AGAIN.  Frying fish is best left to the profesionals.  I have the same deep fryer that Marlene does and I made haddock.  It stuck to the basket, even more so than Marlene's.  What a mess.

Never again!!!

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Prissy females, Anna, Ann, Cali, and Marlene.

Fish and chips is just another problem to solve, as Alton has shown, and need not cost $32 for a couple of halibut servings.