The Fish We Cook - Halibut and Turbot
HALIBUT Known as "The king of the flatfish", the halibut is the largest member of the flatfish family reaching as much as 700 pounds and 9 feet in length.
Halibut is very important to both sport and commercial fishing.
Because of this it is a large contributor to Alaska tourism.
It starts out its life swimming like many other fish but at about 6 months one eye merges to the other side and it starts to take the shape of a flatfish.
It is at this time that the side with the eyes turns dark and the other side stays white.
It is found in the cold waters of both coasts but the Atlantic halibut, which is also the largest in size, is becoming scarce and could be put on the endangered species list.
The Atlantic halibut is found north of New Jersey.
In the Pacific Ocean it can be found from California to Japan.
Sometimes called albato, the halibut is brown on the topside with a white belly and is one of the choicest ocean fish.
It has a very mild, chewy, layered flesh that is very low in fat.
It remains white and very moist after cooking.
The best way to cook halibut is to bake, broil, grill, oven fry, poach, sauté or steam TURBOT The turbot is a member of the flatfish family found primarily in sandy shallow waters close to shore.
It has a greenish brown to black top and is very similar in appearance to flounder and sole.
The European version, which is of much better quality, can grow up to 55 pounds.
The Europeans are raising turbot in fish farms but these are much smaller, averaging 2 to 4 pounds.
It is usually available only as frozen fillets in the United States.
Like other flatfish, its fillets are white and mild in flavor with a moderate fat content.
The American version which is much smaller than the wild European version only grows to about 2 pounds and 18 inches in length.
The United States version is not nearly as good in flavor or low in fat as the European turbot and its meat can sometimes be a little mealy.
The Greenland turbot and some flounders found on the west coast that are sold as turbot are some of these versions.
The turbot has meat that is mild and tender and the best way to cook is to bake, steam, sauté, pan fry or poach.
Halibut is very important to both sport and commercial fishing.
Because of this it is a large contributor to Alaska tourism.
It starts out its life swimming like many other fish but at about 6 months one eye merges to the other side and it starts to take the shape of a flatfish.
It is at this time that the side with the eyes turns dark and the other side stays white.
It is found in the cold waters of both coasts but the Atlantic halibut, which is also the largest in size, is becoming scarce and could be put on the endangered species list.
The Atlantic halibut is found north of New Jersey.
In the Pacific Ocean it can be found from California to Japan.
Sometimes called albato, the halibut is brown on the topside with a white belly and is one of the choicest ocean fish.
It has a very mild, chewy, layered flesh that is very low in fat.
It remains white and very moist after cooking.
The best way to cook halibut is to bake, broil, grill, oven fry, poach, sauté or steam TURBOT The turbot is a member of the flatfish family found primarily in sandy shallow waters close to shore.
It has a greenish brown to black top and is very similar in appearance to flounder and sole.
The European version, which is of much better quality, can grow up to 55 pounds.
The Europeans are raising turbot in fish farms but these are much smaller, averaging 2 to 4 pounds.
It is usually available only as frozen fillets in the United States.
Like other flatfish, its fillets are white and mild in flavor with a moderate fat content.
The American version which is much smaller than the wild European version only grows to about 2 pounds and 18 inches in length.
The United States version is not nearly as good in flavor or low in fat as the European turbot and its meat can sometimes be a little mealy.
The Greenland turbot and some flounders found on the west coast that are sold as turbot are some of these versions.
The turbot has meat that is mild and tender and the best way to cook is to bake, steam, sauté, pan fry or poach.
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