Halibut Cheeks

"Pssst! Hey, man, you got any of the good stuff? I ask sotto voce. No, I am not looking to buy controlled substances on a seedy street corner. The good stuff I'm looking for are fresh halibut cheeks. I guess you could say it is an addiction of sorts. This delicacy is quite hard to find, so when halibut is in peak season I race to the fish market hoping to score.

Halibut cheeks are so sweet and tender they resemble lobster; thin disks with a flaky texture and deliciously rich. Because of its wonderful natural flavor, halibut cheeks require little in the way of preparation. In fact, just a bit of salt, pepper and a squeeze of and some lemon zest does just the trick.

If you would like a more robust preparation it would be worth your while to check out Chef's Blog by Jeremy McLachlan, Executive Chef of the famous Salty's on Alki Beach in Seattle, Washington. Here he shares his oh-my-holy-halibut-cheeks-that-sounds-delicious recipe for Pan-Seared Halibut Cheeks Oscar with Celeriac mashed Potatoes, Asparagus, Dungeness Crab and Sauce Béarnaisse.

Also check out Halibut Cheeks with Pomegranate Sauce from The Omnivore's Solution