Spicy Asian Phyllo Wrapped Halibut Fillet

Okay, so this past week I decided to think up, and create yet another dish for the cookbook, but this time based on a fish. Our good friend, Vanessa, went to Homer, Alaska last month for a fishing trip in celebration of her birthday. She had an awesome time and also brought us back some very nice Halibut fillets. WooHoo!!

So, I have actually never cooked Halibut before and only tried it for the first time just this past year. I happened to be passing through Seattle (SeaTac) one day on a trip and got some fish & chips from the Ivar's Seafood in the airport. If I get something there, I usually just get a cup of their clam chowder, because it is da bomb! So this time I went out on a limb and got the Halibut, since my friend and old (really old) flying buddy, Kent, from my F-111 days in England owns and operates Pio Boy Fishing & Wilderness Lodge in Homer, Alaska and raves about the Halibut. I remember telling him recently via e-mail that I'd never had Halibut and he razzing me about it too. So, I got the Halibut at SeaTac, although it was fried, and it was quite tasty.

BTW, Kent went to Kamehameha Schools (Kam) in Honolulu, but I try not to hold that against him. ;) He and Dawn can hash it out for the #2 spot since she went to Iolani. :)

Oh, and also did you notice that Vanessa went fishing in Homer and Kent's business is located in Homer? Bummer, but when we found out about Vanessa's trip, it was already all booked so we couldn't send her his way. :(

Now, what was I to do for this dish? How to cook the Halibut and how to make it special? A-ha...phyllo dough! Why? Don't know.

So, let's begin. Oh, for those of you who stop here and don't go to the end, this dish was awesome. I cooked it for Dawn and I got the thumbs up, big time. Although I used Halibut, Dawn and I agree that it would also be good using Opah or Mahi, as well. A nice white, moist, flakey fish works well in the phyllo dough.

The specifics of the recipe are not here in precise detail as I am adding them to the cookbook. If you'd like it, just let me know and I'll e-mail it to you when it's ready to go.

So, I began by creating a sauce to marinate the fish itself in that would also enhance the finished product as well. In a small sauce pan (duh!) I added the following ingredients:

• Soy Sauce
• Rice Vinegar
• Fresh Ginger (diced)
• Hunan Red Chili Sauce (for that little kick)
• Hoisin Sauce
• Fresh Lemongrass (Diced)
• Sake

I heated up this mixture and reduced it a bit, until thickened, and then let it cool because I didn't want it to begin cooking the fish during the marinade process. Next, gingerly brush each side of each fillet (2 fillets, totaling about 1/2 pound) with the cooled sauce. Don't forget to save some to top the final phyllo packaged fish during plating. If you have a vacuum seal container, then this is the perfect time to dust it off and bust it out.

Vanessa gave us quite a bit more of her catch, but I didn't want to ruin them all if this recipe didn't work. Plus, tonight it was just the two of us and leftover fish??? Yeah, not so much. (insert yucky face here..agreed?)

Okay, so you've generously brushed each fillet with the cooled sauce and set aside to marinate for about 15-20 minutes. Next, really heat up a cast iron skillet and add a touch of coconut oil. Flash fry each fillet for just 10 seconds a side, just to crisp up the outside. Do not cook the fish!

After you flash them, set the fillets aside to cool and soak them in the yummy marinade. You can also put a bit more marinade on at this point.

Now, julienne some carrots, broccoli stalks, and green onions (My fancy French wife taught me that term which for you novice cooks means cut into 2-3 inch slivers or small stalks.)  And here I thought is was "Try fo cut 'em up, like dis." Okay, these "julienned" veggies are to be placed on top of the fillets, prior to wrapping. They will be cooked nicely, al dente, and add some onolicious flavor to the final meal.

Time to heat up the oven to 425 degrees.

Now, to prepare the 4 sheets of phyllo. With a brush, gingerly brush the first sheet of dough, corner to corner with melted butter. Do NOT expose them to air any longer than necessary or they will dry out (lesson learned the hard way). Lay the second sheet on top of the first and again, butter the dough. Do this to all 4 sheets. Now cut the stack of 4 sheets in half, right down the middle. And for you challenging, perfectionist type viewers, that would be vertically, not horizontally.

Next, place a cooled, flashed fried fillet near the bottom of one of the stacked sheets. On top of the fillet, add some of the sliced carrots, broccoli stalks, and green onion. It should look like this:

Lookin' pretty ono already, huh? Now, fold in both sides of the phyllo, bring the bottom up to the center of the fillet, and then fold 'em up like one burrito, brah. Here's what you should have now:

A nice little wrapped package all ready for some string, a bow, and gift tag before going under the tree. Oops, wrong post. BTW, Dawn came home by now and helped me wrap the fillet up, because, to be honest, I suck at it. You should see my Christmas presents! LOL Kinda why I've gone to just gift cards and jewelry...easy to wrap.

Okay, back to the recipe. Now place your Hawaiian Burrito on a baking sheet (we use the silicone sheets) and baste the top with butter. Place in the oven and bake for 11-14 minutes. You really have to watch this, because if you just rely on the time alone, the phyllo will over cook and burn. It will depend in part on the thickness of your fillet and your oven. Our fillets were on the thinner side, so 11 minutes was perfect.

Remove your presents from the over and serve immediately, while still piping hot inside. I served this with (Thank you Dawn) a side of shrimp cocktail, white rice on top of some fresh bok choy, steamed broccoli and carrots, and steamed and shelled edamame.

Well, are you ready to see the final product yet? Here it is!

Spicy Asian Phyllo Wrapped Halibut Fillet

Oh, does that look onolicious, or what?

Before serving, adorn the top of the fillet with some slivers of the carrots and green onions, sprinkle on some toasted sesame seeds, and spoon on some of the sauce that was made in the beginning. Oh, heat the sauce up again before putting it on the hot fillet.

These final touches not only make this meal complete, but it makes for a eye appealing dish. Oh, yeah, and I'm a photographer too so it makes for a great photo. I take all the pictures of the recipes I'm preparing for the cookbook.

So that's it. Dawn and I had this for our dinner. It rocked!!...and is definitely a keeper. The Halibut was moist and tender and the sauce was very yummy. The phyllo added a perfect, light, buttery crunch that is an excellent accent to the rich fish flavor. We'll try it with the Opah or maybe Mahi next time. 

Please try it some time and let me know what you think.

One last thing, if you haven't already voted for my recipe in the Hawaiian Airlines contest, PLEASE take just a few second and click on the link below and 'Vote me up' by clicking on the 'like' or 'vote me up' link on the page. I am still hanging out on page 2 of the contest and the average web surfer doesn't get that far. There are 62 pages of entrants, so page 2 is not bad, but the finalist are chosen from the top 10 and they're on page 1. So please vote if you haven't already done so and pass the link on to family, friends, co-workers, or just anyone. It's a Facebook contest on the Hawaiian Air website, so you have to be signed in to FB when voting and, I believe, you can only vote once. Here's the link:

VOTE BOBBY UP!

Mahalo for cooking with Captain Bobby Mitchel