Blackened Halibut with Mango Salsa

I just returned home from a week-long trip to Quebec for the holidays where I had the opportunity to sample some fantastic French Canadian cuisine during reveillon (essentially an all-night celebration and buffet of artery-clogging treats), including tourtiere, maple fudge and home made doughnuts drizzled in a type of maple taffy. Coming back home 5 pounds heavier, I resolved to detox for at least a week on fruits, veggies and lots of fish.

While waiting for a seaplane back to Vancouver Island yesterday, I stood drooling at a Cajun halibut dish from a restaurant menu nearby, as I had skipped lunch on board the Air Canada flight from Montreal; and several hours later I found myself picking out the best looking halibut fillet from the seafood counter at the local grocer with this meal in mind.  It is visually appealing in its colour and packs a mouthful of sinus-clearing kick from the Cajun-style spices.

Serves 3

What you’ll need:

For the Mango Salsa:

1 large mango, cut into small cubes

1 green onion, sliced thinly

2 tbsp red onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp cilantro, chopped roughly

2 tbsp red pepper, chopped into ¼ inch pieces

1 tbsp honey

Juice from 2 limes

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 – 1 Red Chilli, finely chopped (optional if you like spicy food, have a cold, or are cooking dinner for your in-laws)

For the Halibut:
3 medium sized halibut fillets (or snapper or cod), roughly 1/2-inch thick (you can leave the skin on, as it’s difficult to remove on uncooked fish), though you may choose to cut each fillet in half for a nicer presentation

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp ground black pepper

2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp thyme

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp paprika

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Prepare salsa by mixing together all the ingredients and juice from 1 lime in a medium sized bowl. Cool in refrigerator for 20 minutes or until halibut is ready.
3. Rinse halibut under cold water and pat dry with paper towel. Place halibut in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and let stand for 10 minutes.
4. Heat frying pan on high for 5 minutes, until very hot.
5. Combine spices in a small bowl. Dip fillets into spices and coat each side evenly.
6. Put fillets into hot frying pan and cook 3 minutes on each side, turning once.
7. Place fillets carefully onto an oiled pan, skin side down, and place pan in oven for up to 10 minutes to ensure fish is fully cooked. Check the fish after 5 minutes as it may require less time, depending on thickness of fillet. Remove from oven and drizzle with juice from remaining lime. Garnish with salsa and remaining cilantro.