Grilled Halibut & Italian Salsa

If you looking for a grilled halibut recipe and you first need some fresh halibut, I've just just the spot. It's in Dana Point and it produces halibut 365 days a year. But you've got to be willing to work for it since you might spend an 8 hour day for one legal fish. My Dana Point buddies and I have spent countless hours fishing there, we now use the place as a last resort. It's called the River Mouth.

Dana Point's famous halibut hole, the River Mouth.

My new grilled halibut recipe is dedicated to “the River Mouth”. This recipe calls for a skin-on halibut fillet that is covered with a fresh cherry tomato Italian salsa. You are just gonna love it, especially when you have to work so hard to catch that darn halibut!

Find more halibut recipes in Fisherman's Belly Halibut section.

Grilled Halibut With Italian Salsa (serves 4)

1 pound halibut fillets, skin on

1 pound variety pac of cherry tomatoes

½ onion julienned

1 bundle basil leaves, hand torn

½ cup of extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Coarse black pepper

1 lemon

Making The Grilled Halibut

1. Start by placing the halibut fillets in a swallow pan. Drizzle both sides with extra virgin olive oil (about 1/4 cup). Use a brush to apply evenly. Hand squeeze the lemon over both sides of the halibut. Apply pepper to the skin side (not salt), and apply salt and pepper to the meat side of the fillets. Cover the pan and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

2. An hour later, prepare the tomato salsa by cutting the cherry tomatoes in half. Leave the smallest ones whole. Place all the tomatoes in a bowl. Now liberally salt the tomatoes. This will start the tomatoes to excrete their juices to the bottom of the bowl. Add the onions, black pepper and hand torn basil. Set aside in the refrigerator.

3. Preheat your Bbq or indoor broiler to 500F. Cook the fillets skin side down. After you achieve a good color and crispiness on the skin, turn the fillets over and cook for a few more minutes. Don't overcook the fish!

4. Immediately after cooking the grilled halibut, remove the tomato salsa from the refrigerator and mix in a 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil.

5. Now place the halibut in a serving platter skin side up. Pour the tomato salsa on top and then serve.