Little is better than a spectacularly fresh piece of fish that’s been grilled to perfection, like this halibut. Perhaps I’m just easy to please. All it needs is a bit of salt and pepper and the gentle licks from the barbecue’s flames. But when topped with a fruit salsa, such as Papaya Salsa, all the neighbors from blocks away can hear my whoo-hoos.

It’s that damn good.

We based our recipe on our Mango Salsa and substituted with Papaya, either are delicious. Here’s a simple recipe:

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We’ve been so busy lately building Foodista (there’s more than just the blog!) that I haven’t had the time (or energy) to whip up, style, and photograph the dishes I love sharing with you. So please bear with me. I promise the results will be worth it!

Fortunately, my good friend Tracy stepped up to the plate and has been my faithful pinch hitter. She has kindly and without complaint created beautiful dinners for us. Let me mention the fact that, by day, she is a busy attorney, president of a women’s bar association, organizer of countless events, mama to a sweet and very active rescued dog, gourmand – the list goes on. And yet, bless her heart, she feeds us. Well. Very well.

The other night she prepared this halibut dish for us that just melted in my mouth. Tender and moist fillets that were more akin to clouds than food, and crisp garden fresh green beans simply dressed with a bit of butter.

Shiver me timbers. It was so simple, yet so delicious.

Here’s what she did. In a sheet pan she spread roughly chopped green onions. She then placed the approximately 2″ thick fillets on top, each with a pat of butter, and liberally drizzled them with dry white wine. The, she sprinkled on paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper. Broil them for about 10-15 minutes (depending on thickness) or until they are done. They came out looking and smelling divine.

What would we ever do without friends?

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“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

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