A few years ago, my inlaws spent part of a year in Sevilla Spain. One of the recipes they came home with that has become a family favorite is a plated salad of juicy ripe tomatoes, supremes of a juicy orange (native to that area in Spain) and thinly sliced red onion. Dressed with a simple mixture of high-quality olive oil, lemon juice and a drizzle of balsamic glaze, it is bright and refreshing and emulates the colors of the Spanish flag.
Since they’ve been back stateside, we’ve had it several different ways– the traditional plated way or on skewers as an appetizer buffet offering. But recently we decided to take those similar flavors and make them a topping for tender grilled halibut.
Start with Amazing Fish!
We started with an amazing halibut filet from my friend Traveler, who owns Salmon & Sable. We recently got a restock of his amazing salmon for the winter, and he was kind enough to include a gorgeous halibut filet for us. Man it was tasty.
Halibut is a great, mild and tender piece of fish that can take some strong flavors to elevate it. You want to cook it until just cooked through- fish is best cooked to 140* where it will be flaky and moist. We placed it on the center of a square of Traeger paper, which we’d brushed with a bit of melted butter to prevent it from sticking.
The fish was seasoned simply– brushed with melted butter and then lightly dusted in Traeger’s Fin & Feather rub. We cooked it in the hot Traeger Grill at 350* for about 15-20 minutes, until the temperature hit 140*
A Bright, Citrusy Salsa
To take this yummy fish up a notch, we did yet another variation on the Sevillian salad, this time as a topper for the fish. I don’t know if salsa is the right descriptor, but it’s not really a sauce. So we went with salsa because it’s all fresh, chopped evenly, and you allow the flavors to meld in a bowl while the fish cooks.
In a bowl we combined several ripe Campari tomatoes, which we diced in small pieces (1/4 inch). We added similarly-sized pieces of clementine (in season and delicious this time of year) and a little bit of extremely finely diced red onion. Mixed it up with a generous glug of high-quality olive oil and a splash of white balsamic vinegar. We seasoned it with salt and pepper to taste, and you can add a bit of white granulated sugar if it’s too tart. This time it didn’t need it. Allow it to sit and the flavors to blend together for about 15 minutes.
Put it All Together
Once the fish was cooked, we spooned the salsa over the cooked fish, and flaked it with a fork to enjoy the incredibly tender and flavorful fish. You could definitely finish this dish with a drizzle of balsamic glaze, if desired.
We may not be able to travel back to Spain right now, but the flavors of this dish, enjoyed on a snowy night here in Colorado, transported us right back there!
Grilled Halibut with Sevilla-Style Salsa
Equipment
- Traeger Grill preheated to 350°
- A square of parchment or butcher paper
Ingredients
- 1 halibut filet about 10 ounces
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 tbsp Traeger Fin & Feather Rub
Sevilla-Style Salsa
- 3 Campari tomatoes, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
- 2 Clementine oranges, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
- 2 tbsp finely minced red onion
- 3 tbsp high-quality olive oil
- 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp white sugar (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- Balsamic glaze, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat your Traeger Grill to 350°.
- While the grill preheats, brush the butcher paper with some melted butter and then place the fish on the paper. Brush the fish with the remaining butter and season lightly with Fin & Feather rub.
- Place the fish, on the paper, in the center of the Traeger Grill and cook for about 15 minutes, checking the temperature regularly after 10 minutes.
- While the fish cooks, combine the salsa ingrredients in a bowl and mix to combine. Season to tasteand set aside.
- When the fish has reached an internal temperature of 140°, remove it from the grill and place the fish, on the paper, on a platter.
- Spoon prepared tomato/orange salsa over top, and gently flake the fish with a fork.
- Drizzle with balsamic glaze, if desired, then serve!
