Thursday, August 9, 2012

Grilled Shrimp and Halibut with Herb and Dijon Marinade


When the weather is hot as it has been here most of this summer, seafood is a welcomed alternative to the usual suspects on the grill and is lighter on the eyes and the stomach when it's 90F+ degrees.  Since we host our gourmet group for an al fresco dinner on our patio during the summer, the menu always includes something prepared on the grill. This year, we decided it should be seafood.

One of our favorite restaurants offers the most delicious halibut preparation but I was concerned that halibut might be too delicate for the grill.  We experimented with various firmer-fleshed fish but nothing offered the mild and flaky taste of halibut that I love. Trial and error, three difference marinades and sauces, and we finally achieved gourmet-worthy success! 


The marinade and finishing butter I used were a adaptation and combination of two different Pierre Franey grilled shrimp recipes from his iconic 60 Minute Gourmet which was a collection of recipes that he wrote during the late 1980s and early 1990s for the New York Times.  Both sauces are loaded with fresh herbs from the garden and perfectly balanced for both the shrimp and halibut. I added a few additional spices that we enjoy with grilled shrimp. The seafood was marinated for about 4 hours and then basted with the marinade several times during grilling.


Since most of the halibut purchased here has the skin on, the fish held up very well on the grill using a fish grate and very large turning spatula.  We pulled the skin off after grilling and before plating.


You could serve the seafood right off the grill using only the marinade sauce but, for gourmet, we used a finishing herb butter drizzled over the hot, grilled seafood just before plating and we passed extra herb butter at the table.

This is going to be one of our favorite summer recipes!

(Stayed tuned for the dessert recipe from our gourmet dinner coming soon.)

Grilled Shrimp and Halibut with Herb an Dijon Marinade

Adapted from two different Pierre Franey's 60 Minute Gourmet
Printable Recipe

4 servings

20 jumbo shrimp, about 2 pounds, shelled and deveined
4 6-oz fresh halibut filets

1 1/2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped shallots
4 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh basil
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Herb butter (see recipe). May be prepared in advance and reheated gently.

Grill rack for grill is advisable.

Combine garlic, shallots, mustard, wine, lemon juice, olive oil, basil and spices in a bowl. Stir to blend. Place shrimp in a bowl and half of marinade. Stir to coat. Place halibut in a large, shallow dish and spoon the other half of the marinade over the fish, rubbing to coat. Cover and refrigerate seafood for a few hours.

Preheat outdoor grill or oven broiler to high.

Arrange 5 shrimp on each of 4 skewers*, reserving marinade.

Oil grill rack. Place the halibut on one half of the grill, skin side down, and cook for 4 minutes basting with reserved marinade.. Flip and cook for another 4 minutes. Baste again. Place the shrimp skewers on the other half of grill and cook 2-2-1/2 minutes per side, basting each side with marinade.

Place shrimp and halibut on a large platter and drizzle herb butter over all. Serve immediately.

Herb Butter Sauce:

1/4 cup minced shallots
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup heavy cream
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons finely chopped basil
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

Combine the shallots and the wine in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until the wine has almost evaporated. Add the cream and reduce by half. Add the butter quickly, one tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the salt, pepper and herbs.

*Note:  Skewers for the shrimp aren't needed if you are only grilling a few shrimp at a time.

51 comments:

  1. This looks so good. I'm sure your group was deliciously impressed! Can't wait for the rest of the menu.

    We are enjoying some decent weather at the moment. Certainly good for grilling and enjoying the outdoors.

    Best,
    Bonnie

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'd have to skip the shrimp but I would love to try the marinade with the halibut. Looks fantastic. Looking forward to dessert!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I made halibut last night a dish I always make. However I wish I'd seen this post yesterday morning because it would have been nice to try something different. This sounds delicious. I love the marinade and I'm sure it enchances the flavor of the fish. I will definitely save this recipe for the next time I'm making halibut or another fish. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sounds and looks so good, especially the shrimp. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. che bel piatto invitante!baciiiiiiiiii

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love shrimp and halibut. This looks delicious. xo

    ReplyDelete
  7. A luxurious entree off of the grill--Love this!

    ReplyDelete
  8. ooh this looks delicious. I recently celebrated my birthday at Roots and had the halibut. It was divine! I have a new favorite restaurant. I've never tried my hand at cooking this delicious fish, but you make it look easy Susan. happy week to you. enjoy the rain!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love shrimp and this look awesome dear:)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh this looks wonderful! I love halibut (I love food!). Hopefully my water line will be repaired soon and I can get back into the kitchen. Thanks for sharing your recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow, I love this dish. Fish and shrimp in one dish sounds too good to be true. I would love to eat this for dinner.

    ReplyDelete
  12. that marinade sounds fantastic and it looks delicious! perfect with pasta

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a beautiful dish, Susan. We love seafood, especially when its cooked on the grill. That herb butter sauce has my mouth watering. Your photos are fantastic.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Love all of the falvours here. Halibut is one of my seasonal favourites.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Beautiful! Grilled shrimp is one of our favorite summer meals.

    ReplyDelete
  16. A very special alternative to standard summertime grill fare and it really does look delicious. I haven't used a fish grate. The herb butter sauce looks fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I just finished a big dinner and those photos, the ingredients in the recipe still made my mouth water. Fabulous recipe, I must make this soon. I too worry about grilling expensive delicate fish. I get it right about half the time.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hubby and I love grilling, and plan to start grilling more seafood. I love halibut, so I need to enjoy this lovely recipe! The sauce alone has me drooling:-) Take care, Terra

    ReplyDelete
  19. Looks fantastic; I too am a Pierre Franey fan and used many of his simple but tasty recipes over the years; I think he was friends with Craig Claiborne, right?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, he was, Joumana. I read an article about how Craig Claiborne won a dinner with no limits at a fund raiser and he and Franey had dinner in Paris for 2 that cost over $4,000!

      Delete
  20. Looks simply delicious! Your herb butter sauce looks so divine! How could anyone not enjoy this lovely meal!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Al fresco dinner is a wonderful idea,but unfortunately I haven't terrace, sob...Have a great weekend...A hug...

    ReplyDelete
  22. Seafood dreams right here my friend, what stunning sauce and flavours :)

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

    ReplyDelete
  23. Susan~ that sounds delicious between the marinade and herb butter sauce! We love halibut~ I'll look forward to trying it! I look forward to dessert! Stay cool :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. What a great dish for the grill, especially if you have those grill grates (which I happen to have). You are right - seafood is perfect for summertime. Your seafood looks so moist and I always love the flavor of Dijon brings to dishes.
    Sam

    ReplyDelete
  25. The marinade sounds amazing...would be terrific with some scallops too. The halibut looks very tender and succulent. Absolutely my favourite summer dishes.

    ReplyDelete
  26. What I would give to be eating this right now. Delish.

    ReplyDelete
  27. OMGosh! Somehow summer does scream FRESH FISH! This looks like an amazingly tasty combination: two of my favourite seafoods. I made a shrimp pasta the other night that was sinfully simple and equally as delicious.
    :)
    Valerie

    ReplyDelete
  28. This looks amazing. I'm not a big halibut fan, but I do love shrimp.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I love halibut and shrimp! I really like the way you've prepared this dish too! This is also a fish dish that my husband would enjoy! Thank you for sharing a great recipe. Keep cool and have a wonderful weekend!

    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  30. OMG! This is mouth-watering! I'm a big seafood fan!

    ReplyDelete
  31. It is definitely good if a fish dish is making me salivate! This is so beautiful and I love both the halibut and shrimp. I am pinning it so I don't lose this one! Yum. Wish I was part of your group!!!

    ReplyDelete
  32. I always love reading about your gourmet group, Susan. Your experimentation on the grill was successful. Keeping the skin on no doubt was the answer. I love that herby sauce!

    ReplyDelete
  33. It is very hot here too Susan! I feel like living in Africa the past few days! Such light and tasty dishes are the perfect choice for such a weather!

    ReplyDelete
  34. that dijon marinade sounds wonderful with the fish! yum!

    ReplyDelete
  35. What a mouth-watering recipe. I love grilling seafood as well. Yours really look gourmet and I'm sure it taste succulent with the herb butter.

    ReplyDelete
  36. I'm going to try the marinade with shrimp this week. Sounds fantastic. Looking forward to dessert!

    ReplyDelete
  37. I've been grilling all week since coming back from vacation, as it adds so much flavor to everything I cook! I never tried halibut on my grill but this recipe looks so good I can't wait to try it, Susan.

    ReplyDelete
  38. I love me some shrimp. Richard

    ReplyDelete
  39. Your seafood dish sounds absolutely delicious. Everyone must have loved it.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Your seafood dish sounds absolutely delicious. Everyone must have loved it.

    ReplyDelete
  41. this looks so good and with fresh herbs so good

    ReplyDelete
  42. Very very good but in Italy halibut is possible to find it only frozen I will try with it. Bye

    ReplyDelete
  43. What a perfect recipe! You made it look absolutely amazing. Fresh and creamy at the same time. I had that cookbook once upon a time and it was so well done... the recipes were never-fail since they had been so well thought out. Can't wait to try this one (your recipes are always so good and they work!).

    ReplyDelete
  44. Another scrumptious dish. Hope you're having a good summer!

    ReplyDelete
  45. Between the marinade and the herb butter I can definitely see why this recipe was a winner!

    ReplyDelete
  46. Susan, what a delicious seafood dish you have here...love that you grilled and them topped it with the herb butter...yum!
    Thanks for this tasty recipe and hope you are having a fun week :)

    ReplyDelete
  47. Susan, your recipes are always so beautiful and classy. This looks absolutely decadent...and perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  48. This dish looks really delicious. I love seafood and this sauce looks great.

    ReplyDelete

I appreciate your comment!