Smoked Wild Pacific Halibut Cheek Slider with a Maple Bacon Peach Jam

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By Cory Walby - Saturday Night Test Kitchen

Chef’s Note

If this doesn’t SCREAM summer, I don’t know what does! Perfectly tender Wild Pacific Halibut cheeks lightly smoked and grilled, then finished with a jam you will eat by the spoonful! Bring on the pools and cold ones!

 

Maple Bacon Peach Jam:
Yields roughly 2 cups

  • 12 strips - maple bacon, chopped into ½” pieces

  • 1 - onion, diced

  • 2 cloves - garlic, minced

  • 4 - peaches, stones removed, diced into ½” pieces (save the juices)

  • 1 tsp - lemon zest

  • 1 Tbsp - lemon juice

  • 2 Tbsp - white wine vinegar

  • 2 Tbsp - apple cider vinegar

  • ¼ cup - packed, brown sugar

  • 1 Tbsp - balsamic reduction or balsamic vinegar

  • 3 Tbsp - maple syrup

  • 4 - 6 sprigs - fresh thyme

  • ½ tsp - chili flakes


For Each Slider:

  • 1 - Wild Pacific Halibut cheek

  • salt

  • fresh ground pepper

  • 1 - slider roll or crispy style bun, lightly toasted

  • 1 Tbsp - mayonnaise

  • ½ cup - arugula

  • 1 tsp - fresh lemon juice

  • 3 Tbsp - Maple Bacon Peach Jam


DIRECTIONS

Maple Bacon Peach Jam:

  1. In a deep pan, fry the bacon pieces until crisp. Remove from the pan and set aside. Remove all but 2 Tbsp of the bacon fat from the pan. Add your onion and garlic to the pan and cook until soft and translucent. Now, add remaining jam ingredients and mix well. Add the bacon pieces back in, turn the temperature to low and cover. Cook for about 35 to 40 minutes until soft and jam like. Remove from the stove and allow to cool.

Wild Pacific Halibut Cheek:

  1. Turn on your smoker and set the temperature to 225° F. If you don’t have a smoker, preheat your grill to 400° F. Gently season your Wild Pacific Halibut cheek with salt and pepper and place on the preheated grill surface. If smoking, allow for 25 to 30 minutes of smoke. Remove from the grill, and preheat it back to 400° F.

  2. Once the grill has come to temperature, place the cheek back on the grill and sear until the cheek can be gently removed from the grates, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and do the same with the other side. (Tip: Cook for 6 to 8 minutes per 2.5 cm (1-inch) of thickness.) Remove from the grill and begin to dress the slider.

Assembly:

  1. Start assembling each slider with a toasted bun at the bottom and spread mayonnaise over it. Add the arugula and drizzle with lemon juice. Then add your cheek, spoon about 3 Tbsp of the jam on top of the cheek, top with the bun and serve!!

Makes one slider and enough Maple Bacon Peach Jam for about 10 sliders.

Recipe copyright ©2021 by Cory Walby, Saturday Night Test Kitchen. All rights reserved. Featured with permission.

July 2021

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This project is supported by the BC Government Buy BC Partnership Program: delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC with funding from the Government of British Columbia.

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