Parks Canada Heritage Gourmet Recipes

Halibut and Bacon

Origin: L’Anse au Meadows National Historic Site
Region: Atlantic (Newfoundland and Labrador)
Period: Pre-18^th Century
Course: Main Course

This simple and tasty traditional recipe is often served at special programs at L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site.

This traditional halibut recipe is widely known in Scandinavia and dates back to the Vikings. One thousand years ago, the Vikings landed on the northern shores of Newfoundland. Archaeological evidence indicates that L’Anse aux Meadows was used as a base camp for the exploitation of valuable resources found throughout the area. The bounty of these resources is described in many Viking sagas, including the Saga of the Icelanders:

Karlsefni and his company ... found fields of self sown wheat in the low lying areas and vines growing on the hills. Every stream was teeming with fish. They dug trenches along the high-water mark and when the tide ebbed there were halibut in them.

Halibut and Bacon

Ingredients:

• 1-1¼ lbs | 600 g fresh halibut steaks
• 10 oz | 300 g bacon
• 2 tsp | 10 g salt
• 7 oz | 200 g water

Directions:

• Cut bacon strips into four pieces and fry until starting to brown; remove from heat and drain most of the fat leaving enough to fry the halibut.
• Skin, debone and cut halibut into 2-inch chunks. Simmer gently in a pan of salted water for five minutes; remove from water. Return to pan with the residual fat, and fry with the bacon until golden brown. Serve.

Credits:

Recipe tested by Chef David Fairbanks, Algonquin College School of Hospitality and Tourism