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Poor Mans Lobster with Melted Butter is a dish that you’ll never forget. It’s made with halibut, so it tastes just like lobster, but it doesn’t cost a fortune. It was our go-to recipe when we fished for halibut on the Alaskan coast. This is a great recipe if you’re looking to save some money while still getting an amazing meal!
My favorite way to cook halibut is with melted butter. It’s a super simple dish that comes together in minutes and tastes like you’ve been cooking over a hot stove for hours.
The name of this recipe comes from its origins during a time when halibut was much cheaper than lobster which is not the case anymore! It definitely needs to be renamed “Rich Man’s Lobster!”
Fresh Caught Fish
YUMMMM!!! Just looking at this picture makes me want to make it again tonight. When Kevin, my Dad, and I went fishing in Alaska, we brought back tons of halibut and Poor Man’s Lobster was a common dish in our home for months. I never got sick of it and I don’t think I ever could. What I wouldn’t give to have a freezer full of halibut now. I don’t know if I would eat it or sell it to pay for my child’s college tuition.
Halibut is a white, flakey fish with a smooth texture. It is much better fresh than frozen. Frozen halibut tends to overcook and dry out. This way of preparing halibut to taste like lobster is amazing and easy, but it is also good when it is grilled or sautéed.
A special thanks to Elise for getting this recipe when she lived in Alaska. We enjoyed many wonderful times with her when she lived there. What a beautiful place!
Ingredients in Poor Mans Lobster
- Sugar
- Salt
- Halibut
- Butter – sweet cream works great
- Lemon
Variations on this Recipe
For some fun flavor variations try some flavoring with the butter or brush some seasoning on to the fish after boiling. Some ideas to sprinkle on would be:
- Old Bay Seasoning
- Pepper
- Paprika
- Basil and Oregano
- Ginger
- Thyme
- Dried chili peppers
- Garlic
Cost vs. Benefit
Halibut has been so expensive for the past several years. I rarely see it on restaurant menus anymore. Halibut have become so scarce in the Atlantic Ocean that commercial fishermen are not allowed to catch them, and the Pacific Halibut supplies have been low for many years. It may also have something to do with the life cycle of halibut. They don’t reproduce until they are 8 years old. I’m hoping the day will come when halibut prices drop to a reasonable level again and then it will be more feasible to make this recipe. In the meantime, any affordable meaty whitefish with a firm texture works great for this recipe. Doing a fish boil will give the fish a similar consistency to lobster.
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How to Make Poor Mans Lobster
Poor Mans Lobster
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup salt
- 1 pound halibut
- 1/2 cup butter (sweet cream works great)
- 1 lemon
Instructions
- In a medium to large pot bring 2 quarts of water, sugar, and salt to a boil on medium-high heat.
- Cut halibut into 2-3 large pieces (so it cooks faster) and add to boiling water.
- Boil for about 10 minutes or until halibut is nice and flaky.
- In the meantime, melt butter in a pot, but do not boil.
- Remove halibut from water, squeeze a little fresh lemon on it and serve with melted butter (I like to completely submerge my halibut in the melted butter, much like you would do with lobster).
Notes
Nutrition Information
I made it for my dinner. I loved it. I used cod fillets.
Great idea using cod! Glad to know it still turns out well 🙂
We are from upstate NY very near Canada. We were born and raised on the St Lawrence River, a waterway known for excellent freshwater fishing. Among the various species, one stands out as the quintessential fish to make “poor man’s lobster” with. We use Northern Pike. We filet the pike boneless, then cut the filets into cubes. These are wrapped in a sack of cheesecloth much like a loose teabag. Boiling water is started and lemon and salt are added to that. Once boiling, the bags of fish cubes are cooked in this at a mild simmer for 7 minutes and served with drawn butter and lemon wedges. Now THAT is “Poor Man’s Lobster” done right!
So it’s been awhile since I made this…..my apologies for the question but, “it’s regular sugar or Brown sugar.” I thought I used brown sugar and salt. Thanks.
This recipe calls for white sugar, not brown. Thanks for asking! 🙂
Monk fish is aptly named poor mans lobster, with this recipe it’s awesome, the closest thing to real lobster meat in my opinion. I used a light sprinkle of bays seasoning also, or chef minions seasalt garlic and dehydrated butter seasoning.
Copied from Web: Monkfish has a very mild flavor that many liken to lobster. I wonder, though, how much of that is due to its texture — which is firm, like lobster. In any event, fresh monkfish has a light flavor, acceptable to most people, including those who avoid “fishy-tasting” fish.
We have been making poor-mans lobster for years, but we use walleye. Very tasty.
I go to Alaska fishing every year and am always in the search for more halibut recipes. This one is delicious, I try a new twist every once in a while with this as a base recipe.
So glad you like this recipe! We like to do different melted butter compounds sometimes, too. But the original is always a hit!
When you think about how many lobsters, or how big of a lobster, you would have to buy to get one pound of lobster meat, one pound of halibut doesn’t seem very expensive at all. You’re very lucky to find a 5 oz. lobster tail for less than $5.99, and that includes the shell.
I used cod and it was absolutely delicious. I also sprinkled a little Old Bay seasoning on the cod after cooking.
A chef in PAC N.W. cuts halibut in approx 1″ cubes. You know when fish is done, because it will rise to the surface of the boiling water. Interesting, haven’t tried yet.
In Wisconsin, I am told they use white fish as it is plentiful and not expensive. Apparently there, restaurants regularly serve “Poor man’s lobster” which is where I first heard of it.
What restaurant did you go to my boyfriend is from there
instead of sugar you can use Seven Up or gingerale I prefer 7 up.
I’ve never tried that, you’ll have to let us know how it turns out!
I used this recipe on Northern Pike and Musky and it came out amazing! I’m going to give it a try with Salmon when I get back from New York.
Great idea! Glad to know it works well with other fish!
Excellent way to poach halibut! This was way better than I expected . It lacked the subtle flavour lobster has, but nailed the texture. I liked this better than the crunchy breaded halibut I made at the same time. My husband is deathly allergic to shellfish, so I think he will love this when I make it as a surprise! Recipie is easily halfed if you want to try it out. Don’t skip the butter sauce or lemon!
So glad that you liked it! I agree— you definitely don’t want to skip (or SKIMP) on the butter and lemon lol!
We made two batches tonight. The first batch, going by the recipe, was crazy SALTY. So, on the second batch, added very , very little salt, and used a little more sugar, and it was yummy!
I tried this tonight. It was ok, the butter was definitely key to making it taste good. I like my fish “fishier” so the mildness of this wasn’t to my personal liking. I think this would be a great way to introduce kids to fish.
Halibut isn’t a fishy type of fish,i would know i live in alaska,if u want more of a fishy type eat some salmon
Oh, you are so lucky! I’m jealous of all the fresh fish you can get there!
Very true, i just got back yesterday from a halibut trip, brought home 40lbs of filetts very good. First thing my 16 year old said was poor mans lobster. Had to look up recipe again, i fed her that when she was like 10, cant wait to eat
For all you Pacific Coast fisherman, this recipe is also great for Ling cod and Cabezon!
You know what really tastes like lobster? Shrimp & ketchup! Try it, you’ll see.
This was so yummy! The flavor is more like crab to me but without the delicate texture. I’m wondering about the “poor-man” part, at least where we live, halibut is not cheap 🙁 Still delicious though 🙂
I know, haha, that is just what we called it growing up. Halibut must have been cheaper then. 🙂
You can use any mild flavored white fish. I am going to use cod for dinner tonight. I have also heard of using Swai fillets. Both are much cheaper than halibut, and I add the juice of one lemon to the boiling water to give it a lobster type texture as well.
Haha! I was going to say… halibut is a lot more expensive than lobster! Sounds yummy though!
YOU CAN SUBSTITUTE COD, FOR YOUR HALIBUT,,, HAVE DONE THIS FOR MANY YEARS WHEN LIVING IN ALASKA
This was delicious and easy. Thank you for sharing your recipes.
I tried this recipe and prepared it exactly according to directions. I don’t know if any of you have actually tasted lobster, but although it tasted fine, it was a far cry from lobster. It tasted like poached fish with melted butter…was not thrilled
ah hahaha! I love your reply! This saved me from trying it
I have a completely different opinion. I just had a lobster in Nova Scotia that hadn’t been out of the ocean for more than three hours. Two weeks later I had fresh salt-water boiled halibut. The latter was way better–milder perhaps but absolutely delicious even without any butter or lemon. So my suggestion is to try it before judjing it.