Greenland halibut
Greenland halibut in the kitchen
The Greenland halibut has been a delicacy in Greenland for centuries, but has with good reason also won popularity around the world. It is easy to prepare, almost impossible to overcook and works in numerous dishes. This makes the Greenland halibut an easily incorporated ingredient in cooking.
The texture of the flesh is soft and tender, with a bright white appearance both cooked and raw. In terms of flavour, the Greenland halibut offers a sweet and mild umami experience, which is complimented well by a slightly sour or bitter opponent, or by a touch of salt to enhance the umami and lessen the sweetness.
In terms of nutrition, the Greenland halibut offers a high content of healthy fat and omega-3 fatty acids, while also being a good source of vitamin D, phosphorus and selenium.
Greenland halibut is a true friend in the kitchen
Greenland halibut is easy to prepare, almost impossible to overcook, and works in numerous dishes.
Greenland halibut products
The Greenland halibut is a truly versatile fish, where almost everything on the fish can be used. As a result, Royal Greenland has almost zero waste from its production and utilises app. 90 % of the fish.
The fish is mainly either sold as Whole Round, as J-cut or cut into fillets. Other products, such as heads and tails, are mainly sold in Asia.
MSC certification
Greenland halibut caught from the offshore fishery in West Greenland is certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
Greenland halibut in the sea
Greenland halibut lives in the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean, from Canada in the west to Norway in the east. The Greenland halibut is a flatfish that is dark on the upper side and lighter on the belly. It has a set of sharp teeth for hunting its prey such as prawns, krill, capelin and redfish. It lives near the bottom and prefers depths of 200-2,000 metres, where water temperatures remain below 4°C.
The species reaches sexual maturity at an age of around four to five years for the male and nine to ten years for the female. The fish living offshore migrate to the spawning grounds in September, and the spawning itself takes place in February and March, at depths of around 1,000-1,500 metres. The Davis Strait seems to be the most important spawning area. Greenland halibut living inshore in Western Greenland are thought not to spawn and remain inshore for the rest of their lives.
Habitat of Greenland halibut
Greenland halibut lives in the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean, from Canada in the west to Norway in the east.
Fishery
Greenland halibut is fished all year round, and the fishing can be classed as inshore and offshore.
Inshore, the local fishermen prefer the longline, which is a set of 1,200-2,500 hooks mounted on a single line. The longline ensures Greenland halibut of high quality, because the fish is unhooked by hand, with minimum damage to the delicate meat.
Inshore, longline fishing
Inshore the Greenland halibut is mainly caught by using longline (hooks and lines). The longline is very gentle to the fish and leaves almost no marks on the delicate flesh.
Offshore fishing
Offshore, Royal Greenland fishes with trawl. The net itself is cone-shaped and designed to target Greenland halibut, with mesh sizes fitted to leave out juveniles.
Processing
At sea, our trawlers are equipped to process the Greenland halibut into Whole Round and J-cut.
Our land-based production plants are, if possible, placed close to the harbor, ensuring the shortest possible route from sea to processing. Here, we process Greenland halibut into various products, including fillets with or without skin.
After processing, the products are either sold directly to customers around the world or shipped to our factories for further processing.