Saturday, July 23, 2011

Halibut Caddy Ganty

Soak halibut filets in white wine.

Puree the cream sauce.

Coat in bread crumbs.

Smother in cream sauce.

Bake and enjoy.

Caddy Ganty lived in Pelican in the 1920's (or so the story goes), the wife of a fish packer in the small Southeast fishing village. It remains one of our region's most popular dishes. It's a tradition that won JoAnn and David Lesh of the Gustavus Inn an "America's Classics" award by the prestigious James Beard Foundation last year. Soak the filets in white wine. Pat them dry and coat fish in bread crumbs. Add cream sauce and bake on high heat. It's a delicious combination, blending the wine flavor with the rich mayo and sour cream-based topping.

This Fiddlehead Caddy Ganty recipe is similar to a recipe my mom has called "drunken halibut." There are a few subtle differences between "Drunken Halibut" and "Caddy Ganty." The latter adds vinegar, tomato and green onion, where the first heaps a greater ratio of mayo atop the fish. Between the two, I'd say the winner is drunken halibut. It's much easier without having to puree the veggies into the sauce, and I prefer the richness of the cream uninterrupted by bits of vegetable.

However you like your Caddy Ganty, it's a delicious choice for fresh (or frozen) halibut.
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2 comments:

  1. Nancy DeCherneyJuly 31, 2011 at 6:59 AM

    Yes, this version was sort of manufactured for the cookbook to use the House salad dressing - regular Caddy Ganty is much easier and really good. The best part of Caddy Ganty, aside from being a good use of frozen halibut, is that you can make it for 8 to 80 with the same amount of work. Nancy

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  2. n. carsonFebruary 15, 2022 at 3:21 PM

    Pelican did not exist in the 20's; it was founded in 1938. Caddy was the wife of Pros Ganty; he was General Manager of Pelican Seafoods. I worked at Pelican Cold Storage in the 1960's and knew both of the Ganty's.

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