
Recipes
Alaskan Halibut
By Julian Kegel
If you think you know where this thread is going, stop right there. The Kegels may own a German restaurant, but they’re not defined by it. Their story begins in Alaska, around 2010. They met on a glacier climbing expedition. Julian was working as a glacier guide. Stephanie was a guide, too – she had a job as a sea kayak guide. One of the things they had in common was vegetarianism. Only Alaska, they say, wasn’t exactly the best place to be if your diet is solely composed of vegetables. In Seward, where they were living, there was just one grocery store. “You couldn’t always get bananas,” says Julian. “And it was $7 for one bell pepper.”
The fish recipe Julian shares represents different parts of him – his life before and his life now. The experience of cooking fish every day as a guide unsurprisingly brought about some expertise. It also taught him what he liked and it’s the simplicity of the spice mixture and the light pan-fry in butter – “So good,” he says.
The oyster mushroom butter sauce uses mushrooms from their own yard. He also serves the halibut with carrots glazed in maple syrup – the sap comes from Kegel's own trees and the syrup from Julian’s own hands. “I love the process of making [it],” he says.
While he calls it a dish of nostalgia – reminding them of their life in Alaska – it’s also a dish rooted in the present and the Wisconsin landscape. That’s from the mushrooms and the syrup to the carrots, which they buy at Outpost Natural Foods, where they look for the carrots from a Mequon farmer. “In the end, just support local when possible. We know a dollar lasts longer in our community than if spent in a corporate market.
Ingredients
Serves 2
Maple Glazed Carrots:
10-20 small carrots
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
Oyster Mushroom Butter Sauce:
1 cup butter
12-16 ounces of oyster mushrooms
Pinch of salt, to taste
Halibut Spices and Fish:
1 large fillet of halibut (about 1 pound)
2 tablespoons avocado oil
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon finely ground pepper
1 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
Pre-tip:
Halibut is an excellent steak-like fish that holds up to a quick pan sear. Don’t overcook, as medium rare is all that is necessary to achieve that flakey consistency. If you can’t find halibut, either cod or salmon will work.
Instructions
Maple Glazed Carrots:
Use a (new) Scotch Brite scrubbing pad to scratch off the carrot peel roughly. Place a single layer of carrots in a small, well-oiled, deep baking or roasting pan. Heat the oven to 400 degrees and place all ingredients into the pan. Toss and turn carrots every 10 minutes for about 30 to 40 minutes until tender and browned around the edges.
Oyster Mushrooms:
Chop the mushrooms into long, thin chips. Sauté on medium to low heat in butter for about 20 minutes until the edges get crispy.
Halibut Spices and Fish:
Bring fish to room temperature. Rinse, dry and trim into two roughly equal 8-ounce-sized slabs. Mix spices together with flour and spread evenly onto a large dinner plate. Brush egg whites onto both sides of fish and dip fish chunks into spice mix. Coat both sides and immediately place into a hot, well-oiled pan. Cook for three to four minutes until the underside is reddish brown and crispy. Turn over and sear for another two to three minutes. Remove fish from pan and let it rest.
Pro Tip
1
Keep on top of your dishes, especially pots and pans, when preparing your meals. Cleaning while you go helps to make the after-party dish stack seem less formidable if it’s not in one giant heap in the sink. A hot pan cleans up much easier than one that has it’s sauced baked into the edges after being left in the sink.
Bio
Julian and Stephanie Kegel’s restaurant journey began in 2013 when they returned to the Midwest from Alaska, eagerly taking the helm of this historic, family-owned Milwaukee institution. With a deep-rooted commitment to community and a genuine passion for people, they proudly represent the fourth generation of Kegel's Inn operators, steering the restaurant into its centennial year. Beyond the restaurant's well-deserved accolades, Julian and Stephanie are driven by their unwavering dedication to fostering connections through food and authenticity. They believe in the transformative power of shared meals, bringing together multiple generations of families while also instilling pride in traditional cooking methods.

Julian Kegel
Kegel’s Restaurant
Julian Kegel
Kegel’s Restaurant
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