Halibut with Blood Orange Salsa

This little number, Sear-Roasted Halibut with Blood Orange Salsa, from Joanne Weir, is from last month's issue of Fine Cooking magazine. It appealed to me because Halibut is just about our favorite fish and I was sure a citrus salsa would be good with the fish. Unfortunately, I used a piece of frozen halibut from Trader Joes and the fish component of this dish was lacking. Fortunately, halibut season is just beginning, so if you make this dish, you can do it with fresh halibut and it will surely be infinitely better. But beware, blood oranges are on their way out of season. So act quickly! The salsa is nice. At this point in my life, I'm convinced that adding cilantro to any fruit and calling it salsa is a good thing and compliments most seafood. Specifically, the citrus is bright against the rich fish, and the color from the blood oranges, gorgeous. Mahi Mahi would be nice here too. I served this with some grilled asparagus - sort of a bringing together of winter and spring...

It Was Just OK For Me

That was dear husband's review of this dish, Sear-Roasted Halibut with Tomatoes and Capers from Fine Cooking 93. You basically sear your fish, flip it in the pan, and toss in a tomato salad made with capers and fresh oregano. (The salad actually tasted better before it had been roasted.) As the fish roasts, the tomatoes break down a little. You drizzle in a little balsamic vinegar and spoon it over your fish. The tomatoes are sweet, the balsamic provides richness and tang, the capers are a salty bite. I liked the completed dish. Dear husband didn't. There you go.

Spicy Southeast Asian Halibut

Here's another decent recipe for your Halibut arsenal. This Spicy Southeast Asian Halibut is from Cooking Light, April 2008. The sauce is curry-like in flavor and color, with heat from nam pla, tart lime juice and sweet, creamy lite coconut milk. There's also some fresh lemongrass which can sometimes be difficult to find. I know of only one nearby store that reliably has it (Devon Market - for my Chicago friends.) Other than that, the recipe is really simple to prepare and has a nice kick. We had it with sauteed spinach. The creamy sauce intermingled with the greens and made them really good. I could see this with bok choy too, or really, any stir-fried veg.

Halibut Season

We've been eating halibut once or twice a week now that it is fresh in the market. To me there's no fish more delightful to cook. It is easy and takes to many different flavors. Many people (not me) object to salmon because it tastes too strong or oily. Halibut has none of that. It is just pure white fish, slightly dense but still tender. It is a lot like cod and can be interchanged with cod in most recipes. But I think cod is more flaky, more watery and looser in texture.

So here's a couple new recipes I've tried. The first is Spanish-Style Halibut from the My Recipes website. The only thing that defines this as "spanish" is the use of smoked paprika to season the fish. If you've never tried smoked paprika, I would recommend buying some because it's a very nice spice for seasoning meat or fish. It has all the smoke flavor, but a little less heat than chipotle powder. You could easily do chipotle powder in this recipe though. I think it would work just as well.

I liked this recipe because 1. Both the fish and the spinach are cooked in one pan, minimizing mess 2. There is bacon in the recipe and still it is light. 3. It is very adaptable, I could see using this spice on shrimp and making the exact same dish. When I make it again, I'm going to add raisins to the spinach. That is a classic combo called Spinach Catalan - a very spanish way of doing spinach. We have it this way all the time. I was lucky to find Deborah Madison's recipe on-line.

You wont find a link for the next recipe because it is from the current issue of Fine Cooking. But it is called Sear-Roasted Cod with Horseradish Aioli and Lemon Breadcrumbs, but I made it with halibut. I had to laugh when I read through this recipe because the preparation is similar to what I've been doing with fish for a while now - that is, spreading a flavored mayo on the fish to adhere some toasted, seasoned breadcrumbs. I adapted it from an Oven-Fried Chicken article from FC84. It is a great way to get crunchy fish with no frying. However, this horseradish aioli is better than any flavored mayo that I've put together so far. Besides spreading it on the fish, we put a little dollop on our plates to dip the fish in because it was so tasty. It would be a great sauce for a crab cake or to dip a fried shrimp into (arteries, be damned!) - kind of like a remoulade. There's also a little parsley salad that you make. That I would probably skip next time, maybe instead, I'd just add some chopped parsley to the crumbs.

As a side for the halibut, I made a nice asparagus dish from Barefoot Contessa Cooks Family Style. It's just roasted asparagus on which you grate a little parmesan on at the end. It went nicely with the flavors of the fish and is very seasonal too.

Happy Halibut Season, Happy Spring!

Sear-Roasting

I always get excited when I see that Fine Cooking has an article on fish because, let's face it, cooking fish is kind of my thing. I've considered renaming this blog "Fish and Veg" since it seems like that's the topic of every other post. When I opened the new issue (92,) I was especially interested because this article is on cooking fish my favorite way - by first pan searing and then roasting to finish in a hot oven. That, I think, is the best way to cook a thick fillet of fish, or a nice piece of meat like a steak/chop (if you're not cooking outside.) Broiling will never get you that crusty seared brown that direct heat on a flat, hot pan will give you. I find that broiling makes the moisture in meat and fish rise to the top and weep out, giving you a mediocre browning at best. On the other hand, if you pan sear and then try to finish cooking the whole way in the hot pan, there's a chance that your fish/meat will dry out near the surface. So searing to the crusty brown you want and then finishing in the hot, hot oven (or "sear-roasting") is the answer to perfect even cooking everytime.

OK, off the soap box and on to the article. Three recipes are offered, all working with this cooking method. One is a Spice-Rubbed Salmon, another is a Sear-Roasted Haddock or Cod with Aioli and Breadcrumbs and the third is Chinese Five Spice Rubbed Halibut with Red Pepper and Ginger. Knowing my affinity for asian flavors, you can guess that I was immediately drawn to the last one. Halibut just came into season (Hurrah!) and I got a large fillet (squeaky fresh, not frozen,) cross cut into two nice chunky rectangles. The spice rub is made with five spice powder, brown sugar, cayenne and some orange zest. You also make an interesting quick pickle of red pepper and ginger as a "relish." for the fillet. The dish came out nice but I thought the rub was a bit strong flavored for the fish. I loved the pepper relish. Loved. It. I will use this again on other things. I think this whole recipe would work great on a pork chop. The rub would go better with pork and the red pepper relish definitely would complement a chop too. I served the fish with stir-fried asparagus which are "seasonal" but not really in Illinois where we have snow on the ground.

I will make the cod recipe next because the aioli includes horseradish, but I might make it with halibut instead. I can't give these recipes because they are in the current issue. There's also a scallop recipe with pea puree that I'm dying to make but I haven't seen fresh peas in the market yet.

What the Halibut?!

We eat halibut often; it is probably our favorite fish. It is snowy white, flaky, and yet meaty at the same time. And it stands up well to strong flavors (although on its own, I would never call it strong flavored.) I especially love halibut with asian flavors and usually that is my prep of choice. But I am so enjoying this recipe that I wanted to share it. I've talked a little about it once before. It is my take off on a Fine Cooking method (issue 84) of producing crispy, crunchy chicken from the oven. I think it works great with halibut and is very adaptable too. You can flavor the mayo anyway you like, and you can play around with the toasted breadcrumbs too. Here's a really loose recipe, feel free to make it your own:

6 oz. piece of halibut per serving
1/8 c of mayo per serving, minced garlic, lemon, maybe some other stuff
Breadcrumbs, fresh, as much as you need to coat the top of each portion, see following

Preheat oven to 400'

For the breadcrumbs, zip some good white bread (or a baguette), crusts removed (I would guess one slice per serving if using plain bread,) in a food processor until you get coarse crumbs. Add a little olive oil to a nonstick skillet, add the breadcrumbs, toss to coat and toast over med. heat until the crumbs until are golden brown. Stir occasionally, so the crumbs toast evenly. Remove pan from heat. Season with salt, pepper, freshly chopped herbs.

For the mayo, flavor the mayo with a squeeze of lemon, minced garlic, salt and pepper. You could also add some prepared horseradish or mustard to liven things up a bit. You know what you like.

Lay out each portion of halibut on a cookie sheet, lined with parchment or foil for easy cleanup.

Season the halibut with a little salt. Give each portion a coat of mayo, don't put too much on, just enough to adhere the crumbs.

Press the toasted breadcrumbs onto the fish. Pop them into the oven for 20 minutes. You should get something that looks like this:

If you are a mayo-hater like me, I promise you won't detect the mayo in the finished product. You will get a moist piece of flavorful fish with a crunchy topping.

This is a great recipe for entertaining. You can have the breadcrumbs and mayo prepared, and just quickly prepare the halibut and put it in the oven, 20 or so minutes before dinner is served.

My fish guy tells me there won't be any fresh halibut for a while since it is out of season now. But this recipe works well with previously frozen, that is what I used here. This is so good, please try it.

Halibut with Orange Gremolata

I tried this recipe from a great food blog, Beyond Salmon, and was quite happy with the results. A gremolata is just a fresh garlic, zest and herb relish that you dot over the fish. When you eat it you just spread it over the fillet and have a little in each bite. I really like fresh orange paired with cilantro and with the fish it just seemed like it would be good and fresh tasting (and it was.) You could also do parsley. The halibut that I've been getting at Whole Foods has just been beautiful. This piece was a thin, from the tail end, and it worked fine in this preparation. As you will see in her recipe, she instructs you to segment the orange and arrange it under the fish. The orange slices are given a little drizzle of balsamic vinegar to bring out their flavor. Beyond Salmon does a whole lot better in the picture-taking department, but here you get the idea.

Herb-Crusted Halibut

I had an excellent rendition of herb-crusted Arctic Char at Mity Nice Grill last week. It had a tasty, crispy crust and was drizzled with a lemon butter sauce. I wanted to do something like it at home, but I really couldn't find a recipe that approximated what I had in mind, so I decided to just wing it. No Arctic Char at Whole Foods, but the first halibut of the season looked mighty fine so that's what I decided to work with. Crispy was M.O. here. and it is hard to get crispy from the oven when you're cooking fish. Most likely, by the time you get the topping where you want it, the fish will be overdone. I decided pre-toasting the breadcrumbs would give them a head start, so that's where I began.

Harkening back to a Fine Cooking method for producing crispy oven-fried chicken, (from issue no. 84,) a method that uses a sticky sauce to adhere a pre-toasted breadcrumb topping to chicken and then finishes it in the oven, I decided to give my halibut fillets a similar treatment. First, I needed a sauce to help stick the crumbs to my halibut. Not being a huge fan of mustard, I decided a thin coating of mayo on the fillets would do the trick. I flavored the mayo with lemon zest and minced garlic and thinly spread it over the halibut. Then I pressed toasted fresh breadcrumbs flavored with fresh chopped parsely and basil onto the fillets. I was torn on whether to add parmesan to this coating and in the end I decided to add a little. The fish was roasted in a 400* for about 20 minutes and turned out nicely. The mayonnaise melts away in the oven; you don't notice it on the cooked fish but the lemon and garlic flavors remain. The crunchy topping contrasts with the tender, juicy halibut for a delicious texture in the mouth. I will do this prep again, Steve liked it a lot.

Kung Pao Halibut

This is a really great way to prepare halibut. The recipe is from the Big Bowl Cookbook by Bruce Cost

Kung Pao Fish, Wok-seared and steamed

2T peanut oil
8oz fish fillet (halibut or other white fleshed fish)
1 T finely julienned bamboo shoots
2T finely julienned ginger
1 T finely julienned fresh red chile pepper
1/3 c water
½ c fresh cilantro
½ t sesame oil


Kung Pao sauce

1 T red wine vinegar
2 t light soy sauce
½ t dark soy sauce
2 t chile paste with garlic
2 t hoisin sauce
1 t sugar
1 T Shaoxing rice wine
-------------------------------------------

Heat the pan or skillet to nearly smoking and add the oil. When hot, sear the fish, flesh side down. Add the bamboo, ginger and chile and stir briefly. Add the Kung Pao sauce and stir briefly. Turn the fish, add the water and cover.

Steam the fish for a couple of minutes, or until nearly done. Uncover and continue to cook to reduce the sauce (reduce, but it should not be a glaze) Take the pan off the heat. Remove the fish with a slotted spoon. Add the cilantro leaves to the sauce and stir until wilted. Pour over the fish. Sprinkle with sesame oil. Serve with rice and veg.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Halibut with Sage Butter Sauce

This recipe is from Fine Cooking issue 75. It's super easy and looks great on plate. The herbed fillets are wrapped in a belt of prosciutto and baked. A sage butter sauce with a spike of lemon is prepared and dabbled over the cooked fillets at the end. I think this dish would be nice for a dinner party becauce once the halibut is prepped, it just goes in the oven and comes out looking spectacular with the colors of the pink prosciutto, the green sage and the snowy white halibut. I served mine with Spinach Catalania or spinach sauteed with raisins. The sweet raisins played off the salty prosciutto. And it was italian-y love.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Halibut with Sage Butter Sauce

From Fine Cooking issue 75
Serves 6

2 large lemons
6 1-inch thick halibut skinless fillets (about 6oz each)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
A bunch of fresh sage leaves
6 thin slices imported prosciutto
6 TBS unsalted butter

Position a rach in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400F.

Slicing crosswise, cut six ¼ inch rounds from the center of one of the lemons
Repeat with remaining lemon. Squeeze the juice from the ends into a small bowl (you’ll need 4 tsp,) and set aside. Arrange the lemon rounds in slightly overlapping pairs on a heavy-duty baking sheet covered with a piece of parchment.

Season the fish with salt and pepper. Set two sage leaves on top of each fillet and then wrap each fillet with a slice of prosciutto. The prosciutto should form a belt, enclosing the leaves but leaving the fish exposed at either end. Lay one wrapped fillet on top of each pair of lemon slices. Bake until the fish is cooked through (it should flake and be opaque in the thickest part), 15 to 20 minutes depending of the thickness of the fillets.

While the fish is cooking, melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet over med. heat. Add the remaining sage leaves and cook, turning once until the leaves are crisp and the butter begins to brown, about 7 minutes. Add the 4 tsp. lemon juice and season with ¼ tsp. salt or to taste.

Arrange each fillet on its lemon slices on each dinner plate. Pour any juices from the fish into the butter sauce in the skillet. Spoon some of the sauce and a few sage leaves over each fillet and serve.

Halibut Provencal

This recipe is from Simple to Spectacular by Jean Georges Vongerichten, a NY chef. While it did fit into the simple category, this dish was far from spectacular. Basically it is halibut, braised in a white wine-tomato sauce, flavored with shallots and capers. It didn't work for me, too winey tasting.