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madbakerThis week's Resolution Recipe: Pan-Roasted Halibut with Charred Tomatoes, Lemon, and Herbs.
salt & pepper
4 4-oz halibut fillets
1 pint cherry tomatoes, gold if possible
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 lemon, seeds removed, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic (Ha! I used... more.)
1 1/2 cups fresh soft herbs, roughly torn: basil, chives, oregano, parsley...
1/4 cup white wine or white balsamic vinegar (I used vinegar)
Heat oven to 350. Season fish all over with salt and pepper and set aside. Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat. Once very hot, add cherry tomatoes and cook undisturbed until blackened in spots, about 30 seconds. Shake pan to roll tomatoes around and char all over without breaking skins, about 30 seconds more. Remove tomatoes to a plate, season lightly with salt, and set aside.
Set the same pan over medium heat. Add half the oil, all the lemons and minced garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Saute lemons until darkened in spots, about 1 minute. Move lemons and garlic to one side of pan and lay in halibut, skin side down. Arrange lemons and garlic around fish and bake in the oven until tender and flaky at thickest point, about 5 minutes. (Lies!) Remove from oven and transfer fish with a spatula to a plate.
Set pan back on stove over medium heat. Stir in half the herbs, remaining olive oil, wine, and charred tomatoes. Bring sauce to a simmer and cook about 2 minutes. Gently mash tomatoes until they burst and cook 1-2 minutes longer to meld flavors. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over fish, garnish with herbs, and serve immediately.
What worked: This reads as more work than it is. It was well worth getting the fresh halibut fillets from the farmer's market.
This was fabulous (I made a half batch for the two of us). Also very showy. We both licked our plates. I doubled the lemon but it didn't hurt; it was a Meyer, so less sour.
What didn't: This would be even better during tomato season. We used hothouse red tomatoes, which didn't really char up even after 3 minutes. Still good though. I forgot to get the herbs until after dark, so the wife grabbed what she could (which wasn't that much). It still worked.
Finally, the fish took about 15 minutes to cook fully. Not sure if this halibut was particularly thick or if the recipe is wrong.
Will I make it again? I am making it for Christmas Eve dinner with my dad later this week. Showy and easy, even if we have to bring all the cooking implements.
salt & pepper
4 4-oz halibut fillets
1 pint cherry tomatoes, gold if possible
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 lemon, seeds removed, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic (Ha! I used... more.)
1 1/2 cups fresh soft herbs, roughly torn: basil, chives, oregano, parsley...
1/4 cup white wine or white balsamic vinegar (I used vinegar)
Heat oven to 350. Season fish all over with salt and pepper and set aside. Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat. Once very hot, add cherry tomatoes and cook undisturbed until blackened in spots, about 30 seconds. Shake pan to roll tomatoes around and char all over without breaking skins, about 30 seconds more. Remove tomatoes to a plate, season lightly with salt, and set aside.
Set the same pan over medium heat. Add half the oil, all the lemons and minced garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Saute lemons until darkened in spots, about 1 minute. Move lemons and garlic to one side of pan and lay in halibut, skin side down. Arrange lemons and garlic around fish and bake in the oven until tender and flaky at thickest point, about 5 minutes. (Lies!) Remove from oven and transfer fish with a spatula to a plate.
Set pan back on stove over medium heat. Stir in half the herbs, remaining olive oil, wine, and charred tomatoes. Bring sauce to a simmer and cook about 2 minutes. Gently mash tomatoes until they burst and cook 1-2 minutes longer to meld flavors. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over fish, garnish with herbs, and serve immediately.
What worked: This reads as more work than it is. It was well worth getting the fresh halibut fillets from the farmer's market.
This was fabulous (I made a half batch for the two of us). Also very showy. We both licked our plates. I doubled the lemon but it didn't hurt; it was a Meyer, so less sour.
What didn't: This would be even better during tomato season. We used hothouse red tomatoes, which didn't really char up even after 3 minutes. Still good though. I forgot to get the herbs until after dark, so the wife grabbed what she could (which wasn't that much). It still worked.
Finally, the fish took about 15 minutes to cook fully. Not sure if this halibut was particularly thick or if the recipe is wrong.
Will I make it again? I am making it for Christmas Eve dinner with my dad later this week. Showy and easy, even if we have to bring all the cooking implements.
