Spring brings around the start of halibut season, and this simple and delicious preparation shows off the fantastic texture and delicate flavour of the fish. Local new potatoes and seasonal greens are perfect sides.

Halibut is a beast of a fish, and can weigh 250lbs or more. The world record Halibut ever caught weighed in at 459.6lbs, now THAT is a fish! In this preparation, the skin is left on the filets in order to crisp it up nicely, however if skin is not your cup of tea feel free to ask your fish monger to remove it for you when you buy your halibut. Let’s get to it!

Ingredients: (serves 4)

- 4 pieces halibut filets, 6-7 ounces each, skin on
- 1lb small new potatoes, cut in half
- 2 cups fresh spinach, stems removed
- 1/2-cup baby arugula
- ¼ cup flat leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup pancetta (in a pinch regular bacon works) chilled and sliced into small, thin ½ strips
- juice from 1 lemon
- olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Preheat oven to 375F. In a large pan, boil some salted water and cook the potatoes until nearly fork tender. Drain and arrange on a baking sheet lined with foil. Coat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes. While potatoes are roasting, liberally season the halibut filets with salt and pepper. Remove excess moisture from the skin side with a paper toil, and using a butter knife, spread the 2 tbsp of butter over the surface of the skin of each filet.

Heat a large sauté pan over med-hi heat. Once pan is hot, place in the halibut, skin side down, and pan-sear for approximately 4-5 minutes. Flip the fish over gently and place in the oven along with the potatoes and cook for an additional 6 minutes. Heat another sauté pan over med-hi heat with a teaspoon of olive oil. Throw in all the greens except the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Toss until wilted, then empty into a bowl and set aside. In the same pan, add the chopped pancetta, and fry until crispy. Drain off the excess fat and add in the lemon juice. Cook for 2 minutes and set aside.

To plate:

Place 5-6 of the potatoes in the center of the place, and top with the wilted greens. Place the halibut filet skin side down on top of the greens, and top with some of the lemon pancetta sauce. Garnish with the flat leaf parsley and serve immediately.

Tags: halibut recipe, pacific halibut, vancouver catering, vancouver personal chef

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 7th, 2009 at 9:57 am and is filed under Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.