Pan-Seared Halibut with Lemon Beurre Blanc, Rosemary Potatoes, and Creamed Broccoli

Tonight was a hit, at least my hubby and I think so. I'm not much of a sauce kind of person. You are right, I am not a BBQ sauce girl, never have been. And I don't fancy ketchup either. In general, whatever you smother with sauce tends to be overpowered by the saucy-ness of the dish. That is, I don't like sauces unless the sauce highlights the flavors of the dish by marrying them together in a mouthful of goodness. That's what happened this evening when I drizzled the Lemon Beurre Blanc over the golden pan-fried Halibut. It was a match made in heaven. But I can't forget about the rosemary potatoes that were creamy and rich on the inside and lightly crispy and golden on the outside. Nor can the creamed broccoli go without mention, all three things were perfectly balanced with each other and made a satisfying meal--physically and psychologically. 


Lemon Beurre Blanc
about 1/2 cup serving (you only need about 1-2 tablespoons per person as the sauce is very rich)


Ingredients:
1 tablespoon minced shallots (be sure to use shallots, if you use onions they have a much sharper flavor)
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 oz (half stick) butter, cut into pieces (use a good flavorful butter, the sauce will reflect the quality of the butter)
salt to taste
white pepper to taste 

Directions:
1. In a non-aluminum saucepan, combine shallots with the wine. Reduce until slightly syrupy. 

2.Add the lemon juice or vinegar and reduce. 

3. Remove from heat and add butter slowly, piece by piece, stirring with a whisk to blend. Slowly add all the pieces of butter until well combined. If you need to return the sauce to the heat to incorporate all the butter, do it over very low heat, or the sauce will break.

4. Strain the sauce (optional) through a fine mesh strainer and serve immediately, or hold in a double boiler over barely simmering water, or in a Thermos.

Pan-Seared Halibut

2 Servings

Ingredients:

1/2 lb fresh Hallibut (MSC certified is preferable) 

flour and cornstarch (half of each) to coat fish

salt and pepper

Canola oil 

Directions:

1. coat the bottom of a pan with canola oil, turn heat to medium high.

2. mix flour, cornstarch, salt, and pepper on a flat surface.

3. coat fish in dry mixture

4. when oil is glistening, add fish to pan skin-side down. 

5. turn fillet over when bottom is golden

6. using an instant read thermometer, check the temperature of the fillet. FDA recommends 140 °F, but it gets dry at that point. I turned the heat off when my fillet reached 132 °F. 

Rosemary Potatoes 

2 Servings

Ingredients:

1-2 tablespoons loosely packed fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of water (enough to just cover the potatoes) to a rolling boil. When boiling, add cleaned potatoes (keep the skin on) and cook until pierced with a knife.Drain potatoes and set aside.

2. Add olive oil to pan, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes. 

3. Add potatoes to pan and cook (don't over stir, or they will fall apart) until slightly crispy on the outside. 

Creamed Broccoli
2-4 Servings

Ingredients: 
1 head brocolli, washed and cut into pieces
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 
olive oil for caramelizing onions and garlic

Directions: 
1. steam broccoli until bright green and tender

2. Drizzle olive oil in pan and add onions and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent. 


3. Chop steamed broccoli and add to onion and garlic mixture. 


4. Add cream, lemon juice, salt and pepper. 


5. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth but still slightly chunky. 

Voila! There's your meal:

For dessert...strawberries! They are in season and they are delicious. Sometimes, I'll dip them in a little bit of local honey. Yum! I hope you enjoy this meal or parts of it, it was fun to make and even better to eat.