Rose Harissa Baked Halibut with Beurre Blanc

 I had a beautiful piece of Halibut filet, from Gimli Fish, and I wanted to prepare something French Classical, easy, fusion-potential, and, did I already mention easy?  Beurre Blanc is, indeed, a very easy to prepare, Classic French sauce.  

I put my own Rose Harissa, thinly spread, onto the filet and set that aside in the fridge.  Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Beurre Blanc can also be served with asparagus, and other fish, such as salmon, steelhead trout, Arctic Char, etc.  Bake the filet, with adjustment for thickness, at 350ºF for 15 minutes.

I served this with Basmati Rice Pilaf, and creamy spinach.  

Beurre Blanc

 
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup white-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper, or to taste
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces and chilled  ( I confess to using salted butter)
Options:  thyme, tarragon, or sorrel

Boil wine, vinegar, and shallot and optional herb in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until liquid is syrupy and reduced to 2 to 3 tablespoons, about 5 minutes.
Add cream, salt, and white pepper and boil for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium low and add a few tablespoons butter, whisking constantly. Add remaining butter a few pieces at a time, whisking constantly and adding new pieces before previous ones have completely liquefied (the sauce should maintain consistency of hollandaise), removing the saucepan from heat occasionally to cool mixture, so that it won't split.
Remove from heat, then season to taste with salt and pepper and pour sauce through a medium-mesh sieve into a saucepot pressing on and then discarding shallot and optional herbs. Serve immediately.  It can be made in advance, just gently reheat.

Women producers and Cinco de Mayo on CBC's Weekend Morning Show

This morning, on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with guest host Bruce Ladan, I featured women-owned and operated local producers.  Starting with the great Mexican halibut that is in season for Cinco de Mayo!  The wild caught halibut is available at Gimli Fish.  I also served a seasoned flatbread, using the wonderful pizza dough from Old Church Bakery.  This was topped with Ribeye from Wildfire Farms.  Life made easier and delicious by these amazing women.

Baked Mexican Halibut

1 1/2 lbs. halibut fillets (cut into 4 - 6 pieces)

1 large fresh tomato, seeded and chopped

2 tbsp. fresh lime juice

1/8 tsp. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

4 green onions, sliced thin

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped (garnish)

1 lemon, sliced or cut into wedges (for serving)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350º.

Cut halibut fillets into four - six serving pieces. Place in single layer in a 9” x 13” baking dish.
In a small bowl combine chopped tomato, lime juice, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, chopped cilantro,  sliced green onions, minced garlic and salt. Mix well and pour over fish.

Bake for 20 – 25 mins. Fish should flake easily when tested with a fork.

 Old Church Bakery flatbread

With wet hands, spread pizza dough to desired thinness on a baking sheet with either parchment paper, a Silpat, or cornmeal.  Sprinkle a generous amount of spices blend and flake salt on the dough.  I used Duq'qah, an Egyptian blend.  Drizzle generously with olive oil and bake at 450º until done, ~ 10-15 minutes.

Wildfire Farms Ribeye

Rub steaks with desired amount of dry rub spice blend.  Here, I used Duq'qah.  Another tip is to first spread Dijon mustard over the meat for a nice crust.  Season, and drizzle with olive oil.  Grill or cook on medium to high heat for 4 minutes/per side, depending on thickness of the steaks, for rare.  Remove steaks from heat and let rest.  Slice on the bias and serve with flatbread and other toppings of your choice.

Enjoy!

Outdoor St. Norbert's Farmer's Market is open! Asparagus on CBC.

This morning on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Nadia Kidwai, I presented some wonderful local asparagus on Avocado Toast.  The Manitoba asparagus is available today at St. Norbert's Farmer's Market for their season opening at River's Edge Farm.  It is a pesticide and spray-free farm that specializes in asparagus and raspberries.

I've also featured some lovely Halibut Steaks in a Kerala recipe.  For a grilling option on this long weekend, treat yourself to a halibut steak.  The marinade is quite easy to prepare.  The wild caught Halibut steaks are available at Gimli Fish.

Green Toast
Nice bread slices.  I made this bread but there are great breads available at the St. Norbert's Farmer's Market.
1 avocado (one or two Haas, or a huge variety available at Dino's Grocery Market on Notre Dame)
Asparagus (In Season Now!  River's Edge Farm has them available today at St. Norbert's Farmer's Market.)  I grilled the asparagus spears that I had drizzled with sesame oil and when done, I grated lemon zest on the spears and a pinch of salt

Easy Bernaise Sauce 

2 tablespoons white wine
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 sprig fresh tarragon
1 minced shallot
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup butter
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper

Combine wine, vinegar, tarragon, onion, and black pepper in a skillet; bring to a boil and cook until almost all the liquid is evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.

Place butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in microwave until fully melted, 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Place tarragon mixture, egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne pepper in a blender; pulse until combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Remove the small hole cover from lid; stream butter into egg mixture while blender is running until sauce is completely blended and smooth.

Assembly
Toast the bread and smooth avocado on top.  Place grilled asparagus on top of avocado and drizzle Bernaise sauce on top.  Garnish with fresh chives or tarragon.  

 Grilled Halibut Steaks, (Fish masala fry)

2 steaks Halibut (Now in season and available at Gimli Fish)
1/2 teaspoon garlic paste
1/4 teaspoon ginger paste
1/4 teaspoon crushed pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed make paste with water (always
make paste with a little water)

Put all the ingredients onto a plate in a little pile.
Sprinkle over the vinegar and mix to a paste with the fingers.
Pat the masala evenly over the sides of the fish and marinate for minimum 1/2 an hour and better still for 4-5 hours.

When ready to grill, drizzle oil tablespoons oil on the fish and set the grill to high heat. Sprinkle the fish with a little(pinch) salt more on both the sides of fish , reduce the heat and add the fish. Increase the heat medium flame and cook for about 2 minutes on one side, then about 2 minutes on the other.


Enjoy!

Sautéed Halibut Cheeks

Sautéed Halibut Cheeks
(Serves 4)

4 medium to large Halibut Cheeks*
1 tbs butter
1 large sprig rosemary
Up to 1/4 cup of Navan or Frangelico
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat large sauté pan to medium high heat and add butter and rosemary. After melting butter, add the halibut cheeks. They cook very quickly. After one minute, turn the halibut cheeks. Allow to cook for one more minute before adding liquor. Navan is a mellow vanilla-infused cognac and Frangelico is a sweet hazelnut liquor. Allow the liquid to cook down for up to one minute. Remove the halibut cheeks from the pan and serve immediately.

*Halibut Cheeks are available at Gimli fish at two locations (596 Dufferin Ave. and 625 Pembina Hwy.)

Enjoy!