Healthy Halibut Hits the Spot!

                In May we went on a three week road trip, up the east coast, visiting all our children. In between we made stops in Philadelphia and New York City.  I don’t think I have to tell you that we ate very well along the way, with most meals including a glass or two of wine.

               It was not a happy day when we got home and I stepped on the scale.  So I was delighted to realize that spring had come and with it the opening of farmers’ markets. The one closest to me is the Agricenter. Another good sign of spring is that the Paradise Seafood truck is there every week, Wednesday through Saturday. 

                In the barn, I picked up a couple of bunches of lovely Treviso-type kale.  Then I went to the Paradise truck looking for scallops, but Ted the Fish Man had beautiful halibut filets. I couldn’t resist. But then I had to come up with an amusing preparation, easy and tasty of course, but almost equally important, healthy.  Looking through old recipe files, I found this one, an Italian-inspired sauce, perfect for the flavor and texture of halibut.

                I used blood orange flavored olive oil.  This is available in several locations around town. I got mine at Bazaar, in Carriage Crossing, but Mighty Olive, in Laurelwood, will also have it in stock. If you choose to make it with plain olive oil, double the amount of orange zest and you’ll still be very happy with the results.  I have mint flourishing in a pot near my herb garden.  If you don’t, you can use two packages (around one ounce each) from the supermarket, or go to the Winchester or Cordova Farmers Market and get a package with enough for this recipe for around $2.00.

                This sauce can be made a bit ahead, but no more than an hour or so. Because of the acid the mint will turn dark and have a less than pleasant texture. 

                The filets were so lovely that I made 8-ounce servings. After making the side dishes, it was obvious to me that that was going to be too big a serving. After I took the picture you see here, I cut all the servings in half and served them from a platter.  Only one person took seconds.  I suggest a 5- to 6-ounce serving per person.

Later I took the remaining fish, flaked it, and added the remaining sauce, the crumbs left over from the crust preparation and a beaten egg.  I fried up a tiny taste and it was really yummy.  I made croquettes on a baking sheet and froze them.  Sometime soon I will partially thaw them, brown them quickly in a bit of olive oil and put them on top of a salad for a good dinner on a hot summer night.

                For the crumbs, I used French bread slices that I toasted lightly.  That way you’ll get a better golden color for the crumb crust in the short time it takes the fish to bake. I had a container of pistachios on hand. I loved the flavor they added to the crust, but you can substitute almonds, or leave out the nuts entirely and you’ll still love it.

               For our side dishes, I made a rice pilaf and sautéed the kale in a little garlic and olive oil.  They made for a lovely meal…and oh! So healthy!

Pistachio Crusted Halibut with Orange Mint Salsa Verde

For the fish:

3 to 4 1” thick slices toasted baguette

1/3 cup pistachios

2 teaspoons blood orange olive oil

A few leaves of mint

About 1 ½ pounds halibut filet, about 1” thick, cut into four portions

For the sauce:

1/3 cup onion, very finely minced

½ cup blood orange olive oil

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons grated orange zest

½ cup fresh orange juice

1 cup (loosely packed) fresh mint, minced

Orange slices and more mint sprigs for garnish

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  In a food processor, make crumbs from the toasted baguette. Add the pistachios, 2 teaspoons blood orange olive oil and the few leaves of mint. Pulse until nuts are coarsely ground.

Place the halibut skin side down on a well-oiled baking sheet.  Divide the crumbs among them, patting lightly to make them adhere. You may not need all of them.

Combine all the sauce ingredients and whisk together.  Let set for at least 30 minutes or up to an hour for flavors to meld. 

When ready to serve, bake the fish until just barely cooked through, ten to twelve minutes. Put a pool of the sauce on each of four dinner plates.  Remove the fish from the baking sheet with a spatula (most of the skin may stick to the pan). Place on top of the sauce, garnish with orange slices and mint sprigs and serve immediately.  Serves four.

Strawberry Salsa Seafood!

               It’s strawberry season! And what could be better than locally grown strawberries from the farmers’ markets around town?

                I must say this about strawberries this year: ask to taste one of the type you want to buy. I don’t know if it was the weather, the cool spring, or the variety of strawberries, but the first basket I bought wasn’t nearly as sweet as I expected. I intended to eat the strawberries with brown sugar, or a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar, or a little honey with lemon, or just rinsed and plain, if they had been sweet enough.

                But although the first ones I bought were not sweet, I wasn’t about to just throw them away. I was having guests that evening and had planned on serving scallops. I dusted them with a little flour mixed with Penzeys Salsa Seasoning and sautéed them. I made a salsa out of the strawberries and the dish was a big hit.

              Subsequently, I’ve gotten only good strawberries—by tasting them first. There have still been some less than sweet ones around.

Last weekend was the monthly meeting of our wine dinner group. My assignment was a seated appetizer. This time I rubbed fresh cod filets with olive oil and sprinkled them with the same seasoning, and cooked them on the outside grill. Oh yum.  As good as the salsa was with the slightly under-sweet berries and sautéed scallops, this second effort was much better. The sweetness of the berries really went well with the smoky grilled flavor of the fish.

                Brush some asparagus with olive oil and some of the same seasoning you use on the fish and grill for a few minutes alongside the fish. With a nice rice pilaf you have the best early summer dinner I can imagine!
 

Grilled Fish with Strawberry-mint Salsa

6 – 6-oz servings of firm mild white fish (see note)

3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup Penzeys Salsa Seasoning (or packaged taco seasoning)

1 quart strawberries, rinsed, hulled and sliced

½ cup diced red onion

1 small yellow bell pepper, diced

½ jalapeño pepper, seeds and inner veins removed (or more to taste)

Juice and finely grated zest of two limes

1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

¼ cup (loosely packed) julienned fresh mint leaves

Fresh mint sprigs for garnish

               Pat the fish dry and rub with the olive oil. Sprinkle the seasonings evenly on both sides of the fish. You can do this earlier in the day and refrigerate, covered. Remove from the refrigerator about 20 minutes before cooking.

                In a bowl, mix the berries, onion, bell pepper, jalapeño pepper, lime juice and zest and balsamic vinegar. Refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to four hours.

                About an hour before serving, mix the julienned mint leaves into the salsa. When ready to serve, grill the fish filets over a medium-hot fire or broil about 4” below a preheated oven broiler. Fish should be just barely opaque in the center and flake easily.  Place the fish on heated dinner plates, divide the salsa among them and garnish with the mint sprigs.
 

NOTE: There are other fish that would work: amberjack, grouper, haddock or halibut. But I like fresh cod for this dish. It is readily available in specialty markets and in many supermarkets. It has a mild flavor, and is very affordable.

Amberjack and Peach Salsa...With a Little Help From My Friends!

                Today’s recipe comes with a little help from my friends.  We had guests coming who didn’t eat meat. I wanted to cook on the grill, so I took myself to the Paradise Seafood Truck at the Agricenter to pick up something fresh.  I had planned on using grouper but Ted, the fish man, suggested amberjack. I’d never cooked it before but he assured me that it would be perfect on the grill. And he suggested that I marinate in in half Italian dressing, half pineapple juice.

                I’m not much on bottled dressing but I figured the fish man knows what he’s talking about and tried it. It was perfect with the peach chutney I planned on using.  And there is where the second friend comes in. My next-door neighbor, Denise Anderson, had made a big batch of her fresh peach chutney and gave me a generous share. It was absolutely delicious and I knew it would go well with the fish.

                Amberjack is a fish that can be found in Florida waters around reefs, rock outcrops or even wrecked boats. It is not on the “bad” list of endangered species, which makes it a good choice besides the mild flavor and nicely firm texture.

                The salsa can be tweaked according to your taste. You might want more or less cilantro, ginger or hot sauce. It would also be delicious on grilled pork or chicken, and leftovers work just fine with corn chips for dipping.

                I served it with rice pilaf and black beans baked with a can of Rotel and a bit of brown sugar. It made for a delicious summer dinner.

Ted’s Grilled Amberjack with Denise’s Fresh Peach Salsa

Salsa:

4 ripe peaches, peeled and cut into small dice

3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and cut into small dice

5 green onions, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, leaves only, chopped

1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. cider or white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 tsp. hot sauce

Salt & pepper

 Fish:

3/4 cup Italian dressing

3/4 cup pineapple juice

2 lbs. amberjack filet, cut into six servings

Make the salsa: In a glass bowl, combine the peaches, tomatoes, onions, cilantro and ginger.

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, honey and hot sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss with the peach mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

                Mix together the Italian dressing and pineapple juice. Reserve about ½ cup for basting. Put the rest in a plastic bag with the fish.  Give it a shake to make sure all the fish is covered with the marinade and refrigerate for about an hour, turning the bag occasionally.

                The fish can be cooked on a hot grill, about 8 minutes on the first side and 5 minutes on the second, or until done through. It can also be cooked under your oven broiler for about the same amount of time, or even on a stove-top grill.  Baste with the reserved marinade several times while cooking.

                When done, top with the salsa and serve immediately. Serves six, with plenty of leftover salsa. Refrigerate leftover salsa up to several days.

NOTE: Don’t marinate for more than an hour or so. The acid in the marinade will start to “cook” the fish, like ceviche. Good for ceviche. Not good for grilled fish.