“Broiler Poached” Halibut
by Charlie Burke
Fresh halibut from New England waters is now available in local fish stores, and this firm, mildly flavored fish lends itself to many preparations, including our recipes for roasted swordfish (substituting white for the red wine), swordfish Provencal and even the Spanish preparation for hake with clams. In some areas, swordfish is over-fished, as are cod and haddock, so consider substituting halibut for these species.
Swordfish and salmon, with their high fat content, stand up well to high temperature broiling or roasting, but more care is required with the leaner species such as halibut. I usually remove it from the heat under-done, cooking it couple minutes fewer than required and leaving it covered with foil in the hot roasting pan to reach proper temperature (it’s ok to make small incisions to check, serving it when it is barely opaque in the center).
Halibut is most commonly sold as steaks; the bone which divides each steak into four pieces helps maintain moisture during cooking. The excellent fish department at the Hanover, N.H. Coop, however, featured thick, shiny fresh halibut fillets this week, and I decided to combine the advantages of poaching and broiling to preserve their delicate moisture and flavor. The liquid is a simple blend of white wine, water and olive oil flavored with shallots, saffron and a touch of tomato paste. Lemon juice and herbs would work as well, mixed with the oil or butter and dry white wine.
Two servings:
1 or 2 thick fillets of fresh halibut, weighing 12 – 16 ounces
½ cup water or fish stock
½ cup dry white wine
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to brush on fillets
1 teaspoon tomato paste or juice of ½ a lemon
Pinch of saffron (optional)
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
In an ovenproof roasting dish just large enough to hold the fish, heat the olive oil and sauté the shallots until softened but not browned. Add the wine, water or fish stock, tomato paste and saffron. Lightly season the fish with salt and pepper and brush with olive oil. If the fish is at room temperature, bring the liquid to a boil, then place fish into liquid; if the fish has come from the refrigerator, place fish into cold liquid and then bring to a boil. In either case, the liquid should reach to half the thickness of the fillet; add extra wine and water if necessary.
Place 3 -4 inches under the broiler and cook for 3 minutes less than the usual time of 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Heating the liquids shortens the cooking time, and the hot poaching liquid will continue to cook the fish. Serve as the center becomes barely opaque; check liquid, adding salt and pepper to taste, and moisten the fish with the cooking liquid.
This combination of poaching and broiling produces very moist and tender results, and the entire dish can be prepared in less than fifteen minutes. This was served with the end of last years’ peas, which had been vacuum sealed and frozen, along with a mix of brown and wild rice. Use this as a master recipe, substituting your favorite wine and flavoring to make the most of our fresh local fish.