Halibut “Puttanesca”
As you may have noticed, we’re eating a tad more than average amount fish (or at least more than average for us). One of the main reasons is that I signed up for a fish subscription, which has been slightly less overwhelming and a lot more fun that I expected. We’re getting a lot of variety and, with some minor bumps along the way, I’m learning all the different ways to prepare and dress up fish.
One thing I haven’t quite figured out is how to manage leftover fish well. We get four portions of each fish, and there are two adults and the baby - and although she eats a LOT (mostly blueberries), she’s not quite up to adult portion size yet. So we end up having a couple of portions left, and reheating in the oven or in the microwave doesn’t seem to do it justice. (Any thoughts on this would be well appreciated in the comments!)
This week’s delivery was halibut. I was pretty excited because this is a fish I have a bit of experience with, which I couldn’t say for the porgy or skate or catfish we’ve received in other weeks. Halibut is a pretty firm white fish that doesn’t get incredibly delicate and fall apart when cooked, although it is fork-tender. It’s pretty mild and sweet as far as fish goes, and it stands up well to strong flavors.
I’ve been playing a lot with Mediterranean flavors, so I decided to throw a classic set of strong Mediterranean flavors at it and I ended up pretty pleased with the result. I pan seared the halibut to get some color, and then made a quick pan sauce with green olives, garlic, anchovies, capers, and white wine. It smelled amazing - stop and put your face over the pan and breathe amazing. I turned the fish in the sauce, garnished with a little lemon and parsley, and there we had it - dinner.
I’ve been kind of thinking of this as a halibut puttanesca… it’s got all the flavors, minus the tomato. Tomato actually wouldn’t be out of place here, but I found this delightfully briny and satisfying as is.
This recipe is easily modified to suit your tastes - just include a little more of this or a little less of that. I used a green olive, Castelvetrano, but this could be good with black olives, too. If you’re opposed to anchovies, this would still be pretty tasty without them - but they do add a depth of flavor, so give them a try if you’re up for it.
Halibut “Puttanesca”
Servings: 4 | Time: 30 minutes | Inspiration: The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook
Halibut fillets - 1.5 lbs
Olive oil - 3 tbsp
Anchovy - 3 fillets, more or less to taste
Garlic - 2 cloves, minced (about a tablespoon)
Capers - 1 tablespoon, drained
Green olives, like Castelvetrano - 3, pitted
White wine, dry - ½ cup
Lemon juice - 1-2 tsp, to taste
Lemon zest, parsley or chives, for garnish
Season halibut with salt and pepper on both sides.
Heat a medium-large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil. When oil shimmers, add halibut to the pan, working in batches if needed to give the halibut space. Sear both sides of the halibut, 2-3 minutes per side. Remove halibut to a plate and cover to keep warm.
Reduce the heat to medium. In the same pan, add the anchovies and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring, until they start to break up. Add the garlic, olives, and capers and cook briefly, long enough to smell the garlic. Add white wine, turn heat to high, and cook until half the wine is evaporated. Add fish back to pan and spoon sauce over to coat in all that deliciousness. Cook a minute or so more, until fish is opaque (you can open the fillet a bit to see that it’s opaque all the way through).
Transfer fish to a plate. Add lemon to sauce, if using, and spoon over the fish. Garnish with chopped parsley or chives and grated lemon zest, if using.