Braised Halibut With Coriander Carrots And Pearl Couscous Recipes

SEARED HALIBUT WITH CORIANDER & CARROTS

Steps:

• Prepare the halibut: Toast the coriander and fennel seeds in a medium frying pan over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and crush with a mortar and pestle, or transfer to a clean spice grinder. Grind to a fine powder. Add the turmeric and cayenne. Set aside 1/4 teaspoon of the spice blend; reserve the remaining spice blend.
• Lay out your halibut on a baking sheet/tray and season with salt and pepper. Brush or drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and rub the remaining spice mixture over the fish on both sides. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Prepare the carrots: While the fish rests, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, fill another bowl with ice and water to create an ice bath. When the water boils, add the carrots and cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer them to the ice bath with a slotted spoon. Pull them out after about 2 minutes and set aside.
• Make the yogurt sauce: Toast the mustard seeds in a pan the same way you did with the coriander and fennel seeds. Crush or grind and stir together with yogurt, olive oil, and grated ginger. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a small bowl.
• When the table is set, heat a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the halibut fillets to the pan and let cook untouched until they begin to release easily from the pan, about 4 minutes. Gently flip and cook the other side until the fish is just cooked through but still slightly translucent in the center. Remove the fish to the platter.
• Heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in another large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the carrots and toss to coat. Season with salt. Add the shallot and cook until just beginning to soften but still purple, about 2 minutes. Pull from the heat and transfer the carrots to a plate or platter. Add the 1/4 teaspoon reserved spice blend to the residual oil in the pan. Spoon the flavored oil over the carrots and finish with parsley.
• Serve fish and carrots on 2 pretty plates with carrots. Drizzle with yogurt sauce or serve the sauce in a small bowl alongside.

BRAISED HALIBUT

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a skillet just wide enough to hold the fish. When hot add the vegetables and saute for a minute or so just to get them sizzling. Add the wine, cover and cook over very low heat until wilted, about 10 minutes.
• Set halibut over the vegetables, season with salt and pepper and add stock or broth just to cover. Simmer, covered, over low heat, until fish is just done, about 10 minutes.
• With a slotted spatula, remove haibut from the liquid and divide into two portions. Set each portion in the bottom of a deep soup plate and garnish with carrot threads or snow peas; season the broth and spoon it over the top; garnish with black sesame seeds if you wish.

BRAISED HALIBUT WITH CORIANDER CARROTS AND PEARL COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Melt one tablespoon butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add couscous and cook stirring frequently, until half of grains are golden about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 cups water. Increase heat to highand bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until water is absorbed and couscous is tender, 9 to 12 minutes.
• While couscous cooks, peel carrots then shave lengthwise into ribbons with vegetable peeler. Cut shallots in half through root and slice thin.
• Pat halibut dry with paper towels and season with salt. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in 12 inch skillet over low heat. Place halibut in skillet, skinned side up, increase heat to medium and cook shaking pan occasionally until butter begins to brown(fish should not brown) 3 to 4 minutes. Using spatula carefully transfer halibut to large plate, skinned side down.
• Add coriander, carrots and shallots to skillet with butter and cook until they begin to soften, 2 to 4 minutes. Add wine and bring to gentle simmer. Place halibut, skinned side down, on top of vegetables. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook unitl halibut flakes apart when gently prodded with a paring knife, 10 to 14 minutes.
• While halibut cooks, squeeze 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice from 1 lemon and cut remaining lemon into wedges. Chop 1/4 cup cilantro. Transfer couscous to bowl and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons cilantro. When halibut is done, remove from heat and transfer halibut and vegetables to serving platter, leaving sauce in skillet.
• Return skillet with sauce to high heat and cook until sauce is thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Toss couscous with 2 tablespoons of sauce asd spoon reamining sauce over fish and sprinkle fish with reaming 1 tablespoon of cilantro.