Halibut And Clams With Bell Peppers And Saffron Recipes

SAFFRON HALIBUT PACKETS

Steps:

• For the tea: Add the saffron threads to the white wine, and let the flavors steep for 10 minutes.
• For the packets: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the fillets onto a plate, and stain each one with a few steeped saffron threads from the tea, and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes.
• In a medium saute pan, pour in the remaining saffron tea, capers, carrots, orange zest, orange juice, and white wine. Bring the ingredients up to a simmer, and cook until the carrots are slightly tender, approximately 2 minutes. Stir in the butter, and season with salt, to taste, and remove the pan from the heat.
• Tear off 4 pieces of foil or parchment paper large enough to wrap up each fish fillet and vegetables (not too tight.)
• Place the whole green onion pieces in the center of the parchment. Lay a bed of carrot mixture over the whole green onions. Season the halibut with salt, and pepper, to taste, and place the fillets over the carrot mixture. Spoon the remaining sauce, and carrots over the fish, and fold up the parchment edges (not too tight), creating a sealed packet.
• Set the packets on a sheet tray, and bake until the fish is just cooked through, approximately 10 minutes.
• Once cooked, open the packets, and garnish the halibut with the green onion slivers.
• In a pot, melt the butter over medium heat, add the green onion whites, and garlic, and sweat until tender. Add in the saffron threads, and stir.
• Stir in the rice, ensuring the grains are well coated with the saffron-butter mixture.
• Pour in the water, and stir to combine.
• Bring the cooking liquid to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to a simmer.
• Cook the rice until the rice is fully cooked, about 25 minutes.
• Season the rice with salt, to taste.

HALIBUT AND CLAMS WITH BELL PEPPERS AND SAFFRON

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic and thyme; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in wine and saffron. Add clams. Cover and simmer over medium heat until clams open, about 8 minutes (discard any clams that do not open). Remove from heat.
• Using tongs, transfer clams to bowl. Remove meat from shells; reserve meat. Strain cooking liquid and any accumulated clam juices into medium saucepan; discard solids. Add bottled clam juice to cooking liquid. Bring liquid to boil. Add peppers. Set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Add to skillet; cook until golden on bottom, about 2 minutes. Using spatula, turn fish over. Pour pepper mixture over fish. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until fish is just cooked through, about 3 minutes.
• Using slotted metal spatula, transfer fish to shallow soup plates. Add clam meat to skillet; stir just until heated through. Spoon over fish. Sprinkle with cilantro and basil.

HALIBUT FILLETS WITH CREAMY SAFFRON SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk yogurt together with salt, pepper, Aleppo pepper or cayenne, and shallot. Rub saffron between your fingers to crush it, then stir it into yogurt mixture. Let sit for about 20 minutes (or covered and refrigerated for up to 2 hours). Just before serving, add juice, taste, and adjust seasoning.
• Sprinkle halibut with salt and Aleppo pepper or cayenne. Put butter in nonstick skillet large enough to hold halibut, and turn heat to medium. When the butter melts, add fish, and cook gently, turning once or twice, until a thin bladed knife meets little resistance when inserted into the thickest part, generally less than 10 minutes.
• Serve fish hot, warm, or at room temperature, with the sauce spooned over it.

ROASTED HALIBUT WITH SAFFRON-FENNEL BUTTER

Steps:

• Combine 1 tablespoon butter and the saffron in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave until the butter melts, about 1 minute. Let cool 5 minutes. Place the remaining butter and the fennel seeds in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add the melted saffron butter, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and continue pulsing until the butter is bright yellow. Transfer to a piece of plastic wrap and form into a 4-inch log; freeze until firm, about 20 minutes. (The saffron butter will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.)
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the sliced fennel, garlic, the juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons water in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons water and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cover with foil and bake until the fennel is tender, about 20 minutes.
• Toss the tomatoes with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Scatter the tomatoes over the fennel. Set the halibut on top of the vegetables; drizzle with the juice of the remaining 1/2 lemon and season with salt and pepper.
• Bake, uncovered, until the halibut is firm and no longer translucent, about 12 minutes; remove from the oven and top each piece with a thin slice of saffron butter. Return the halibut to the oven and bake until the butter just begins to melt, about 2 more minutes. Serve with fennel fronds.

ROASTED HALIBUT WITH TOMATOES, SAFFRON, AND CILANTRO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Place all tomatoes in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to combine. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper; place atop tomatoes.
• Whisk oil, vinegar, green onions, chopped cilantro, basil, and saffron in small bowl to blend. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Pour dressing evenly over fish. Let stand 10 minutes.
• Bake until fish is opaque in center, about 10 minutes. Cool slightly. Place 1 fillet on each of 8 plates. Season tomato mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Top fish with tomato mixture, dividing equally. Garnish with cilantro sprigs. Serve warm.

SEAFOOD, SAUSAGE AND BELL PEPPER PAELLA

Steps:

• Combine oregano, thyme and parsley in small bowl. Transfer half of chopped herbs to processor. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon red wine, peppercorns, coriander, 3 minced garlic cloves, cayenne, salt and vinegar. Blend until coarse paste forms. Place chicken on large plate. Rub all but 2 tablespoons paste mixture over chicken. Cover and chill until ready to use.
• Divide 1/4 cup olive oil between 2 large Dutch ovens or heavy large deep skillets over medium heat. Divide chorizo, onions, tomatoes, ham, salt pork, remaining chopped herbs and remaining 5 minced garlic cloves between Dutch ovens. Cook until onions are soft but not brown, crumbling sausage with fork and stirring frequently, about 15 minutes. Transfer chorizo mixture to large bowl. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate remaining 2 tablespoons herb paste, chicken legs and chorizo mixture separately.)
• Divide remaining 1/4 cup olive oil between Dutch ovens. Add half of chicken and Italian sausages to each Dutch oven and cook until brown and partially cooked, turning frequently, about 8 minutes for sausages and 12 minutes for chicken. Transfer to plate. Return half of chorizo mixture to each Dutch oven.
• Meanwhile, bring stock and clam juice to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Add saffron and mix well.
• Add half of rice to each Dutch oven. Cook over high heat until opaque, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Divide remaining herb paste and remaining 7 tablespoons wine between Dutch ovens. Bring to simmer, scraping up any bits. Stir half of stock mixture into each Dutch oven. Divide shrimp, clams, mussels, fish and bay leaves between Dutch ovens. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until rice is very tender, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. Discard any clams or mussels that do not open.
• Meanwhile, prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush grill and lobster with vegetable oil. Place lobsters on grill shell side down. Add chicken and grill until lobster and chicken are cooked through, turning occasionally, about 15 minutes. Transfer to large plate. Tent with foil to keep warm. Add Italian sausage and bell peppers to grill and cook until sausage is cooked through and pepper are brown in spots, turning frequently, about 10 minutes. Transfer sausages and peppers to another plate. Cut sausages into 2-inch pieces. Cut bell peppers into 1/2-inch-wide strips.
• Divide chicken, lobster, sausage, peppers and peas between Dutch ovens. Cover, remove from heat and let stand 15 minutes. Rearrange shellfish and peppers decoratively atop rice. Serve with lime and lemon wedges.

ROAST HALIBUT WITH CHORIZO AND SPICY TOMATO BROTH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Heat the olive oil in a small ovenproof skillet over moderate heat. Add the chorizo and brown on all sides, about 3 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the sausages feel firm, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly, then cut into 1-inch-thick slices.
• Put the potatoes in a saucepan with salted water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, adjust the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced, about 15 minutes. Drain and let cool. Peel, then cut into 1-inch chunks.
• For the tomato broth: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over high heat. Add the bell peppers and sauté, stirring, for about 3 minutes to soften them, then add the garlic and chile flakes. Lower the heat and cook for about 1 minute to release the garlic fragrance, then add the tomatoes and the oregano, rubbing the herb between your fingers. Simmer briskly until the tomatoes soften, about 2 minutes, then add the stock and wine. Simmer for about 5 minutes to thicken the liquid slightly, then add the chorizo and potatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes to develop the flavor. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
• Season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper. Arrange the fillets on top of the stew, then cover and simmer gently until the fish is fully cooked, about 10 minutes. Divide the chorizo, potatoes, and broth among 4 soup bowls, then top each portion with a fish fillet. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve immediately.
• Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Carneros Pinot Noir or another medium-bodied red wine with zesty fruit.