Halibut With Parsley Shellfish Sauce Recipes

HALIBUT WITH PARSLEY-SHELLFISH SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut halibut in half at central ''seam,'' then cut each half in 8 slices about 1/4-inch thick. Brush slices with olive oil on both sides. Place 4 slices side-by-side on a 6-inch-square piece of parchment paper. Top with another piece of parchment. Repeat with remaining halibut. Set packages aside.
• With food processor running, drop 1/4 cup parsley through feed tube. Process until minced. Add butter to processor and process until well blended. Remove to a dish.
• Place wine, bay leaf, fennel, shallot and garlic in a saucepan with tight-fitting lid. Cook uncovered over medium-high heat until wine is reduced to about 1/2 cup. Add cockles, cover, lower heat and simmer until they open, about 5 minutes. Remove cockles, shuck into small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside.
• Strain cooking liquid, pressing on solids, into clean saucepan. Simmer until reduced to 1/4 cup. Over very low heat, whisk in parsley butter about a tablespoon at a time. Add lemon juice. Taste for seasoning, adding white pepper. Fold in cockles and crab meat and cover to keep warm.
• Place a 10- to 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place one package of halibut in pan, cook 30 seconds on each side and remove from pan with spatula. Repeat with remaining fish. Peel off paper and arrange four slices of fish on each of four warm plates, making a square. Season lightly with fleur de sel and pepper.
• Spoon warmed seafood butter sauce into the center of each square, then spoon a little around the outside. Garnish with parsley and serve.

PAN-ROASTED HALIBUT WITH CLAMSHELL MUSHROOMS AND LEMON BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in heavy skillet over medium-high heat until butter melts and begins to foam. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt; saute in hot butter and oil golden brown, about 5 minutes. Push mushroom to the edges to clear a space in the center of the skillet.
• Season halibut on each side with salt and cayenne pepper. Place halibut fillets in the center of the skillet and cook until the fillets begin to flake, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer halibut to a warm serving plate.
• Pour the water into the pan and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, until water is reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour lemon juice into mushroom mixture and stir.
• Stir butter and parsley into mushroom mixture. Stir constantly until butter melts and forms a sauce; remove from heat and season with salt and black pepper. Spoon sauce and mushrooms over halibut.

ROASTED HALIBUT WITH MUSSEL BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine kelp with 4 cups of cool water and let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Reserve 2 cups of the kelp water.
• On a lightly greased rimmed sheet pan, arrange half of the softened kelp in the center, allowing excess water to drip off kelp and slightly overlapping the pieces. (Do not squeeze water out of the kelp). Rub halibut with 2 tablespoons of oil and season with salt. Set halibut in the center of the kelp and lift kelp over the sides of the fish. It should stick to the fish. Top halibut with the remaining kelp, slightly overlapping, and tuck the kelp loosely underneath the fish to enclose it.
• Roast halibut until just opaque in the center, about 15 minutes. A metal cake tester or skewer inserted in the center of the fish should feel warm to the touch. Transfer wrapped halibut to a serving platter.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot, combine clam juice and the reserved kelp water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add mussels, cover and cook until mussels open, 2 to 3 minutes; begin checking mussels at 2 minutes and transfer them to a bowl as they open (discard any that do not open). Tent with foil to keep warm. Pour mussel broth into a separate bowl, leaving behind any grit in the pot, and reserve the broth. Rinse out pot to remove any grit.
• Combine 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice with the saffron in a small bowl and mix well. In the rinsed pot, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium. Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add reserved mussel broth (and any juice that has drained from the mussels) and saffron-lemon juice, and bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently to allow flavors to meld, about 5 minutes. Discard garlic.
• While whisking constantly, add butter 1 tablespoon at a time, blending in each addition before adding the next. Then, whisk in heavy cream. Gently simmer until sauce is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, parsley and tarragon, and season with salt. You should have about 2 cups of sauce.
• Remove the top layer of kelp to reveal halibut. You can serve the kelp to eat with the fish or discard it. Arrange mussels around halibut, removing the top shells for easier eating if you'd like. Spoon some sauce over the mussels and fish, and garnish with parsley and tarragon.
• To serve, divide the fish and mussels among plates. Garnish with more parsley and tarragon. Serve with the remaining sauce on the side.