Halibut With Saffron And Tarragon Sauce Recipes

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

HALIBUT WITH SAFFRON AND TARRAGON SAUCE.

Steps:

• In a heavy large skillet brown the fish fillets in the olive oil. Set aside. In the same skillet melt butter in over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic and saffron; sauté 2 minutes. Add vodka and 1 tablespoon tarragon. Increase heat to high; bring to boil. Stir cream into sauce in skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Add the browned filets. Lower the heat and cook covered until fish cooked inside. Serve and sprinkle rest of tarragon.