Best Poached Halibut Steaks With Nicoise Sauce Recipes

HALIBUT NIçOISE

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with water, season generously with salt, and bring to a boil. In the sink, prepare a bowl full of cold water and ice. Add green beans to the pot and cook for 45 seconds to 1 minute, then scoop out with a slotted spoon and transfer to ice water.
• Add potatoes to the pot of hot water and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are fork tender. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle. Leave the smaller potatoes whole, and halve or quarter any larger ones so they're bite-size.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix olives, anchovy and garlic, and set aside. In a large bowl, mix shallots and rice wine vinegar, and let stand for 20 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and a few turns of ground black pepper. Drain and add green beans, along with potatoes and tomato wedges, and toss gently to coat. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
• Fill a 12-inch skillet with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Crack each egg into a small bowl and fish out any pieces of shell. Slide eggs into the water and poach until white is set and yolk is still soft, about 3 minutes. Remove eggs with a slotted spoon to a bowl of warm water until ready to plate.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat a large ovenproof skillet, ideally cast iron, over high heat. Add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Pat the halibut dry with a paper towel and season all over with salt and pepper. Add fillets to hot pan, skin-side down, leaving at least 2 inches between each. (Cook fish in 2 pans or in 2 batches if needed.)
• Let fish cook until it releases easily from the pan, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip fillets, add butter to pan and transfer to the oven. After 2 minutes, baste fish with melted butter, then return to oven until it's just cooked through, slightly firm and golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes more.
• Divide lettuce among four plates, and top with dressed beans, potatoes and tomato. Add fish and top each fillet with a poached egg. Drizzle over any extra pan juice from the fish, along with a spoonful of the olive-anchovy mixture. Squeeze lemon juice over each plate and eat immediately.

BUTTER-POACHED HALIBUT

Steps:

• Clarify the butter: Preheat oven to 350 F. In a 4-quart, oven-safe saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and bring to a simmer, 5-7 minutes. Once white foam (milk solids) begins to form on the top, skim it off with a small ladle or spoon. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue skimming the milk solids until the butter is clear. Pour the clarified butter through a cheesecloth-lined strainer to catch the smaller milk solids. Set aside to cool to 155 F.
• Poach the fish: Season the fish on all sides with salt, about ¼ teaspoon per fillet. Gently lower the halibut into the clarified butter so all four fillets are submerged. Place the fish in the oven and bake, uncovered, 8 minutes.
• Assemble the dish: Fish is done when it's firm but not hard to the touch. Use a slotted spoon to remove the fish, drain off the butter, and plate. Serve with lemon wedges, crunchy salt, and dill.

TOMATO-POACHED HALIBUT

Steps:

• In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add poblano peppers and onion; cook and stir 4-6 minutes or until tender., Stir in tomatoes, olives, garlic, pepper and salt. Bring to a boil. Adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Add fillets. Cook, covered, 8-10 minutes or until fish just begins to flake easily with a fork. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges and, if desired, bread.

BROILED HALIBUT STEAKS, NICOISE

Steps:

• Cut garlic in half and rub fish steaks with cut sides. Brush fish with three tablespoons of the olive oil.
• Broil the fish steaks under a preheated broiler about five minutes, turn and broil on the other side about three minutes longer. Fish should not be quite cooked through.
• Place a slice of tomato on each fish steak, brush with remaining olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Broil two to three minutes longer, until the tomato is soft and beginning to brown around the edges. Remove fish steaks to a serving platter.
• To serve, place a slice of lemon centered on each tomato slice, top with two anchovies criss-crossed, sprinkle with parsley and place a black olive in the center. Serve at once.

GRILLED HALIBUT STEAKS WITH POTATOES, OLIVES, AND ONIONS

Steps:

• In a pot, cover potatoes with 2 inches water; generously season with salt. Bring to a boil over high heat; cook 8 minutes. Add onions; continue boiling until potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a knife and onions are crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes more. Drain; let cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, peel onions.
• Preheat grill to medium-high. In a wide, shallow dish, whisk together vinegar, mustard, and 1/2 cup oil. Chop enough oregano to yield 3 tablespoons (from 2 to 3 sprigs) and stir into vinaigrette with olives; season with salt and pepper. In another bowl, toss potatoes and onions with remaining 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Brush fish and remaining oregano sprigs with oil; season with salt and pepper.
• Brush grates with oil, add vegetables, and grill, turning a few times, 6 minutes. Add fish to grill and top with oregano. Cook fish and vegetables, turning fish once halfway through, until fish is just cooked and vegetables are charred in places and tender, 8 to 10 minutes more. Transfer to dish with vinaigrette, turning to evenly coat. Let stand, turning a few times, until no longer hot but still warm, 10 minutes. Meanwhile, grill split side of bread until charred in places, 1 to 2 minutes; slice. Serve fish, vegetables, and vinaigrette over greens, with grilled bread.

MARIO BATALI'S OVEN-POACHED HALIBUT IN OLIVE OIL

Steps:

• Put a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• Pat the fish fillets dry, then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Allow the seasoned fish to stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Chop half of the capers.
• Arrange half of the lemon slices in one layer in an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Arrange the fish fillets in one layer over the lemon slices. Top with all of the capers, the remaining lemon slices, and the 3 tablespoons of parsley, then pour the oil over the composed fish.
• Bake, covered, until the fish just flakes and is cooked throughout - 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Serve the fish with some of the lemon slices, capers, and oil spooned over. Sprinkle with parsley leaves.
• COOK'S NOTE:
• To reuse the leftover olive oil, strain it through a paper towel-lined sieve and allow it to cool to room temperature. It will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 1 week.
• Recipe adapted from: the website of The Jane Pauley Show (on which the technique was demonstrated).

POACHED HALIBUT STEAKS WITH NICOISE SAUCE

Steps:

• To make sauce, place tomatoes into boiling water for 10 seconds. Drain and pull away the skins. Cut away and discard core. Cut tomatoes crosswise and cut into 1/4-inch cubes. There should be about 1 cup.
• Place vinegar in a mixing bowl, and add oil, shallots, garlic, basil, black and green olives, orange rind and salt and pepper. Blend well with a wire whisk. There should be about 1 1/4 cups.
• To prepare fish, place fillets in a skillet large enough to hold them in one layer. Add enough water to cover fish. Add milk, onions, bay leaf, parsley, thyme, cloves, peppercorns, cayenne and salt.
• Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, depending on thickness of the fish, or until fish flakes easily. Do not overcook.
• Drain, remove bay leaf, parsley and thyme, and serve hot or warm with sauce.