BROWN BUTTER-POACHED HALIBUT WITH CELERIAC PURéE & CAPER CRUMBS

Brown butter-poached halibut with celeriac purée & caper crumbs image

This elegant seafood dish will really wow someone special with its delicate flavour and texture - pollock or plaice also work well

Provided by Good Food team

Time 1h5m

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

200g butter
1 shallot , finely chopped
1 bay leaf
4 peppercorns
2 skinless, boneless halibut fillets, cut from the thick end, about 100-150g/4-5.5oz each
cavolo nero , kale or spinach, to serve
knob of butter (from the amount above)
300g celeriac , peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
200ml milk
75ml double cream
knob of butter (from above)
4 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
1 heaped tsp capers , roughly chopped
1 tbsp roughly chopped parsley

Steps:

To make the purée, melt a small knob of butter in a saucepan, add the celeriac and cook over a medium-high heat until starting to brown a little, about 5 mins. Pour over the milk and cream, and season well - the celeriac should be just covered, so add more milk if needed. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 mins or until tender. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid, and transfer to a food processor. Blend until smooth, then sieve into a clean saucepan, pushing the celeriac through with the back of a spoon or spatula. Add a little of the cooking liquid to loosen the purée if needed, and taste for seasoning.
To make the crumbs, heat a small knob of butter in a frying pan, add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring, until golden brown. Throw in the capers and cook for 30 secs more. Tip into a bowl and leave to cool a little, then stir through the parsley.
Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 2. Gently melt the butter in a small ovenproof saucepan or frying pan, big enough for the fish fillets to fit snugly. Once melted, add the shallot, bay leaf and peppercorns. Keep heating until the butter turns a light brown colour and smells nutty. Leave to cool a little. Gently lower the fish fillets into the warm butter, basting any exposed fish, and transfer to the oven. Cook for 3-4 mins, depending on the thickness of the fish, then turn the fillets over and cook for a further 3-4 mins or until just opaque and feeling firm.
While the fish cooks, reheat the purée and steam the greens. To serve, spoon the purée into the centre of each plate; use the back of the spoon to spread out slightly into a circle. Top with the greens, then carefully place the halibut on top. Drizzle with a little of the poaching butter and scatter with the crumbs.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 753 calories, Fat 54 grams fat, SaturatedFat 32 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 31 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 9 grams sugar, Fiber 9 grams fiber, Protein 32 grams protein, Sodium 1.8 milligram of sodium