sa国际传媒 halibut is in season and it’s the best time of the year to prepare this fabulous fish that’s quite versatile. In past recipes, I’ve wrapped it in phyllo and baked it, filled dumplings with it and fried them, used it in fish tacos, and also steamed it and served it with teriyaki mango sauce.
Today, though, I decided to coat halibut fillets with a walnut crust and serve it with lemon honey sauce.
It’s fairly easy to prepare. To make the crust, you coarsely crush some walnut pieces and mix them with panko (coarse bread crumbs) and seasonings. To make the crust adhere, you brush the tops of each halibut fillet with a bit of mayonnaise spiced up with Dijon mustard.
The mayonnaise-coated part of the fish is set on the walnut mixture, you press down on the fish to make it stick, and then turn the fish crust-side-up and set on a baking sheet. Any walnut mixture left behind is sprinkled on top of the fish, creating quite a nice crust that turns a rich golden colour when baked.
Combining and simmering lemon juice and zest, honey, fish (or chicken) stock and cornstarch until thickened is how the sauce is made. It’s tangy, with some sweetness from the honey, and complements the flavour of the fish and the walnuts in the crust.
You could serve the halibut with a green vegetable, such as broccolini, greens beans or asparagus, and miniature potatoes, orzo, rice pilaf or risotto. The recipe serves two, but could be doubled or further expanded if you are feeding a larger group.
When buying the fish, opt for firm, almost translucent fillets that glimmer with freshness. If the fish appears soft, is not holding its shape well and/or is dull and dry looking, don’t buy it. It’s best to buy fresh halibut the same day you’ll cook it, but if very fresh you could store it, removed from its store packaging and set in a covered container, in the coldest part of your refrigerator for one day.
Walnut Crusted Halibut with Lemon Honey Sauce
sa国际传媒 halibut fillets, topped with a rich, crushed walnut mixture, are baked and served on a tangy, sweet, lemon honey sauce.
Cooking time: 12 to 14 minutes
Makes: two servings
Preparation time: 30 minutes
3 Tbsp walnut pieces, coarsely crushed (see Note)
2 Tbsp panko (see Note)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/8 tsp paprika
• salt and ground white pepper, to taste
2 (6 ounce/170 gram) halibut fillets
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp honey, plus more, if needed
1/4 cup fish or chicken stock
1 tsp cornstarch
2 lemon slices, halved, for garnish
Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place walnuts, panko, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl and mix to combine. Combine mayonnaise and mustard in a small bowl, and then brush the top of each halibut fillet with it.
Set a piece of the halibut, mayonnaise-side down, on the walnut mixture, pressing down on the fish to help it adhere. Set fish, crusted-side-up, on the baking sheet. Repeat with the second halibut fillet (see Eric’s options). Top the halibut with any walnut mixture left in the bowl. Bake the halibut for 12 to 14 minutes, or until just cooked through.
While fish cooks, make sauce by combing lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, stock and cornstarch in a small pot. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer 30 seconds. Turn heat to low. Season sauce with salt and pepper, and add a bit more honey to it, if you find it too tart.
When fish is cooked, make a generous pool of the sauce on each of two plates. Set a piece of the halibut on the sauce on each plate, garnish with lemon slices and serve.
Note: To coarsely crush the walnuts, place them in a thick plastic bag and hit with a kitchen hammer, or roll and crush them with a rolling pin.
Eric’s options: You can coat the fish with walnut mixture an hour or so before baking it. If you do that, keep the fish refrigerated until ready to bake, and add a minute or two to the cooking time, as it will be quite cold when you set it in the oven. The sauce for the fish could also be made in advance, cooled, covered, refrigerated and reheated when needed for the fish.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
