Curried Halibut Cheeks

Halibut season is in full swing right now in Vancouver with beautiful fresh halibut to be found everywhere! I picked up some halibut cheeks and decided to try my hand at a fish curry...For some reason, the word Kerala was stuck in my head - must have been a subconscious thing. So I Googled Keralan Fish Curry. A million variations popped up. I had no idea which was authentic so I did a little reading up on Kerala itself. Kerala is located on the Malabar coast of south-west India and is known for its beaches, mountain ranges and wildlife sanctuaries - it is a huge tourist destination. Also, for over 2000 years, Kerala has been visited by seafarers of all ethnicities, resulting in a cuisine that is a combination of local dishes and foreign dishes adapted to Kerala tastes.

I ended up adapting a curry recipe that I found to my own needs. I have a feeling authenticity does not figure into this, but it did taste bloody good!

Curried Halibut cheeks

1 onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1 inch piece of ginger, minced
1-6 chilies, finely chopped ( I had one, so that is what I used)
1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate - (fish curries in Kerala commonly use black tamarind as a souring agent - I used what I had on hand)
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 or 4 tablespoon oil
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp Ground coriander
2 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp fenugreek
Salt and pepper -- to taste
1 lb Halibut cheeks


Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds and sauté until they start to pop. Add the dry spices quickly and stir just until they are absorbed by the oil. Do not allow the spices to burn. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilies and sweat until soft and sweet - take your time!
Mix the tamarind concentrate with the water.
Add the tamarind water, season with salt and pepper and simmer another 30 to 40 minutes to meld the flavors and reduce the liquid a little. Stir in the coconut milk. simmer 15 minutes.
Here is where I really went off the books. I used a hand blender to blitz the sauce a little, then I passed it through a sieve. I was left with this beautiful smooth gravy.
Stir in the fish and simmer slowly another 5 to 10 minutes. Serve!

I served mine with chili and cumin spiced kale stems, saffron rice and roti. Unfortunately, I was so hungry i didn't get a good photo, here's a rough one instead!

Cooking With Bloggers: Halibut II

halibut with pearl couscous and roasted tomatoes
Originally uploaded by kayaksoup.

I think I have mentioned my recipe gathering technique before; as I read blogs, any recipe that catches my eye gets bookmarked. Then, when I am searching for inspiration, I just scroll through the bookmarks. Once I make a recipe, I write it up, then delete it from my bookmarks so that I don't repeat anything.
This latest recipe comes courtesy of superspark, a new blog discovery for me. I adapted it to suit pour ingredients, but apart from that, there was no change to the recipe, which can also be found on epicurious.

Halibut with pearl couscous, slow-roasted tomatoes, and lemon oregano oil (serves 6)
Imade the six servings of tomatoes, as did superspark. Everything else I have scaled down.
Ingredients for tomatoes and lemon oregano oil:
6 plum tomatoes (1 lb), halved lengthwise
1 1/4 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
10 fresh basil leaves
12 whole fresh oregano leaves plus 3 tablespoons finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest, removed in strips with a vegetable peeler and finely minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Ingredients for couscous:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup pearl (Israeli) couscous
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for halibut
2(6-oz) pieces halibut
1 teaspoon olive oil
salt
2 tbsp Kalamata or other brine-cured black olives, pitted and quartered lengthwise

1. Roast tomatoes and prepare oil:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 250°F. Toss tomatoes with sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and arrange, cut sides down, in a small shallow baking pan.

Heat oil in a 9- to 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook garlic, stirring occasionally, until pale golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in basil and whole oregano leaves, then pour oil over tomatoes. Roast tomatoes until very tender but not falling apart, 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours.

Transfer tomatoes with a spatula to a large plate, then pour oil through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl or measuring cup, discarding solids. Stir in chopped oregano, zest, juice, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.
2. Cook couscous:
Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then toast couscous, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and pale golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add water and salt and simmer, covered, until liquid is absorbed and couscous is al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 10 minutes, then stir in 1 tablespoon lemon oregano oil. Season with salt.

3. Roast halibut while couscous stands:
Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 500°F. Line a shallow baking pan with foil. Arrange halibut in baking pan, then drizzle with olive oil, rubbing it over tops of fillets, and sprinkle with salt. Roast halibut until just cooked through, 10-12 minutes.

Divide couscous among plates. Transfer halibut fillet to each bed of couscous. Put 2 tomato halves on each plate, then sprinkle halibut with olives and drizzle with some lemon oregano oil.

Cooks’ note:
Tomatoes can be roasted 3 days ahead and chilled in oil in an airtight container. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.

Cooking With Bloggers: Halibut

I have found several recipes at passionate nonchalance that grab my eye; the lastest was this halibut dish. I stuck pretty close to aria's recipe, only leaving out one ingredient (mostly because I forgot).

Roasted Halibut with Olives

1 lg filet halibut, cut into serving pieces
unfiltered or good olive oil
handfull green olives
a few sprigs fresh rosemary, torn in half
2 cloves garic, thinly sliced
sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 375F. Place halibut in a baking dish. Scatter olives and rosemary over top, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15-30 minutes or until halibut is just cooked through. Serve with lemon wedge on the side.

The fish was very flavourful without being overwhelmed by the other components of the dish. Thank you aria, for another winner!