Update and Redux: J – This classic Asian herb sauce brightens up the Alaskan halibut very nicely, while maintaining a fusion-styled dish. When we first did the recipe, it was a wonderful flavor surprise. Now, the sauce is a staple. Easy to make. Fresh. Good spicy heat.
J – Forget the everyday-style Farmer’s Markets.
The ones in the Asian communities are really the best. There are more options … way more … probably 3x the number of different veggies and herbs. Most everything is super cheap and fresh. They will haggle over price, too.
You can even buy a live chicken, if you want. What more do you need?
Truth be told, Luke and I go to both. We just start at the Asian one. We have the luxury of being in Sacramento, where you can grow just about anything, and they’re right next to each other. By 8:00am on Sunday morning, the Asian market is getting warmed up. But, it’s not at all crowded. And, I’m not willing to go earlier.
This dish came out of a $1/huge bunch Chinese broccoli purchase. We got two. We also got dill, snap peas, spring onions, really fresh lemon grass, cilantro, mint and limes. We spent $8 for an arm-load of greens.
What to do with this stuff? After the usual five-nano-second discussion, we headed over to our local fish monger. We asked for halibut. They were getting a new shipment of Alaskan halibut the next day. We decided to wait. We were cooking on Monday, anyway.
| Alaskan Halibut Filet with Spicy Asian Herb Sauce and Chinese Broccoli |
- ¾ pound fresh Alaskan halibut fillet
- 3 Tbsp canola oil
- 6 limes, juiced
- 3 Thai chilies, chiffonade
- 1 lemon grass stalk, chopped finely
- 2 sprigs dill, chiffonade
- 1 Tbsp cilantro, chiffonade
- 1 Tbsp mint, chiffonade
- ½ bunch Chinese broccoli, base trimmed
- 10 snap peas
- 1 small spring onion, white and light green parts only, sliced thinly
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 cup cooked white rice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- In a small bowl, place lime juice, Thai chilies, lemon grass, dill, cilantro and mint. Mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Remove halibut skin. Sprinkle salt and pepper on all sides.
- In a large saute pan, place 2 tablespoons of oil and heat on medium high. Place halibut in pan and sear all sides until golden brown or medium rare. Less is more. DO NOT OVER-COOK.
- Meanwhile, in a medium pot with 2 inches of boiling water with a pinch of salt, blanch Chinese broccoli. About 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pot add snap peas. Blanch for just 1 minute. Remove and set aside.
- In a small saute pan, place one tablespoon of oil and heat on medium high. Place spring onions and saute until slightly soft, about a minute.
- Add oyster sauce and mix well.
- Add Chinese broccoli and snap peas. Quickly mix well to coat the vegetables. Remove from heat.
- On a serving platter or plate, place warm rice on the bottom.
- Top rice with Chinese broccoli and snap peas.
- Place halibut on top of vegetables.
- Top halibut with cilantro/dill/lemon grass mixture.
- Serve immediately.
- Enjoy!
Besides the amazing tastes, the really cool part about this dish is that it takes very little time to prepare. A little chopping. A little chiffonade. Make some rice. Do some blanching. Sear the fish. Plate. Eat. Enjoy!
Thanks, Luke, for getting me to the Asian market in time for the good deals.