Pan-Roasted Halibut with Toasted Breadcrumb Salad and Green Lentils

Pan-Roasted Halibut with Toasted Breadcrumb Salad and Green Lentils

Ingredients:

Green Lentils

• 1 cup dried french green lentils, picked over and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 cup finely diced carrots
• 1/4 cup finely diced celery
• 1/4 cup finely diced onions
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
• 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Toasted Bread-Crumb Salad

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup coarse breadcrumbs (handmade is best)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped lemon zest

Lemon Vinaigrette

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoons minced shallots
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Halibut

• Olive oil for pan-roasting
• Four 6oz portions of wild Alaskan Halibut
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. To prepare the lentils, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the lentils, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, add the garlic, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the carrots, celery, and onions and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes. Add the lentils, chicken stock, and chopped herbs and bring to a boil. Add the butter, stirring until emulsified, and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

2. To make the bread-crumb salad, heat the oil over medium-high heat in a sauté pan, then add the breadcrumbs and panfry until golden and crunchy, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool.

3. To make the lemon vinaigrette, combine the lemon juice and shallots. Slowly whisk in the oil. Season with salt and pepper.
4. In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, chopped parsley, parsley leaves, and lemon zest. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the vinaigrette for drizzling on the fish later and combine the remaining vinaigrette with the breadcrumbs.
5. To pan-roast the halibut, heat a large saute pan over high heat with a few tablespoons of olive oil until almost smoking. Season the fish with salt and pepper and sear until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and finish cooking, about 2 minutes. We grilled the halibut on the bbq, which also turned out great.
6. To plate, ladle the lentils into 4 wide, shallow bowls. Place the fish in the center of each bowl, drizzle with a little of the vinaigrette, and top with the breadcrumb salad.

Seattle Kitchen Cookbook by Tom Douglas