Halibut Poached In Lemon Fennel Court Bouillon Food

HALIBUT POACHED IN LEMON-FENNEL COURT-BOUILLON

Steps:

• Place potatoes in a saucepan, and add enough cold water to cover by about 2 inches. Add 1 teaspoon salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer briskly until just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, and return to pan to keep warm.
• Meanwhile, in a pot wide enough to accommodate halibut fillets in a single layer, combine 10 cups water, the wine, fennel wedges, lemon slices, and remaining 2 3/4 teaspoons salt.
• Place parsley, bay leaf, and some of the reserved fennel fronds between the leek halves, and tie together with kitchen twine. Add to pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer briskly until fennel is barely tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Reduce heat so that liquid is barely simmering (190 degrees to 200 degrees). Add halibut in a single layer. Cook, adjusting heat so that steam rises but only a stray bubble surfaces, until fish begins to flake when gently pressed and an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of fillets registers 140 degrees, about 6 minutes.
• While fish is cooking, slice potatoes 1/4 inch thick, and divide among 4 shallow dishes. Remove 6 lemon slices from pot, and finely dice the peel. Melt butter in a small saucepan, and stir in lemon juice.
• As soon as the fish is cooked through, lift each fillet from pot using 2 slotted spatulas, and divide among 4 serving dishes. Add fennel wedges to dishes. Spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cooking liquid over each fillet; sprinkle with diced lemon peel, and drizzle with lemon sauce. Garnish with remaining fennel fronds, and serve immediately.

COURT BOUILLON FOR POACHING FISH

Steps:

• For the bouillon: Place all ingredients in medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes. Strain and reserve. Can be refrigerated 3 days or frozen for months.
• For the fish: Run fingers over fish fillets to feel for tiny bones; if there are any, remove with needlenose pliers or tweezers. Lightly oil or butter the bottom of a deep skillet big enough to fit fish fillets in a single layer and place fish thus in skillet. Bring court bouillon to a simmer. Gently pour court bouillon over the fish, covering completely. Turn heat on very low so that liquid steams but does not quite simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and let fish sit in liquid an additional 5 minutes per inch of thickness. Start checking fish for doneness: a thin knife inserted in thickest part of fillet should meet with just slight resistance. Fish should still be slightly translucent in center. Remove fish from skillet with slotted spatula, blot the bottom lightly with a paper towel, and serve.
• For the almonds: Heat large nonstick skillet over medium flame. Add almonds and cook for 2 minutes, tossing frequently, until light brown and smelling toasty. Reduce heat to low. Drizzle oil over nuts and toss well. Sprinkle soy and lime juice over and toss well. Sprinkle cayenne, black pepper, garlic and scallion white/light greens over and toss very well. Continue to cook, stirring and tossing frequently, for 5 minutes or until nuts are dry and scallion and garlic are soft. Add scallion greens, toss again, and serve over poached bass or snapper with a wedge of lime.
• For the emulsion: Wash watercress and remove the thickest stems. Bring medium pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Have a medium bowl of ice water at hand for refreshing. When water returns to the boil, plunge watercress in and cook for 30 seconds. Drain watercress and quickly drop in ice water. When thoroughly chilled, drain watercress again and lightly squeeze out water. Chop blanched watercress roughly on cutting board. Place in blender and puree, adding a little water if necessary to get the mixture going. With blender running, gradually pour in oil until emulsion is formed. Add rest of salt and pepper, puree again and taste, adjusting seasoning if needed. Serve over poached salmon.

HALIBUT AU COURT BOUILLON

Steps:

• In a 6-quart heavy saucepan bring wine and water to a boil with onion, carrot, celery, salt and pepper and simmer 20 minutes. Add oil and halibut and poach fish at a bare simmer, covered, until just cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer fish with a slotted spoon to 8 plates. Spoon court bouillon over fish. Sprinkle fish with fresh coriander and garnish with lemon wedges.

HALIBUT IN SPICED COURT BOUILLON

Steps:

• In a 4- to 6-quart heavy saucepan bring wine and water to a boil with onion, carrot, celery, spices and salt and simmer 20 minutes. Add oil and halibut and poach fish at a bare simmer, covered, until just cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer fish with a slotted spoon to 2 plates. Spoon court bouillon over fish. Sprinkle fish with fresh coriander and garnish with lemon wedges.

OIL-POACHED HALIBUT WITH TOMATOES AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Simmer garlic, fennel bulbs, tomatoes, fennel seeds, sugar, bay leaf, zest, and 1 teaspoon salt in oil, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender but still intact, 30 to 40 minutes.
• While vegetables simmer, rub fish with 1 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and let stand 10 to 20 minutes.
• Transfer vegetables to a bowl with a slotted spoon, then submerge fish in oil (if necessary, to lift level of oil, return vegetables to pot) and cover surface of oil with parchment paper. Cook fish over medium heat (without simmering) 5 minutes and remove from heat. Let fish cook from residual heat (still covered with parchment) until just cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Carefully transfer fish to a platter using 2 metal spatulas. Discard bay leaf. Surround with vegetables. Drizzle with some of oil and sprinkle with chopped fronds. Serve warm or at room temperature.

HALIBUT WITH CARROTS, FENNEL, LEMON, AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with foil, leaving overhang as long as baking sheet. Brush foil with 1 tablespoon oil. Scatter sliced fennel in center of foil as bed for fish. Top fennel with lemon slices, then fish, spacing slightly apart. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Sprinkle carrots over fish; arrange tomatoes around fish. Drizzle 3 tablespoons oil over fish and tomatoes. Top with 16 thyme sprigs. Cover fish with foil overhang and seal. Bake fish until just opaque in center, about 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, blend remaining 3/4 cup olive oil and garlic in blender until smooth. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
• Open foil packet. Drizzle all of sauce over fish and vegetables. Reseal foil. Let fish cool at room temperature 1 hour. Chill overnight.
• Discard thyme sprigs. Using large spatula, transfer 1 fish fillet with fennel base to each of 8 plates. Divide tomatoes, carrots, and sauce among plates. Garnish fish with lemon wedges and fennel fronds.

POACHED HALIBUT IN LEMON THYME BROTHE

Steps:

• Using a vegetable peeler, remove zest from 2 of the lemons and juice the zested lemons. Transfer juice and zest to a straight sided skillet or sauce pan with a tight fitting lid. Add stock, garlic, and 4 sprigs of thyme. Bring to a boil.
• Salt both sides of the halibut and carefully place into the skillet. Cover the pan and turn off the heat. Let the fish stand in the stock for about 6 to 8 minutes until the fish is opaque white and firm to the touch. Transfer the fish to a heated platter and tent with foil to keep warm.
• Pour the broth through a cheesecloth lined sieve, discard solids. Return the broth to the skillet and bring to a boil, then turn heat off.
• Dived the broth between wide bowls and gently place a fillet in each. Cut remaining lemon into wedges. Garnish with a lemon wedge, sprigs of thyme and a drizzle of olive oil.

HALIBUT POACHED IN FENNEL BROTH

Steps:

• In a large, wide saucepan, combine carrots, celery, half the fennel, leeks, parsley stems, peppercorns, fennel seeds, bay leaves, salt, wine, and 4 cups water, and bring to a boil. Lower heat, and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes. Strain, reserving liquid and discarding solids.
• Return liquid to pan; simmer for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add potatoes and remaining fennel to the broth. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add halibut fillets, and cover. If liquid does not cover fish, add water until it does. Turn heat down to lowest setting.
• Cook until fillets are just opaque, 10 to 15 minutes (start checking after 7 minutes). Be careful not to overcook.
• Place a fillet in each of four shallow bowls. Divide vegetables among bowls, top with a little broth, and serve immediately.

HALIBUT AND LEMON-FENNEL SALAD

Steps:

• Combine first 4 ingredients in small bowl. Combine 1 1/2 t spice mix, 2 t oil, and garlic in a small bowl; rub garlic mixture evenly over fish. Heat 1 t oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add fish to pan and cook 5 minutes on each side or until done.
• Combine remaining 3/4 t spice mixture, 2 t oil, fennel bulb and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, tossing well to coat. Serve salad with fish.

POACHED HALIBUT

Steps:

• Place the fillets in a microwave-safe dish; sprinkle with bouillon. In a bowl, combine the next seven ingredients. Pour over fish. Place lemon over fillets. Cover and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove fish and keep warm. Strain cooking liquid; reserve 2 tablespoons., For sauce, place butter and garlic in a microwave-safe dish. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 45 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients and reserved cooking liquid. Cook 30 seconds longer or until bubbly. Serve over fish.