Halibut With Anchovy Stuffed Olives Red Peppers And Oregano Food

GRILLED HALIBUT WITH FENNEL, RED ONIONS AND OREGANO

Steps:

• Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill over high heat.
• Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over the fish and season with salt and pepper. Grill 4 minutes on each side until fish is firm but not tough and cooked through. Grill bread alongside or char under broiler then dress with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper as well.
• Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat.
• While fish cooks, peel the orange as you would a melon: cut off ends, stand it upright and cut off skin and pith in thin strips from top to bottom. Cut orange across into thin slices.
• To preheated skillet add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, the fennel and onions, season with salt and pepper and cook 3 to 5 minutes until seared and beginning to soften. Add vinegar to the pan and give it a shake. Remove from heat and toss in the oranges, the parsley and oregano. Adjust seasoning and serve salad on dinner plates topped with fish, and seasoned bread alongside.

OVEN-ROASTED HALIBUT WITH BLACK OLIVE TAPENADE ON ROASTED RED PEPPERS (RAPE ASADO CON TAPENADA NEGRA Y PIMIENTOS MORRONES)

Steps:

• Put all of the tapenade ingredients into the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Scrape the tapenade into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. The tapenade may be made up to 3 days in advance.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Pat the halibut fillets dry with paper towels. Season the halibut steaks generously with salt and pepper. Heat the canola oil over medium-high heat in a large oven-proof frying pan (no plastic handles!) until hot but not smoking. Slip the halibut pieces skin side down into the pan and cook until the bottom side has is golden and the edges of the fish start to look opaque, about 3 minutes. Flip the steaks over and place in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes or until the steaks are just opaque in the center.
• While the fish is cooking, warm the red peppers in a skillet over low heat.
• To serve, place a small mound of red peppers on each plate and place the halibut on the mound. Using 2 teaspoons, form a quenelle (egg-shape) of tapenade and set atop the steak.
• The tapenade used to top the fillets keeps for a good long time in the refrigerator. You can use it to top just about any fish or chicken off the grill, stir it into salad dressings or as a sandwich spread.

PAN-SEARED HALIBUT WITH OLIVE OIL POTATOES

Steps:

• Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with lightly salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender when pierced with a knife. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, combine 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 clove sliced garlic. Sauté over low heat until lightly golden, then add anchovy and 1/4 teaspoon thyme leaves. Transfer to a small food processor and add olives, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon cold water. Purée until smooth and season to taste with white pepper; set aside.
• When potatoes are tender, drain and put through a food mill or mash them. Return to pot and place over low heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until potatoes start to stick to pot, then slowly add milk, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 pound butter. Stir until very smooth, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.
• In a medium saucepan, combine remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil with 3 cloves sliced garlic. Sauté over medium heat until garlic is aromatic. Add shallot and sauté until translucent. Stir in peppers, 1 teaspoon salt and sugar. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken stock and saffron; simmer, partially covered, until peppers are tender, about 8 minutes. Purée in a food processor, blender or with an immersion blender, and pass through a fine sieve. Transfer to a small pan and season with cayenne and salt to taste. Add 2 tablespoons butter and whisk or blend until frothy. Set aside and keep warm.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Season halibut fillets with salt and pepper to taste. Place a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat and add grapeseed oil. When oil is hot, add fillets presentation-side down. Cook for 1 minute on stove top, then place in oven for 5 minutes. Remove pan from oven and return to stove top on medium heat. Add remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter to pan. When it starts to foam, add remaining 2 cloves garlic and sprigs of thyme. Baste fish with butter for 1 minute. Remove fillets from pan when undersides are golden brown.
• To serve, place a large spoonful of potatoes in middle of four wide-rimmed plates or shallow soup bowls. Top with a halibut fillet, seared-side up. Place a spoonful of olive mixture on each fillet. Bring bell pepper emulsion to a boil and whisk until foamy, then pour around potatoes.

ROASTED PEPPERS WITH CAPERS, OLIVES AND ANCHOVY

Steps:

• Roast the peppers: Place each pepper directly on the flames of a stovetop burner or under the broiler as close to the flames as possible. (Alternatively, place the pepper on a hot charcoal or gas grill.) Turning frequently with tongs, allow the skin to blacken and blister all over; About 10 minutes should suffice. Remove from flames, and leave to rest on a plate until cool enough to handle. Ideally, you should cook all the peppers at once rather than one at a time.
• Cut the roasted pepper in half lengthwise. Using a small knife, scrape away and discard seeds. Turn over and scrape away the blackened skin. Wipe with a paper towel, if necessary. Do not rinse - a little char is fine. Leave the pepper halves in one piece or cut into strips 3/4-inch wide. Place in a small bowl, toss with salt and pepper, red-pepper flakes, garlic and a little olive oil. Leave to marinate at least 10 minutes.
• Lay pepper halves or strips flat on a plate and add 3 or 4 anchovy fillets per serving. Garnish with a few capers and olives. Sprinkle with a little more salt and olive oil, and scatter basil leaves over the top.

ROASTED PEPPERS WITH TOMATOES & ANCHOVIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Put the peppers into a large baking dish, toss with a little of the oil from the anchovy can, then turn cut-side up. Roast for 40 mins, until soft but not collapsed.
• Slice 8 of the anchovies along their length. Put 2 halves of tomato, several garlic slices, a few little rosemary sprigs and two pieces of anchovy into the hollow of each pepper. Drizzle over the olive oil, then roast again for 30 mins until the tomatoes are soft and the peppers are filled with pools of tasty juice. Leave to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

SEARED HALIBUT WITH ANCHOVIES, CAPERS AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat, and leave it there until hot. Add oil and butter together. Butter should sizzle. When butter foam subsides, add fish, and season it lightly with salt and pepper. Brown fish, basting with pan juices, then turn, and brown again. Do not worry about cooking through. Turn off heat, put fish on an ovenproof plate, and place it in oven.
• Turn heat under skillet to medium, and add anchovies and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until anchovies break up, just a couple of minutes. Add capers and wine, and turn heat to high. Cook until wine is reduced by half. Return fish and its juices to pan, and turn it in sauce once or twice. Fish should be cooked through by now. (A thin-bladed knife inserted into its thickest part will meet little resistance.)
• Taste sauce, add some lemon juice, then taste again. It should be strong-tasting but only mildly acidic. Remove fish to serving plate, spoon sauce on top, and garnish with parsley.