Pan Roasted Halibut with Wilted Butter Lettuce, Fresh Spring Peas, and Pine Nuts
- 1 cup stale bread, torn and soaked in water
- 1 cup pine nuts
- 1 1/2 cups plus 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 lemons, zest removed and reserved, juiced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
- Kosher salt
- 4 (7-ounce) portions halibut fillet
- 1 head butter lettuce, washed and roughly cut into 1-inch strips
- 1 cup spring peas, blanched in salted boiling water for 1 minute
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- For the pine nut sauce: Drain the stale bread of any excess water but do not squeeze.
- In a blender combine bread, 1/2 cup pine nuts, 1/2 cup olive oil, lemon juice, 1/2 clove garlic, and 2 pinches salt.
- Place the blended mixture in a fry pan and hold over a low flame to warm.
- For the bagna cauda: Over medium heat, warm 1 cup olive oil with the remaining 1 1/2 cloves garlic until just bubbling.
- Add the remaining 1/2 cup pine nuts and the reserved lemon zest.
- Remove from the heat and let stand.
- Season the halibut fillets generously with salt and pat dry.
- In a large fry pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over a high flame until it begins to smoke.
- Momentarily remove the pan from the heat to avoid splattering and gently place fillets into the pan.
- Immediately return the pan to the heat and let cook for 1 1/2 minutes.
- Place the pan in the oven to continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes.
- In the meantime, heat another large pan with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil until a drop of water sizzles.
- Add the butter lettuce, peas, and a pinch of salt.
- Fry quickly until wilted, about 2 minutes.
- Distribute the vegetables evenly in the center of 4 plates.
- Ladle the pine nut sauce around.
- Remove the fish from the oven and carefully flip each fillet, golden side up, onto the center of the plate.
- Generously spoon the bagna cauda over the fish and around the plate.
stale bread, nuts, extravirgin olive oil, lemons, garlic, kosher salt, butter, spring peas
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/pan-roasted-halibut-with-wilted-butter-lettuce-fresh-spring-peas-and-pine-nuts-recipe.html (may not work)