Pan-Seared Halibut Steaks With Snap-Pea Sauce and Garnish
- 1 pound (about 4 1/2 cups) snap peas
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 shallots, halved and thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup homemade or low-sodium chicken stock
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
- 4 halibut steaks, about 8 ounces each
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 1/2 lemon
- Bring a large saucepan that is 2/3 full of salted water to a boil.
- Add the snap peas and cook until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Drain and immediately plunge the peas into cold water in order to halt the cooking.
- Cool, drain again and set the peas aside.
- In a small saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat and add the shallots.
- Cook, stirring, until the shallots soften, about 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and transfer shallots to the container of a blender.
- Add the stock, cream and 1/2 of the cooked peas and process until very smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing to push as much of the solids through the sieve as possible.
- Return the sauce to the pan and then set aside.
- Season the halibut with salt and pepper.
- Place a nonstick skillet large enough to hold the halibut in a single layer over high heat.
- Add the oil.
- When very hot, add the halibut fillets and cook, turning once, until they are just opaque in the middle, about 10 minutes.
- (Lower the heat if they seem to cook too quickly.)
- While the fish is cooking, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a small skillet set over medium heat and add the remaining snap peas.
- Cook, tossing, until just warmed through.
- Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Rewarm the sauce, season it with salt and pepper and divide it among 4 plates.
- Top each plate with a halibut steak, squeeze a little lemon over each steak and arrange the snap peas around the steak.
- Serve immediately.
peas, unsalted butter, shallots, chicken stock, heavy cream, kosher salt, peanut oil, lemon
Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/7611 (may not work)