Poached Halibut Steaks With Nicoise Sauce

• 4 small ripe plum tomatoes, about 1/2 pound
• 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 4 tablespoons virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
• 4 tablespoons fresh basil or parsley
• 8 small pitted black nicoise olives, chopped coarse
• 8 small pitted green nicoise olives, chopped coarse
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 boneless, skinless halibut fillets, about 6 ounces each, or any white fleshed fish, like turbot
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 parsley sprigs
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried
• 2 whole cloves
• 6 black peppercorns
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Salt to taste

1. To make sauce, place tomatoes into boiling water for 10 seconds.
2. Drain and pull away the skins.
3. Cut away and discard core.
4. Cut tomatoes crosswise and cut into 1/4-inch cubes.
5. There should be about 1 cup.
6. Place vinegar in a mixing bowl, and add oil, shallots, garlic, basil, black and green olives, orange rind and salt and pepper.
7. Blend well with a wire whisk.
8. There should be about 1 1/4 cups.
9. To prepare fish, place fillets in a skillet large enough to hold them in one layer.
10. Add enough water to cover fish.
11. Add milk, onions, bay leaf, parsley, thyme, cloves, peppercorns, cayenne and salt.
12. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, depending on thickness of the fish, or until fish flakes easily.
13. Do not overcook.
14. Drain, remove bay leaf, parsley and thyme, and serve hot or warm with sauce.

tomatoes, redwine vinegar, virgin olive oil, shallots, garlic, fresh basil, black nicoise olives, green nicoise olives, orange rind, salt, milk, onions, bay leaf, parsley sprigs, thyme, cloves, black peppercorns, cayenne pepper, salt

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/3813 (may not work)