Monday, May 6, 2013

Pan Seared Wild Pacific Halibut w/ Lemon Wine Caper Sauce

When I got home from work this evening, it looked like it was going to rain...again.  So, I began trying to figure out how I would fix the wild caught halibut I picked up from Costco on Sunday -- it was an unusually beautiful piece that I cut into 2 fillets.  While I was pondering dinner...the sun suddenly peeked out, so I hurried up and put on my walking shoes and scooted out the door.  I managed to get a brisk 45 minute walk in before dinner -- I was thrilled!  I continued my "pondering about how to cook the halibut" while walking.  I decided to pan sear the halibut in a little olive oil and make a simple, quick and fresh lemon, wine, caper sauce to put on top of it.  The entire dinner only took about 15 minutes to put together and within 20 minutes, we were sitting down eating.  I heated my skillet with a little olive oil on medium-high heat, seasoned my 2 halibut fillets with a little sea salt and black pepper and cooked them for 3 minutes on each side until lightly browned and then transferred them to a plate and covered them with foil.  I added 1 large clove of finely minced garlic to the pan and sauteed it for about 1 minute, then poured about 1/4 cup of dry white wine (Chardonnay) into my hot skillet and reduced it by half (about 1 to 2 minutes).  After the wine had reduced, I whisked in about 2 tablespoons of butter until melted; then added salt and pepper to taste, 1 tablespoon capers, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon finely minced fresh parsley, about 1/3 cup of sliced miniature San Marzano tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest and then heated it about 2 minutes while swirling the sauce in the pan.  I placed the halibut on the plate and topped it with the sauce and sprinkled with a little more fresh parsley and lemon zest.  The fish was cooked perfectly and was extremely tender and moist and the sauce added lots of fresh flavor.  I served our fish with a big green salad...it was delicious!  I snapped a few photos for you to see below. Enjoy!



         

6 comments:

Jerry | Simply Good Eating said...

Lemon and fish tend to go really well together. Love your pan seared halibut :)

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Thanks, Jerry! :-)

Anonymous said...

Goodness gracious this looks incredible! I love "piccata" anything. Kudos to you for your dedicated walking routine, you are motivating me to do the same now that the weather is getting so nice. Sure beats walking on my treadmill! I know for me committing to a a regular exercise program along with going grain free will allow me to she'd those last 7 or 8 pounds. Great job as usual. Maria

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Thanks, Maria! I know I definitely prefer walking outside to walking on a treadmill! I bet it will help you lose the little bit of weight you have left! P.S.--When I walk on a treadmill...I end up counting the minutes for it to be over...but for whatever reason, when I walk outside...I go out intending to do 30 minutes and end up doing 45 minutes or an hour -- times goes by more quickly for me outside for some reason! Thanks for the kind comments = hope you get some nice weather to get outside for your walks too! :-)

Marco Buddha said...

I'm not a girl, but I do all the cooking for the family. This recipe was great. I used sliced caper berries and julienned Roma tomatoes, but otherwise followed exactly. Served with rotated baby reds and steamed broccoli with a bottle of principi di butera. Nice Friday night dinner to end the week. Thanks for posting.

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Marco,

I'm so happy you enjoyed it. It's so simple and so elegant. Your additions sound delicious! Nice wine choice also. I'm happy you liked it. Thanks for letting me know! :-)