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Halibut
Cheeks Braised in a Saffron Lobster Sauce, Roasted Pepper Polenta, Fennel and
Tomato Salata with House-Made Ricotta By Executive Chef Jeremy McLachlan
Serves 4
We always present our guests with halibut cheeks to start our annual Just for the Halibut Festival in March. Fishermen praise halibut cheeks for their sweet taste. They have a scallop-like texture. Enjoy!
Lobster Braised Halibut Cheeks
1 pound Halibut Cheeks
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup lobster stock (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Roasted Pepper Polenta (recipe follows)
½ cup Fennel Tomato Salata (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons house-made ricotta, garnish (recipe follows)
Cut the cheeks into equal size pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a large sauté pan to medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon canola oil and heat. Sear halibut cheeks on one side until golden brown. Flip cheeks over and pour in lobster stock (see recipe below). Cover pan and cook for 4 minutes. Uncover and reduce heat to medium low. Add butter and swirl in pan without breaking up the fish.
To Serve: Place red pepper polenta in bowl or center of plate. Place halibut on top of polenta and top with Fennel Tomato Salata. Add a dollop of ricotta cheese.
Chef’s Notes: If there is any lobster stock left over just place it in ice cube trays and freeze. After they’re frozen place cubes in a Ziploc bag and then every time you need to add lobster flavor to a soup or mashed potatoes or pasta just throw in a lobster ice cube!
Lobster Stock
1 each lobster
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ cup white wine
1 carrot, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
½ yellow onion, chopped
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon peppercorn whole
1 teaspoon fennel seed whole
2 bay leaves
3 cups ice cold water
1 pinch saffron
Buy a lobster from your local fish market. If necessary, you can ask them to
kill it but tell them not to clean it. You have to get your hands dirty a little
bit. Take the claws off and pull the tail away from the head. Take the meat
out of the tails and the claws. I suggest having a pot of boiling water and
placing the claws in there for 30 seconds and then into ice water. The tail
meat should be easy to pull out.
Take the outer shell off of the head. You should see grey to brown strips along
either side of the head. These are the lungs. They need to be removed. Just
cut them off with scissors or pull them off with your hands.
Heat the oil in large sauce pan. Dice up the shells using a hammer or knife and keep the meat separate for later use. Cook the shells for 4 minutes then add the tomato paste. Caramelize the tomato paste or cook until it is sticking but not burnt. Add the white wine. Add carrot, onion, thyme, peppercorn, fennel seed and bay leaf. Cook ten minutes. Add the water and place on medium low heat. Simmer for 2 hours.
Strain through a fine mesh or cheesecloth. Make sure to let it strain a good amount of time so you do not miss any of it. Add the saffron and reserved lobster meat to the hot stock. Set aside or let it cool in the refrigerator if you are making it for the next day.
Fennel and Tomato Salata
½ fennel bulb, sliced razor thin
2 Roma tomatoes, seeds removed and cut into thin strips
2 sprigs thyme, chopped
4 parsley leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1½ tablespoons olive oil
Pinch of salt
Combine all ingredients in small mixing bowl and toss to combine. Set aside.
House-Made Ricotta
1½ cups whole milk
Juice of 1½ lemons
Salt to taste
In small saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the milk until just before scalding (if it burns your finger it is too hot). Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and cover with plastic wrap. The mix should look separated and if it doesn’t add juice from a half lemon and heat it slightly. Strain through cheesecloth and set aside for two minutes. Season with salt. Refrigerate.
Roasted Pepper Polenta
1 cup water
2 cups cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarse corn meal
½ red pepper, roasted, seeded, peeled and puréed in blender
2 tablespoon sour cream
1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup tablespoon Parmesan cheese, shredded
In a medium saucepan bring water, cream and salt to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Slowly add corn meal, stirring constantly with a wire whisk for three minutes. Remove from heat. Add puréed red pepper, sour cream, butter and Parmesan cheese and stir until combined. Keep warm.
