Halibut is a wonderful fish but is easy to over cook. Don’t have the pan too hot and allow the fish to rest for a couple of minutes after cooking.
4 potatoes (I used Maris Piper), peeled and cut into 1.5cm chunks
3 tbsp goose or duck fat
4 halibut fillets
25g butter
400g spinach, washed
Butter sauce
50 ml white wine vinegar
40 ml dry white wine
2 tbsp finely chopped shallot
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp white peppercorns
30ml double cream
200g unsalted butter, cubed
Preheat the oven to 230C fan. bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, drop in the potatoes and par boil for 10 minutes. Drain and shake them in the pan so they become rough on the outside. Put the goose or duck fat in a baking tray (that will fit the potatoes) in the oven until smoking hot.
When the fat is hot, add the potatoes with a good grinding of black pepper and roast for 30-40 minutes, shaking the pan half way through.
Start the sauce. In a small saucepan, add the white wine, vinegar, bay leaf, shallot and white peppercorns. Bubble until reduced to 1 tablespoon. Pass through a sieve and pour back into the pan.
Prepare the halibut, use paper towels to pat off any excess moisture. season well with salt on both side. Add the butter to a non stick pan over a medium heat. When the butter is frothy, add the fillets and cook for 3 minutes, lower the heat, turn the fish over and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove from the pan to rest in a warm place.
Finish the sauce by heating up the vinegar reduction, add the cream and a pinch of salt, let it boil for 1 minute, reduce the heat to low and start to whisk in the butter a piece at a time. Continue to do this whisking constantly, when you’ve used half the butter, remove from the heat and continue to whisk a few pieces at a time, taste and add some more salt if necessary and set aside.
Heat a saucepan, drop in the spinach with a generous sprinkling of salt and using tongs, move the spinach around until all the leaves start to wilt.
Divide the spinach between 4 plates, top with the fish, place some roast potatoes around the plate and finish with butter sauce.
Ingredients
- 4 potatoes (I used Maris Piper) peeled and cut into 2 cm chunks
- 3 tbsp goose or duck fat
- 4 halibut fillets
- 25 g butter
- 400 g spinach
Butter sauce
- 50 ml white wine vinegar
- 40 ml dry white wine
- 2 tbsp finely chopped shallots
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp white peppercorns
- 30 ml double cream
- 200 g unsalted butter cubed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 230C fan. bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, drop in the potatoes and par boil for 10 minutes. Drain and shake them in the pan so they become rough on the outside. Put the goose or duck fat in a baking tray (that will fit the potatoes) in the oven until smoking hot.
- When the fat is hot, add the potatoes with a good grinding of black pepper and roast for 30-40 minutes, shaking the pan half way through.
- Start the sauce. In a small saucepan, add the white wine, vinegar, bay leaf, shallot and white peppercorns. Bubble until reduced to 1 tablespoons. Pass through a sieve and pour back into the pan
- Prepare the halibut, use paper towels to pat off any excess moisture. season well with salt on both side. Add the butter to a non stick pan over a medium heat. When the butter is frothy, add the fillets and cook for 3 minutes, lower the heat, turn the fish over and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove from the pan to rest in a warm place.
- Finish the sauce by heating up the vinegar reduction, add the cream and a pinch of salt, let it boil for 1 minute, reduce the heat to low and start to whisk in the butter a piece at a time. Continue to do this whisking constantly, when you've used half the butter, remove from the heat and continue to whisk a few pieces at a time, taste and add some more salt if necessary and set aside.
- Heat a saucepan, drop in the spinach with a generous sprinkling of salt and using tongs, move the spinach around until all the leaves start to wilt.
- Divide the spinach between 4 plates, top with the fish, place some roast potatoes around the plate and finish with butter sauce.
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