The other day I took my mom out to dinner. She’s 87 now and I love my mother, but it’s no picnic trying to figure out what she will agree to eat these days. So I asked her to name one food she’d like to eat more than anything else – and she said “Halibut.” That limited my restaurant options, but I decided on this lovely place near the the beach in Santa Cruz, CA called La Posta. If you live in the Bay Area, it’s definitely worth checking out, if only for their homemade walnut bread!
So she did order halibut and the dish I made today was inspired by the way they served it: pan seared, over a bed of beans, roasted corn and a breadcrumb salsa. This is my version of that dish, with lentils instead of white beans and my own creation for the bread crumb salsa. So here it is – simple, quick, healthy and quite good.
Enjoy!
Pan Seared Halibut with Lentils and Bread Crumb Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 six ounce halibut filets
- 1 cup lentils cooked until tender
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs directions below for fresh
- 1/4 cup fresh parsly finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons capers
- 1 small shallot finely chopped
- the juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
- kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the lentils according to directions (I used the green lentils). Season with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and set aside.
- For fresh bread crumbs, preheat oven to 275 F. Slice french bread in one inch slices and place on cookie sheet. Bake in oven for about 10 minutes, flip and bake for another 6 minutes or so – just until dry, but not browned. Place pieces in food processor to create a coarse crumble.
- To toast bread crumbs, increase oven heat to 350 F. Evenly coat bread crumbs with about a teaspoon of olive oil. I coated a mixing bowl with the oil, added the crumbs, and then mixed with my hands. Spread crumbs evenly on baking sheet and toast for about 10 minutes until golden brown.
- For breadcrumb salsa, in small bowl, add a couple teaspoons of olive oil, the capers, parsley, anchovy paste, shallots and thyme, lemon, vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir and set aside.
- For the halibut, rinse and pat dry fish. Season with salt and pepper and heat pan to medium with a little olive oil. Gently brown on both sides until cooked through. It only takes a few minutes on each side.
- When ready to serve, mix the bread crumbs with the parsley and caper mixture. Spoon lentils on a plate, add the fish and then top with the salsa.
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