Friday, December 25, 2015

What Vegetables Go With Halibut

Halibut is often served cut in a fillet instead of a fish steak.


Vegetables can be cooked with halibut to give the mild tasting fish flavor, or it can be served on the side to complement it. Depending on the style in which you plan to serve the halibut, pick different vegetables. If you want to serve it for a casual meal, stew the fish with tomatoes and squash vegetables. Halibut is a white fish that has a buttery flavor. Because it is so mild it easily absorbs the strong and acidic flavors of vegetables like tomatoes and onions. Add this to my Recipe Box.


Roasted Squash


Roast halibut with squash and aromatic vegetables to flavor the fish and the vegetables as they cook. Butternut squash is a good sweet squash to complement the flavors of halibut. Peel and dice one butternut squash, one onion and four cloves garlic. Arrange the halibut on top of the vegetables in a shallow roasting pan and cook it on the center rack in the oven until the halibut is flaky and moist. Remove the halibut and put the butternut squash back in the oven on broil until the tops are golden brown to caramelize the squash.


Medley


If you prefer a more formal presentation, cook vegetables such as baby carrots, mushrooms and broccoli florets until they are tender crisp with bright color and serve them on the side of the halibut. For an even more formal presentation of a vegetable medley, add hericot vert green beans and cut a flute design in the mushroom by holding a tourneau knife perpendicular to the top of the mushroom cap and cutting a multi-point star design as you turn the cap. The center of the mushroom cap should be the center of the star.


Artichokes


If you are grilling halibut, cut the bottom off of an artichoke low enough that all of the leaves stay attached, but high enough to remove the woody stem. Season the artichoke top with salt, pepper and garlic powder and a pat of butter. Place it in a piece of foil on the grill to cook as the halibut cooks. Seal the foil to allow steam to cook the artichoke, and then open it up before removing it from the grill to allow some of the grill flavor to get in. Serve it with melted butter to dip the leaves in as they are eaten. The butter flavor of the artichoke goes very well with the buttery halibut. This is a great vegetable to serve with halibut if you are serving it family-style.


Asparagus and Broccolini


Asparagus and broccolini are both long-stemmed vegetables that go well with steamed or poached halibut. Soak asparagus and broccolini in warm salt water overnight before steaming them until they are tender crisp. The salt water draws out the bitter flavors of the vegetables and makes them taste clean and crisp after only being lightly steamed. Serve the vegetables on the side of the halibut, or pile it in the center of the plate and rest the halibut on top of it.

Tags: butternut squash, flavors vegetables, formal presentation, more formal, more formal presentation, salt water