Fancy Fish! Panko Herb Crusted Halibut on a Bed of Honeyed Apples with Roasted Veg

 I am always a little wary about consuming fish. After reading Taras Grecoe's Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood (Harper Collins, 2008), I realised that my seafood choices really do have an effect on my health and the fisheries and environments surrounding them. Thus, I now try to make "safe" seafood choices both for my health and the the environment. This past weekend, I created the most amazing fancy fish recipe utilizing line caught Pacific Halibut (the ways in which the fish is caught and from which ocean are very important)!

Pacific Halibut

Rummaging around in the fridge and garden I aimed to use up some of the food-items we have accumulated recently. The halibut, a lemon, and a few pecans were the only things I had to actually acquire! Already, between the garden, Saanich Organics, the Moss Street Market, and Island Meat &Seafood I had most of my ingredients: Eggs, spicy chorizo, honey, apples (I am unsure of the variety - they were sweet though), carrots, zucchini, onion, garlic, the last of the summer green beans, and some new baby potatoes (YUM!)! With these in mind, I thought to myself, "what can I make?".... I knew the apples, honey and chorizo would work well together (think pork and applesauce) - and if I roasted the veg with just some olive oil and salt & pepper, they would go with just about anything.... I've had a craving for fish all week so I wondered what fish would lend itself well to a sweet, spicy and and fruity concoction. And then it hit me! Currently infatuated with 'crusting' things, I concluded:

Panko Herb Crusted Halibut on a Bed of Honeyed Apples with Roasted Veg.

(Cue angels, flowing linens and heavenly music)



Ingredients:

 

4 5oz Halibut Steaks or Fillets - about an inch and a half thick (Or any other wild (not farmed!) ethically caught firm, white fish).

2 Links Fresh Spicy Chorizo, sliced in half lengthwise.

4 Small Sweet Apples, peeled, cored, & cut into thin wedges.

1/2 C Butter, room temperature.

1/4 C Honey.

1 Handful of Pecans, toasted and roughly chopped.

1/2 C Flour.

1 Free-Range Organic Egg, beaten.

1 Tsp. Salt.

1 Tsp. Pepper.

3 C Panko Crumbs (Japanese breadcrumbs).

2 Lemons, (1 for zest, the other for garnish cut into wedges).

1 Tbsp. Sage, finely chopped.

1 Tbsp. Rosemary, finely chopped + a few extra sprigs

Assorted Roasting Veg (I like carrots, zucchini, onion, garlic,baby potatoes, and green beans). (OH! And beets! YUM!), roughly chopped to be about the same size.

Vegetable or Peanut Oil.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

What to Do:

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Once heated toss your roasting veg and 2 or 3 roughly torn sprigs of rosemary in olive oil to coat. Season nicely with salt & pepper. Cook in oven (approx. 35-45 minutes).

Meanwhile: Put your flour, egg, and panko crumbs in separate shallow bowls. In the panko, add the salt, pepper, sage, thyme and zest from one lemon. Mix well.

Salt your fish and then dip in the flour, the egg, and then the panko mixture - ensuring to coat well in all three stages. Lay aside to be cooked shortly.

In a small-medium sized skillet, heat 1/4 C of the butter over med-high heat (be careful not to burn it). Add the apples and cook until tender, stirring occasionally (about 5 minutes).

Add honey, stir, and reduce until almost all the liquid is gone (about 6 minutes or so). Transfer to an oven proof dish and place in the oven to keep warm.

Wipe out the same skillet, and heat 1 Tbsp of vegetable or peanut oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the four pieces of chorizo. Fry just like breakfast! Cook until they have some good color on them - should only take about 7 minutes or so.

At the same time, melt the rest of the butter with a Tbsp or 2 of the vegetable or peanut oil in a large skillet over medium heat (I like to use my cast-iron one. It adds iron, flavor, and really distributes the heat evenly over the entire pan). Once hot, carefully add your fish. Cook 3-4 minutes each side; be mindful when you turn them over - they're delicate! They should be golden and crispy on the outside and flaky, moist, and cooked on the inside.

To plate, lay down about 1/4 C of your apples; gently lay a halibut on top; finishing off the ensemble with a half of the chorizo keeping it in place by running a sprig of rosemary through it into the fish, topping with a Tbsp of the pecans. Throw some of your roasted veg on the side and a wedge of lemon and you are good to go!

Eat.

P.S. In case you're interested in learning more about your seafood choices (which is really, very easy to do), here are a couple of links that should point you in the right direction:

Sea Choice - A great Canadian resource for choosing and learning about ethical and sustainable seafood.

Canada's Wallet Seafood Guide - Just what it says! Fold it up, stick it in your wallet, and make your choices accordingly.

A CBC interview with Taras Grescoe - Find out what Taras has to say before you go pick up his book (I know you will - and here is a handy dandy link to get it to you faster: Buy Bottomfeeder).

The David Suzuki Foundation on Oceans - An extensive and accessible resource to learn about seafood and our oceans (among lots of other important things!).