Cooking With Wine – Braised Halibut

A new way of cooking with wine

Welcome to our blog series on cooking with wine in which we continue our culinary adventure with a recipe for our favourite fish – braised halibut. This dish is culinary decadence.

Before we begin, there’s one thing that we find really handy and that’s to know a few things up front. First, how long will it take to prep, cook, set aside, refrigerate, etc. before it’s ready to eat? Second, how many people will it serve? Lastly, the grocery list.

Nice to know details

As a general rule, set aside the following times:

1. 15 minutes preparation
2. 90 minutes cooking
3. Serves 6 people

Grocery List

• 1 bottle of Chardonnay
• 2 lemons
• 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
• 2 pounds of halibut fillets, skinned
• 1 tablespoon of butter, melted
• 2 cups of fish stock
• 7 tablespoons of butter, cut into chunks
• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 bunches of broccoli
• 1 tablespoon of whipping cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

Candy the Lemons

Here’s where you’ll turn the sour lemons into candy:

• Slice 2 lemons into 1/4–inch slices
• Dredge lemons in 3/4 cup of granulated sugar and place them in a frying pan
• Sprinkle any remaining sugar overtop
• Add enough water to cover the lemons
• Simmer gently until the lemons are covered with a reduced syrup – about 20 minutes
• Place candied lemon slices on a plate to cool

Prepare the Halibut

Just to be safe, it’s a good idea to have extra bottles of the white wine you’re using in the recipe. You might want to have a few sips during the cooking stage. Also, you’ll need to serve some with dinner!

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
• Place 2 pounds of halibut fillets in an oven-proof frying pan
• Brush with 1 tablespoon of melted butter
• Pour 1 cup of each of the Chardonnay and fish stock over the halibut
• Season lightly with salt and pepper
• Bring the halibut to a simmer
• Then transfer immediately to the oven for 15 minutes
• Remove from the oven
• Wrap in foil to keep warm
• Pour the cooking liquid into a small pot and reduce to 1 tablespoon of liquid

Make the Sauce

• Place 1 tablespoon of cold butter in a saucepan over medium heat
• Mince 2 shallots into the saucepan and cook until they become translucent
• Add 1/2 cup of Chardonnay
• Continue cooking until almost all of the liquid has evaporated – about 10 minutes
• Add 1 cup of fish stock
• Cook until reduced by half – about 20 minutes
• Add the tablespoon of cooking liquid from the halibut
• Whisk in, one chunk at a time, the 6 tablespoons of cold butter
• Pour the mixture through a sieve and return to the saucepan
• Add the candied lemon slices
• Pour 1 tablespoon of whipping cream into the pan
• Remove from heat

Serving

• Serve over a bed of wild rice
• Surround with steamed broccoli florets and candied lemon slices
• Pour the sauce overtop

Pairing

We recommend serving this meal with a bottle of your very own DIY craft white wine. It’s always best to serve the same wine used during cooking. This always helps to enhance both the flavours in the dish and also the wine.

Tips

• When the halibut in the oven is springy to the touch, it’s ready
• We made our fish stock using prawn shells
• If you don’t have any fish stock, you substitute with vegetable stock
• You can substitute broccoli with asparagus
• If you feel the sauce is too rich, pour it into a small container and let your guests decide how much they want

We hope you enjoy this Cooking With Wine – Braised Halibut recipe.