Who wants to cook over a hot stove during the summer? We don’t, that’s for sure. Poaching halibut is a delicious and delicate way to prepare the fish, and with the oven set to only 250 degrees, you’ll hardly break a sweat preparing this recipe.
We start with heating a full liter of extra virgin olive oil. Yes, a full liter: you’ll want your fish completely submerged to keep it moist during poaching. We don’t recommend you use your absolute best olive oil for this dish, but use one with a good flavor. (If you need olive oil buying recommendations, check out our episode with oleologist Nicholas Coleman!) Zest of one half of an orange lends a really vibrant citrus character to the olive oil, which translates right into the halibut.
For our side dish, we went with a simple take on haricot vert, better known as green beans. We sauteed these with shallots until they blistered, then served our halibut right on top with a light garnish of orange zest. This is the perfect textural contrast to the halibut, providing a crunch where the halibut is absolutely melt-in-your-mouth. The combination of butter and shallots is also, as we all know, undefeated.
With our wine pairing, we chose the Domaine Nicolas Croze Côtes du Rhône blanc. You can find this wine and so many more on Golden Ram Imports’ Where to Buy page. Don’t know about white Côtes du Rhône? We learned so much about it from Samantha Sommelier on our wine party episode.
Orange Olive Oil Poached Halibut with Blistered Haricot Vert
Serves 4
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Halibut
- 4 6-ounce halibut fillets
- 1 large navel orange
- 1 liter extra virgin olive oil
Haricot Vert
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 lb haricot vert, trimmed
- 1 Small shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- Heavy pinch kosher salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 250.
Fill a square baking dish with 2” of olive oil. Zest the orange into the oil, stir gently, then place into the oven to heat for 15 minutes.
Pat the halibut dry on both sides with paper towels. Remove oil from oven and carefully lower fish one piece at a time into the baking dish. Return to oven for 8-10 minutes until fish is white and opaque throughout.
To prepare the haricot vert, pour the canola oil into a large heavy bottomed skillet over high heat. When shimmering add the haricot and salt and cook, shaking pan occasionally, until they begin to blister. Reduce heat to medium; add shallots, cook for another two minutes until they begin to brown and then add pepper. Cut the orange in two; squeeze the juice of one half directly into the pan. Add butter and salt and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until haricot are glazed.
Divide haricot between four plates, then top with halibut fillets. Serve immediately.