Bistro Cooking at Home was a Christmas gift from my parents. My original intention was to start at the beginning of the entrees and prepare them in order. That meant starting with Fiona's Easy Halibut. Here, I received my first cooking lesson when the guy at Fresh Market informed me that "Halibut is a spring fish."
With the official arrival of spring, I was gratified to find Halibut had also arrived in the meat case, at Costco no less. One package at Costco is just the right amount for the recipe, which serves 4. It is also about half of the price you will pay at your local meat market.
Mrs. Hamersley favors the same ingredients as her spouse so I had everything else I needed on hand: butter, shallots (I used 1/2 of a Harris Teeter shallot or about 2 Tbsp and probably could have used the whole thing), kosher salt, pepper, white wine, basil and parsley. And, like her spouse, she favors simple preparations. Basically, you poach the fish in a wine/butter sauce. When it is done, it is very pale--white fish and white sauce. I must admit based on appearance alone, I had my doubts. However, the flavor of this dish is superb.
Mrs. Hamersley suggests steamed new potatoes as an accompaniment. Instead, I served this in a shallow pasta bowl with a rice pilaf that included peas for color. This way you get the full benefit of the lovely sauce.
The bottom line: My husband already wants to know when I will be serving this again. Mrs. Hamersley, that is high praise indeed.
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