The Happy Home Cook: Pan-Seared Halibut Fillet

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Pan-Seared Halibut Fillet (Photo by Lorna Lardizabal Dietz)

A very dear friend gifted me with two fresh-off-the-fishing-boat fillets of halibut a couple of days ago. She had thoughtfully frozen them.

Today, I cooked one of the smaller fillets for Auntie Leona and me. I generally don’t have the appetite to eat the food that I cook (at the dinner table) since I really keep tasting the food while I cook. I know many cooks can relate to this! I also forgot to take a photo of the halibut because I was so excited to eat it with my newly-cooked rice. This is the photo after we demolished half of this huge halibut fillet.

Ingredients:

A fillet of halibut, washed, wiped dry, and seasoned with salt and pepper

1-1/2 tbsp avocado oil (or any other oil)

2 tbsps butter

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

6 Baby Bella or crimini mushrooms, sliced

Juice of one lemon

2 scant tbsps capers

Procedure:

1. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying or sauté over medium heat. Add the fillet, skin side down. Sear for about 3 minutes or until you can see that the upper part of the fillet mostly turns white. Flip the fillet over and cook on the other side for about 2-3 minutes. Set aside on a plate.

2. To the oil, add butter. Use a medium-low temperature. Mix in the leftover sticky oil. Add garlic and cook until it barely turns yellow. Add the mushrooms and the capers. Add the lemon juice. Move the ingredients to one side of the pan.

3. Return the fish to the pan, skin side up. Arrange the fixings all around the fillet, including the top. Simmer over low heat for about two minutes. Make sure some of the lemon juice is ladled on top of the fish.

4. Serve hot with rice.

Yield: 4 servings


About the author: Lorna Lardizabal Dietz gained practical baking and cooking know-how when her family-owned Sally’s Bake Shop opened for business when she was 10 years old. She graduated with a B.S. degree in Hotel & Restaurant Administration in Diliman, Quezon City. More at http://about.me/radiantview.


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