Halibut with Minty Pea Puree
My son is not a fan of fish in any form, though, as he got older I did get him to eat it in fish tacos. Once he left for college, this was the first meal I made. It was a light and delicious meal for a hot summer night. I used the sous vide to cook the fish, and used vegan, Miyoko’s butter to sear it after cooking. It is a full proof way to make perfect fish every time. If you don’t have a sous vide, you could easily cook the fish in a skillet with a little avocado oil. I would then finish it by basting it with butter (vegan or dairy).
Ingredients:
Pea Puree:
12 oz. bag of frozen peas, thawed (if fresh are in season, blanch before pureeing)
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1/2 a lemon)
2 cloves garlic
kosher salt & pepper to taste
Halibut:
2 lbs. halibut, cut into 4 pieces
1 Tbsp. lemon zest, packed (1 lemon)
2 Tbsp. fresh Thyme, divided
kosher salt & pepper
3 Tbsp. Butter, dairy or vegan (Miyoko’s is my favorite)
Directions:
Prep Halibut for sous vide by sprinkling each piece with salt, pepper, lemon zest and a total of 1 Tbsp. thyme. Place a teaspoon of butter on top of each and seal into bag.
Sous vide at 120 degrees for 30 min. for 1 inch thick or 45 min. for 2 inch thick fish
While fish is in the sous vide, make the pea puree. Place all ingredients into blender except salt and pepper, blend until desired consistency. I prefer it not perfectly smooth.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Once fish is finished cooking, gently remove fish from bag, lightly pat with paper towel to dry fish. Lightly salt and pepper again.
Heat stainless steel skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add 2 Tablespoons butter to pan, let melt, then add fish herb side down.
Cook without disturbing for about 2 minutes, basting gently with the butter.
Gently remove fish from pan and plate on top of the pea puree with browned herbs facing up.
Sprinkle fish with remaining thyme before serving.
*If cooking in a skillet, I recommend using a stainless skillet. Heat skillet to medium heat. Once hot, add 1-2 Tbsp. of avocado oil to skillet and place seasoned halibut in skillet, making sure not to crowd it. Cook for about 5 minutes on the first side and then turn fish over. Add 2 Tbsp. of vegan butter to pan and continue to cook on second side for another ~4-5 minutes or until fish reaches 120 degrees with an instant read thermometer, basting gently with butter. If fish is thinner than 1 1/2 inches thick, check temperature after 3 minutes on the second side.