Braised Halibut Steaks Mediterranean Style

While I am a tenative fish eater, halibut is one species that I find quite predictable....aside from that one time I ordered it at a restaurant and it was "poached". In my kitchen, I leave the poaching for the pears and the eggs. As far as fish goes, I like warm water fish that is white, flakey, and flavorless (until prepared of course!). The preparation is essential, it must be pan seared, grilled, or blackened to create that perfect crust.

Cooking fish at home is a new thing for me, and supposedly a healthy one too. Although the world is changing and I hear things about mercury levels and the oil spills are so destructive. Fish is hard to find local when you are landlocked in Colorado. But I take a trip down to our local shop, The Seafood Landing and manage to purchase some pretty tasty fillets.

For a couple years, I have exclusively cajun blackened fish at home in my cast iron pan. For me, it was a safe and predictable way to make tasty flavorful fish. This recipe is a new one from Nancy Harmon Jenkin's Mediterranean Diet Cookbook. Let's be clear on the use of the word "diet" right away, this is not a weightloss book. It is a luxurious collection of recipes that follow the Mediterranean way of eating but certainly do not spare the calories or flavor! Thank goodness it is the "good fat", because the recipes I have tried are all delicious!





Braised Halibut Steaks Mediterranean Style

First I dredged the fish steaks in flour, and then pan fried in a small amount of olive oil.

I cleaned, chopped, and prepared all ingredients

Next I cooked down the onions in the same pan, with garlic, bay leaves, and salt.

And lastly I placed the fish in an oven proof pan and to be baked in the oven for 20-25 minutes until it bubbled and the fish steaks were cooked through. Finally, I am cooking with fish!

Hello again, hello!

While I have been distant from you for nearly a calender year, I think about you all the time. I have missed writing about cooking which may explain why I am frequently talking to myself while cooking. My husband would laugh if he read this and make fun of me, stating that it is proof I talk all the time!
Many things have changed since last October, and the kitchen remodel put a serious kink in my cooking and eating for a while. For those closer to this endeavor, you know it was quite an undertaking! Finally life has fallen back into a comfortable balance. While the major construction has been complete for months, I am just now getting back to my baseline level of slightly obsessive compulsive organization. Remodeling two large rooms in a 1000 square foot home will really derail things. As for my cooking, I feel more inspired then ever. I am brimming with pent up cooking energy! The new space is super efficient, with updated appliances, and more importantly a relaxing and beautiful place to work. Although the remodel was certainly painful at times, the results have been well worth it. Knocking out a wall and creating a small bar has made cooking even more pleasurable. I love nothing more then sitting a guest or Chad down at the bar and "serving it up"! Stay tuned for some new recipes, more on clean eating, my new status as a shrimpetarian, and my recent quest to make excellent homemade bread!