We kick off our new recipe video series, "The Completed Dish," with a video on how to make our top selling entree. Not a night goes by that a guest doesn't request this recipe and the best part is, it's extremely simple. There are a few background techniques that you should understand first, like pan roasting a piece of fish and how to make a beurre blanc sauce.
We've shot video on all these techniques and some more that are mentioned in this video. For more information, check out the links below.
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Wow! this pan roasted halibut meal was great!
I am a long way from being a chef. I studied this video and associated videos again and again. I had to make many compromises, like being unable to get halibut in February, (I used Haddock) and not achieving a foamy layer to remove from my attempt to clarify butter, among other things; but the dish still came out fabulous! -Especially the lemon caper beurre blanc. (The leftover sauce has flavored other dishes very nicely! - Thank you Jacob! People are still talking about this meal!
Awesome Cathy. So glad you
Awesome Cathy. So glad you enjoyed this dish!
That single malt scotch glaze
That single malt scotch glaze sounds awesome. Let me know how your halibut turns out.
If you want to experiment
If you want to experiment with the fish being less dry and salty, a wet brine might be a good route. It will add more moisture which can work as a good buffer when smoking something as delicate as fish. Just a thought. I've always enjoyed my smoked fish to be a little on the salty and dry side. It reminds of the salmon jerky me and my friend used to eat as kids (his mom lived in Alaska and he'd go up there every summer).
Wish I could serve the mackinaw out of Lake Tahoe, but they don't allow any commercial fishing or the selling of any fish that's caught (which is probably a good thing). I'll have to catch some for my personal stash and give your method a shot.
It's not ridiculous at all.
It's not ridiculous at all. I'm always learning and you'd be surprised where some of my information and inspiration comes from.
Thanks for the update on the
Thanks for the update on the salmon. Sounds like you did more of a "fresh smoke" than a preserving smoke.
I was able to play it on my
I was able to play it on my end. Is the video still not working for you?
Hey Stu, For that
Hey Stu,
For that application, I would recommend making my stabilized beurre blanc using Xanthan gum and then you could store in a thermos for a couple of hours: http://stellaculinary.com/podcasts/video/sns-6-stabilized-butter-emulsion
@ Mike, That's interesting.
@ Mike,
That's interesting. I've never had that problem before. The picture that you sent me via e-mail looked absolutely perfect.
When you say as tough as shoe leather, does that mean that the crust was really chewy?
Yeah, it looked great. When
Yeah, it looked great. When you get a crust like that, you normally will attack it with a butter knife and fork, and it will be crispy, but pleasantly so. Next time you can try throwing a pat of butter in the pan after pulling it from the oven. As the butter melts, it should soften the crust a little bit.
It is possible that the cast iron pan gave you a thicker crust than normal, but unlikely.
I wish I could be of more help, but your crust looked great in the photo you sent me, so I don't really know what else to say.
Give a stainless steel pan a
Give a stainless steel pan a shot, like the one I used in the video. I've never pan roasted with a cast iron because it's heavy and awkward when doing it for dinner service. I generally save my cast iron just for searing (and Chicago style pizzas).
Maybe the superior heat retention of the cast iron pan generated a thicker crust without actually burning the fish. It's the only thing I can think of, and at the very least, its worth a test.