Saturday, April 5, 2008

Hunger Is The Mother of Invention

Even my tried-and-true epicurious.com failed to offer me a recipe for halibut steaks that matched what my tongue was hungry for today, so I decided to improvise. Sometimes, that's a big mistake but this time, it was a big winner.

In a wide pan, I sauteed fresh mushrooms in olive oil, then lowered the heat and added nearly everything else I had in the fridge - sliced onion, julienned zucchini, chopped leeks, pitted Tuscan table olives - and slowly cooked them with some thyme and herbes de Provence, adding a little tomato paste and white wine as the pan juices reduced. When all that was cooked down and sweet, I laid two halibut steaks on top and covered the pan, steaming them gently until just done. Making a bed of the veggies on the plate, I slid the fish on top and heaped more veggies, serving them with a wedge of Meyer lemon to spritz over both.

The fish was tender but very moist, the veggies sweet but with a hint of tartness left in the olives. The lemon juice gave a lively, fresh note to the overall mellowness of the dish. One of my better inventions and just what my tongue was hungry for.

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5 Comments:

Blogger ChrisB said...

That looks so delicious.

Saturday, April 05, 2008  
Blogger kellypea said...

Well the photo is certainly gorgeous -- enough to give my tastebuds a twinge! I love those clean out the fridge kind of meals. But you're right, when they don't work, they really don't work. Clearly, this dish did!

Saturday, April 05, 2008  
Blogger Zoomie said...

ChrisB, it's gone. It was.

KellyPea, welcome! Making another fridge-cleaner tonight. Will post later! :-)

Saturday, April 05, 2008  
Blogger peter said...

Sounds excellent. My default halibut: slather with cilantro pesto, sprinkle with togarashi, bake 10 minutes.

Sunday, April 06, 2008  
Blogger Zoomie said...

Peter, I'm one of those who think cilantro tastes like soap... but I might do it with a parsley pesto!

Sunday, April 06, 2008  

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