Fishy Story

Although we are very fond of fish, we don't eat as much of it as our doctor would like. It's easy enough to fix but, unless you are convinced of its freshness, you have to eat it the same day as you buy it, whether or not you are in a fishy mood. Last week, I had my annual physical and, although all systems are good to go, the doc did suggest more fish and more exercise. What else is new?

Anyway, I dutifully bought salmon and halibut the next day at the grocery store and hauled them home. I have no trouble deciding what to do with salmon - we love it poached if it's raining, or planked if the weather is fine, so no problem there.

The halibut, however, is a bit more of a challenge. We love the mildness of halibut but it can be so dull that one actually begins snoring in the middle of dinner. I needed something to jazz it up a bit. I opened the fridge door, hoping for inspiration.

What I saw there was perfect, a fat bunch of local asparagus and two lonely strips of bacon left over from a previous meal. Why not try it?  After all, as everyone knows, bacon makes everything better.

I made lardons of the bacon, cutting the strips into 1/4" pieces before crisping them in a frying pan. When they were golden, I lifted them out to paper towels, poured out the extra bacon fat and added a couple of tablespoons of water to the pan before laying the fish in gently, skin side down. 

After the fish had bacon-steamed on medium-low heat, covered, for a few minutes, I flipped it and removed the now-loose skin by sliding a spatula between the skin and the flesh. I covered the pan again and started the asparagus in a separate pan. By the time they were tender and bright green, the fish was finished, flaking lightly with a fork but still moist and just barely opaque.

Plated on top of the asparagus, sprinkled with the bacon lardons, and drizzled with the pan juices, it was fresh and bright and delicious right down to the last bite.

I'm pretty sure my doc would frown at the bacon - he's a nice guy and he has our best interests at heart - but we think there's more to life than ascetic austerity. As Mary Poppins will tell you, a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down; I can endorse a little bacon for making the fish go down.