Baked Halibut
Serves 4
What to Pair With
Did you ever wonder why that simply prepared fish entree or lightly roasted vegetable side dish was so tasty in the restaurant, but yours at home is missing something. It’s probably butter. And more specifically, a butter sauce.
There is a difference between melted butter and a butter sauce. When heated butter will separate into its three components- water, fat and milk solids- and has its own culinary uses. Here though, we are making an emulsion that keeps these components intact, creating a silky sauce. It even has its own name from the French: Beurre Monté.
What’s the trick? A tablespoon of water and cold cubed butter. Slightly simmered water begins the transformation and the technique of slowly whisking butter piece by piece provides an all purpose sauce that can be used over and over. It seems like an insanely small amount of water but it does make all the difference.
The sauce, in my opinion, is best used for steamed or lightly roasted vegetables (think asparagus and green beans) or with delicate fish such as sole and flounder, but see what your fish market carries. I got hold of a halibut tail that cooked up quickly and was delicious! I had a summer squash on hand so that got grilled up as well. Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 stick (8 tbsp) butter
1-2 tbsp water (you can also substitute some vinegar to add some tang)
1.5 lbs fish fillets
Salt
Pepper
Fresh thyme
Lemon zest
Toasted bread crumbs (optional)
Lemon juice
Preparation
In your smallest pan or pot over low heat, warm the water until just shimmering with tiny bubbles.
Start to add the butter one piece at a time. Waiting to melt the first before adding the next.
Move the pan off and on the heat as needed, just warm enough to allow melting, but not bubbling.
Remove from heat and set aside until needed. If it gets cold and firms up, place back on low heat until liquid again.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Lay the fish out on a sheet pan.
Combine the salt, pepper, zest, herbs and bread crumbs and cover the top of the fish.
Cook for 10-15 minutes depending on thickness. 12 min is probably enough for most.
Serve fish with the sauce and squeeze of lemon.
*leftover sauce can be saved in the fridge. It will return to hard butter and can be used as such.
Chris Chisholm is a Certified Specialist of Wine and a graduate of Boston University Wine Studies and Wine Making programs. He is also a graduate of Cook Street School of Culinary Arts in Denver, CO. He has worked as a personal chef and chef instructor.
If you have any questions, email Chris at chris@snugharborwine.com. You can also follow Chris on Instagram @winechefchris for more delicious food photos!