Sunday, May 25, 2008

Sunday

Peppered halibut (recipe in the comments)
White and wild rice pilaf
Balsamic asparagus and shallots

Hot tea
Chocolate ice cream
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This is an amazingly simple fish recipe that produces INCREDIBLE results. We have never had any problems with getting the fish overcooked. We're trying it tonight with mahi mahi instead of halibut, because halibut steaks were unusually expensive tonight. The mahi mahi worked very well - you just want to avoid overly delicate fish so they stand up to the grilling without falling apart. A grill basket is VERY handy for this and perhaps one of the cheapest cooking implements ever - I think ours was $4.99. We may love this recipe most though because of the traditional asparagus side dish. This may be the best preparation of asparagus ever. Why do we only make it when we have this fish? Probably because we have the recipe printed on the same page as the halibut. Oh well. M and I developed a love of wild rice when we were in college in Minnesota (where wild rice is a state delicacy) and so the rice blend is a perfect accompaniment.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Shallot
Time: 25 minutes
Make ahead: I would make the dressing ahead, but do everything else last minute.

Reaction
J: "I'm wishing we did only make 10 dinners so that this could be one fo them!"
M: "Proof that grilling fish needn't be scary."

1 comment:

J said...

Peppered Halibut – Cooking Light
Serves 4

1 t black pepper corns, coarsely ground
1 T lemon juice
1 ½ t vegetable oil
4 (6-oz) halibut fillets, rinsed and dried (halibut steaks work well too, as do Mahi Mahi fillets)
¾ t kosher salt
Cooking spray
Lemon wedges

Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

Combine pepper, lemon and oil and rub over fillets. Let stand for 10 minutes at room temperature. Rub fillets with salt.

Place fish on grill rack coated with cooking spray (better than other fats because no sparking). Grill 1 ½ minutes per side for fillets and 3 minutes per side for steaks (if it sticks at all when turning, re-coat with cooking spray). Check to make sure fish is cooked through.

Serve with lemons, white and wild rice blend, AND

Balsamic-Shallot Asparagus – M & J (Inspired by Cooking Light)
Serves 2-3

3 T balsamic
1 T olive oil
2 T shallots, finely chopped
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
1 bunch asparagus, snapped

Combine vinegar, oil, shallots, salt, and pepper in a small jar and shake well. Put asparagus on a serving plate and pour dressing over. Let stand, tossing occasionally, for 5-10 minutes (more is fine). Remove asparagus and grill with fish for 5 minutes per side (about 10 minutes total). Put asparagus back on serving plate and toss with dressing to serve.