Seared halibut with white bean ragout. This dish seems much more complicated than it is; that's part of the beauty of it. It's actually a straightforward dish that tastes and looks amazing. If you can't find halibut or don't like it, you can substitute it with salmon, haddock, cod, or just about any other kind of fish you'd like. Alright, let's get to it.
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Roasted Carrots
I really like serving roasted carrots with this dish because they add a pop of orange and a bit of sweetness. You can use roasted beets instead if you'd like. Peel two carrots and cut the ends off. Take one carrot and cut it on a 45-degree angle, about an inch thick. Roll the carrot forward a quarter turn so the tip of the carrot is on top. Then, make another 45-degree angle cut. This gives the carrots an oblong shape that looks professional and really cool.
You can cut the carrots as you normally would, but this technique adds that little extra that helps make a dish seem fancy. Toss the carrots with a tablespoon of olive oil, a few sprigs of thyme, and some salt and pepper, then roast at 400°f for 35 minutes.
White Bean Ragout
While the carrots are cooking, make the white bean ragout. Start by opening a 400ml can of white beans, then drain and rinse them. Heat a 2qt pot over medium heat, add in a tablespoon of olive oil, along with ½ cup of diced onion. Cook the onion for 3 minutes, then add in 1 tablespoon of garlic and cook for another minute.
Pour a ½ cup of white wine into the pot and cook until it has almost all evaporated. Put the beans in the pot along with a few sprigs of thyme, season with salt and pepper, then add just enough water to come up to the top of the beans. Bring the pot to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Using a potato masher, mash about half the beans. Add two cups or two big handfuls of baby spinach to the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and stir until the spinach is cooked into the beans. Keep cooking until the mixture is thick enough to stand up on a spoon. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon into the beans, taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. If you want to learn more about techniques like this, my post on sauce making covers the fundamentals that apply to ragouts as well.
Sauce Verte (Green Sauce)
While the beans are cooking, put 1 cup of parsley, ¼ cup sage leaves, ¼ cup of almonds, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, the juice of half a lemon, and ½ cup of oil into the bowl of your blender. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
Searing the Halibut
Heat a medium-sized non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add in a teaspoon of olive oil. Season your halibut with salt and pepper, then place it in the pan. Cook the fish for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown, then flip and cook it for 1 more minute. Put the halibut in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on your fish's thickness. When cooked, the halibut, or whatever fish you are using, should be firm in the middle but not springy.
I only cooked one piece of fish because my wife wasn't home when I made this, but you will want to cook two portions if serving two people. For more tips on getting a perfect sear and knowing when your fish is done, check out my post on everything I know about cooking fish.
Plating the Halibut
To plate the halibut, get two round plates. Imagine the plates are divided into four. There is a line through the middle vertically and a line through the middle horizontally. Spoon half your beans onto each plate in one of the imaginary quarters. Divide your carrots among the plates and place them around the beans. Put your fish on top of the beans and carrots and top with a spoonful or two of the sauce.
Recipe
Ingredients
Roasted Carrots
- 2 med. carrots
- 2-3 sprigs thyme
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- pinch of salt
- pinch of pepper
White Bean Ragout
- 400 ml can white beans drained and rinsed
- ½ cup minced onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ cup white wine
- 2-3 sprigs Thyme
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups baby spinach or two big handfuls
- pinch of salt
- pinch of pepper
- The juice of half a lemon
- 1 cup water
Green Sauce
- 1 cup parsely
- ¼ cup sage leaves
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- ½ cup olive oil
- the juice of half a lemon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Seared Halibut
- 2 Halibut Fillets (140-170 g each)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- pinch of salt
- pinch of pepper
Instructions
Roasted Carrots
- Peel the carrots and cut the tops off.
- Cut the carrots on a 45° angle about an inch thick, rolling forward a ¼ turn after every cut.
- Toss the carrots with olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme, spread out in a roasting pan and cook for 35 minutes on 400°f, turning half way through.
White Bean Ragout
- Heat a medium pot over medium heat. Add in the olive oil and onion and cook for 3 minutes or until the onion is tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add the white wine and thyme to the pot and cook until the wine has almost all evaporated.
- Add enough water into the pot to just come up to the top of the beans. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for ten minutes.
- Use a potato masher to mash about half the beans, then add in the spinach. Turn the heat up to medium-high, and cook stirring, until the beans are thick enough to stand up on a spoon, about 6 minutes. Add the lemon juice to the beans, taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
Green Sauce
- Put the herbs, almonds, olive oil, and salt in a blender and blitz. Stir in the lemon juice and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
Halibut
- Heat a medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil into the pan. Season the halibut and add it into the pan.
- Cook the halibut for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Flip the halibut, cook for 1 more minute, then put it in the oven at 400°f for 5 to 8 minutes or until cooked through. The fish should be firm in the middle but not springy.
- Plate the beans on two round plates. Top with the carrots, then the fish. Top the fish with the sauce and serve.
The Wrap Up
This is honestly one of my favourite dishes to cook when I want to impress someone -- it looks like it came out of a restaurant kitchen, but every component is quite manageable on its own. The carrots, sauce, and beans can all be made a day ahead, so on the night itself you're really just searing fish and reheating everything else. Don't let the multiple components intimidate you; it's absolutely worth the effort.
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