Plantain-Crusted Halibut
Halibut is one of my favorite fish and in this dish I pound it out gently and stuff it with a crabmeat mixture. Drawing on my Caribbean experiences, I then turn this New England combination into a hybrid by crusting it with crisp plantain chips and serving it with a tropical fruit salad.
PRODUCT TIP:
Plantain chips were a regular snack for me when I lived in Aruba. One day in the kitchen I started experimenting with the chips and coated a fillet of fish with the crumbled pieces. The crisp plantains made a perfect coating for the fish, encasing the moist tender fillet with a crisp and tasty crust.
Plantain-Crusted Halibut
Difficulty: Medium4
servings45
minutes10
minutesIngredients
Four 6-ounce halibut fillets
1/2 pound Maine crabmeat
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
1 scallion, green part only, minced
2 teaspoons minced red bell pepper
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large egg, whisked in a small bowl
3 ounces plantain chips, ground in a food processor to the size of rolled oats
3 Tablespoons canola oil
- Lemon Beurre Blanc
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 cup heavy cream
Juice and zest from 1/2 lemon
Kosher salt and white pepper to taste
- Mango-Papaya Salad
1 large mango
1 small papaya
1 medium red onion, julienne
1 red bell pepper, julienne
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 lime, juiced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and white pepper to taste
Directions
- Slice the halibut fillets in half and pound gently between two pieces of plastic wrap to about 1/4-inch thick.
- Mix crabmeat with mayonnaise, scallion, red pepper, and season with salt and pepper.
- Lay the pounded halibut out on the counter and divide the crabmeat mixture between 4 of the halibut pieces. Spread the mixture on each, leaving half an inch of the halibut exposed along the edges. Top the crab mixture with the other 4 pieces of halibut, then use the back of a knife to gently press the two edges together on each of the 4 servings.
- Season the halibut pouches with salt and pepper and dust with flour. Dip the halibut into the egg mixture and coat both sides. Then dip into the ground plantain chips to coat each side.
- Sauté the halibut in canola oil, over medium heat for 3 minutes, and then gently flip over with a spatula and cook for 3 minutes on the other side. Drain on paper towels.
- Serve the halibut over a pool of Lemon beurre blanc and garnish with the Italian parsley leaves and lemon segments. Serve with seasonal vegetables.
- Lemon Beurre Blanc
- Dice the butter and bring to room temperature.
- Heat the oil in a small 2-quart saucepan. Chop the onions finely. Sauté the onions over medium heat for 2 minutes but do not allow them to brown. Deglaze with the white wine and vinegar and reduce, over medium heat until most of the liquid has evaporated. Again, do not brown. Add the heavy cream and reduce the mixture by half, whisking occasionally.
- Remove the pan from the heat and immediately whisk in the butter until well incorporated. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl, discarding the solids. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest and season with salt and white pepper. Keep in a warm place (not too hot or it will break) until serving.
- Mango-Papaya Salad
- Remove the pit and skin from the mango and cut into thin strips. Remove the seeds and the skin from the papaya and cut into thin strips.
- Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
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