Monday, March 30, 2009

First sign of spring?

Update: Asparagus came out on top of the poll on everybody's favorite first signs of spring. Did you know that these days there are practically no commercial asparagus farms left in Walla Walla? 

Had my first halibut of the year last night, cooked the same sure-fire way Jon Rowley schooled us on making salmon perfect each and every time.

It's so simple, but it works: Sear a well-seasoned piece of fish on the stove top -- I used my ScanPan grill pan, which is a bear to clean -- and then finish it in a 275-degree oven for 10-15 minutes. It's beautifully moist, never dry, not gummy and undercooked. 

I walked to Pike Place Market under sunny skies yesterday and it was packed! I was mighty discouraged when I spotted whole halibut for $15 a pound, and fillets for $19. Drat! Guess I wouldn't be snagging any of that. When did halibut get to be so damn precious?

Walking back to Lower Queen Anne, I stopped at QFC and they it was on sale for $9.99. Score!

I rubbed my Alaska halibut with a seasoning mix I bought while on vakay in Hawaii. It's a lovely combo of dill, thyme, tarragon, sage, brown sugar, Hawaiian sea salt, kukui nut and lavendar from Ali'i Kula Farms. It has become my go-to not-so-secret-ingredient in all sorts of things.

Alongside a savory bread pudding and peas and carrots seasoned with dry mint, the halibut was easily the succulent star of the plate. How do you do your halibut?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Your Sear and Finish method for halibut is also a sure method for just about any grilled food. Coaching beginners on the aspects of grilling the first lesson I try to teach is to learn when to Stop Grilling! and leave the poor beef, fish, chicken, pork, burger, etc. alone to finish away from direct heat! Enjoying your blog. When you get a chance gimmie a heads up and we'll quack about life and grilling. CB