Salsa Cruda:
1/2 pound heirloom tomates (assorted colors preferred), stemmed, seeded & cut into 1/4in. dice
1/4 small red onion, cut into 1/4in. dice
1/2 small zucchini, green part only, cut into 1/4in. dice
5 pitted Gaeta or kalamata olives, slivered
1 clove garlic, smashed & finely chopped
1 spring fresh oregano, picked & leaves chopped
3 basil leaves, chiffonade
1 1/2 tbs red wine vinegar
Pinch crushed red pepper
1 1/2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
Combine everything in a large bowl & reserve while making fish & swiss chard.
As I mentioned before, we doubled the recipe, although I think the 10 kalamata olives we used were slightly overpowering. I will probably stay with the 5 olives for the doubled portion when we make this again.
For the Fish & Swiss Chard:
Ingredients:
Olive Oil
1 clove garlic, smashed
Pinch crushed red pepper
1 slice bacon, cut into 1/2 in lengths (lardons)
4 large swiss chard leaves, stems removed & cut into 1/2 in lengths, leaves cut into 1 in. lengths
1/4 cup chicken stock, divided
Salt
1 6oz. halibut filet
1/2 cup Salsa Crudo
Directions:
Coat a saute pan with olive oil. Toss in the garlic clove, crushed red pepper, bacon, & a couple drops of olive oil. Bring the pan to a medium heat. When the garlic is golden & very aromatic, remove it and discard. When the bacon has become crispy, toss in the Swiss Chard stems, half of the chicken stock, & season with salt. When the chicken stock has reduced, toss in the rest of the chicken stock, Swiss Chard leaves & season with salt. Cook the leaves until they are just wilted, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Coat another saute pan with olive oil & bring to high heat. Pat the halibut fillet very dry with a paper towel & season with salt. When the oil in the pan is very hot but not yet smoking, place the fish flesh side down & cook for 3 to 4 minutes. As the fish cooks it will turn from translucent to opaque. Turn the fish over & cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. When the fish is done it should be golden & firm but still moist.
Place the Swiss Chard in the center of the serving plate. Lay the fish directly on top. Top the fish with the Salsa Cruda.
All in all, I think this was a successful dish & I would definitely make again. We were able to use Swiss Chard, Zucchini, Tomatoes, & Red Onion from our CSA and we tried a new recipe. My one gripe is that, at $25 a pound for halibut, I'm thinking we could use Tilapia or Cod at a much lower expense and still appreciate the flavors. I guess we'll just have to try!
A picture of our masterpiece:
Looks awesome! So bright and colorful. I love that you used bacon here as well.
ReplyDelete