Steamed Halibut with Couscous, Sicilian Olives, and Saffron-Tomato Broth
Steamed Halibut in broth with couscous
Adapted from Bobby Flay: Chapter One
I'm not usually a fan of steaming food, because the process doesn't impart tons of flavor and often results in a single texture. However, this happens to be one of my favorite fish dishes-go figure. It's important that you procure East Coast halibut if you want it to be successful, though. It just has a silkier texture than its West Coast counterpart. The couscous both thickens and soaks up the broth, and the green olive relish cuts through the richness of it all. Sicily is my inspiration for this one.
Ingredients
Saffron-Tomato Broth
- 6 cups clam juice
- Pinch of saffron
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as avocado or canola
- 1 medium Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 fennel bulb, sliced
- 1 teaspoon Calabrian chile flakes
- 1 cup Pernod liqueur
- 1(28-ounce) can plum tomatoes, with their juices
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Couscous
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 cup pearl couscous
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Sicilian Olive Relish
- 1 cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted and torn into small pieces
- ¼ cup chopped fresh mint
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup thinly sliced scallions (green parts only)
- 2 anchovies packed in oil, drained and finely chopped
- Zest of 1 lemon
Steamed Halibut
- 4 sprigs dill
- 4 scallions, halved
- 4 (6-ounce) skinless center-cut halibut fillets
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
To Serve
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- Zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Make the saffron-tomato broth: In a large saucepan, bring the clam juice and saffron to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low to keep warm.
- In a separate large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent and softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Add the fennel and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the chile flakes and Pernod and cook until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the warm clam-saffron broth and bring to a boil, and wipe out the saucepan for the finished broth. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are soft and the liquid has reduced by half, about 1½ hours.
Crush the tomatoes with a potato masher, then strain the broth into the wiped-out saucepan and discard the solids.
Add the butter and season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm over low heat.
- Make the couscous: In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the couscous and toast for about 5 minutes. Add 1½ cups water and the salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.
Drain off any remaining water and set aside.
- Make the relish: In a small bowl, combine the olives, mint, parsley, scallions, anchovies, and lemon zest.
Set aside.
- Steam the halibut: Fill the bottom of a steamer with
1 inch of water. Line a steamer rack with the dill and scallions. Season the halibut fillets with salt and pepper and place them on top of the dill and scallions in the steamer rack. Place the lemon slices on the fillets, cover the steamer rack, and bring the water to a boil. Steam until the halibut is firm, about 3 minutes. Remove the halibut from the steamer and transfer to a baking sheet. Discard the dill, scallions, and lemon slices.
- To serve: Divide the couscous among four wide, shallow bowls. Sprinkle the chopped dill and the lemon zest over each bowl of couscous. Place a halibut piece on top of the couscous. Ladle ¾ cup of saffron-tomato broth over the halibut. Top the halibut with 1/ cup of the relish, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Pernod has a pretty strong liquorice flavor, maybe use vermouth (or both) instead?
- that's a lot of clam juice, maybe use a cup or two and add seafood stock to make up the volume
- I would typically cook the fish sous vide (with the aromatics) rather than steam
- for olive-haters, maybe use piquillo peppers or roasted red pepper?
- Double or triple the amount of olive relish, it's really good and makes the dish!