All that to say that this recipe was a brilliant choice for Mother's Day, but not one I prepared recently due to the carbs involved.
This year for Mother's Day, Dan asked me to pick a Halibut recipe and he would prepare it for me. I chose Almond Crusted Halibut (my favorite!) and to his credit, he only needed help a couple times!
Almond Crusted Halibut
Ingredients
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter - chilled, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 (6 ounce) fillets halibut
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 2 t vanilla powder
• 2/3 cup minced blanched almonds
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
Directions
1. Make beurre blanc: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine wine, vinegar, shallots, thyme and bay leaf. Boil until liquid has evaporated. Stir in cream, and boil until liquid is reduced by half; decrease heat to low. Whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time, adding each new piece before previous one has melted completely. Do not allow sauce to simmer, or it may separate.
2. Strain sauce through a fine sieve into a heatproof bowl. Stir in chives, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Keep warm by setting bowl in a larger container of hot water.
3. Preheat oven on broiler setting. Pat fillets dry, and season with salt and pepper.
4. Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute halibut fillets for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned, and just cooked through. Transfer to a baking sheet, and cool 5 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together bread crumbs, almonds and 1 tablespoon melted butter. Brush tops of fillets with egg, and spread with almond mixture.
5. Broil fillets 1 to 2 minutes, or until browned (watch closely - every broiler has its own personality!). Place fillets on individual plates, and spoon beurre blanc around it.
