November 2006

Oven roasted fillet of halibut with a purple basil crust, baby pepper stew and pearl potatoes

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Serves 4 people

Fillet of halibut with purple basil crust

4x 5oz skinned and deboned halibut fillets
1x loaf medium sliced white bread
1x bunch of purple basil
½ bunch chives
1x pinch of saffron strands
150grams of melted butter

Baby pepper stew

4x baby red peppers
4x baby green peppers
20x cooked Cray fish tails
1x tube tomato puree
2x 150gram tins chopped tomatoes
2x large onions
6x cloves of garlic (peeled)
½ bunch thyme
½ bottle white wine
1x litre of fish stock
200grams pearl potatoes
10clx olive oil

Method

For the crust trim the crusts of the sliced white bread with a sharp knife, then roughly tear the remaining bread into chunks and place in a food processor, pulse the bread until it comes out as a nice fine soft bread crumb.

Pick the purple basil of the stalks and finely shred, then chop the chives and mix with the breadcrumbs, basil, saffron and a little bit of sea salt and cracked pepper.

Melt the butter and then carefully place the halibut fillets on one side into the soft butter, then quickly before the butter hardens place it into the bread crumb mix and pat quite firmly to make sure there is and even coating on one side of each fillet

Place the fillets on a baking sheet with the crumbed side up ready to go into a pre heated oven.

First place a medium size pan on the stove and start to pre heat, then peel and roughly chop the onions and garlic cloves, once they are done place them in the pre heated pan and start to sweat making sure they do not colour but start to turn soft, add the thyme and sweat for a further two to three minutes. De lace with the white wine and reduce by 1/3rd, then add the fish stock and chopped tomatoes. Bring this mix back to the boil and stir in the tomato puree, simmer for 10 minutes and then liquidise in a food processor, pass through a strainer back into the pan, and adjust the seasoning.

Pan fry the pearl potatoes in a little bit of olive oil until they start too colour then add them to the tomato sauce, cut the baby peppers in half and take out as many seeds as you can then drop them into a frying pan with a little bit of hot olive oil, once they start too blister take them out and drop them into the stew mix, bring it back to the boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. At the last minute just before serving drop in the Cray fish tails just too warm through.

Too cook the halibut fillets place them in a pre heated oven at 180* for approximately 15 minutes, to serve ladle some of the stew into a dish making sure you have baby peppers, potatoes and Cray fish tails in each dish then place the halibut on top of the stew.

Paul Vincent, Head Chef.