Alaskan Halibut Cheeks with Warm Red Skin Potato-Scallion pesto-Crab Hash with Whole Grain Mustard-Caper Butter Sauce
By Chef Matthew Israel
For the cheeks…
· 1 pound Fresh Alaskan Halibut Cheeks
· ¼ cup Rice Flour
· 6 cups baby spinach loosely packed, stems removed
· 4-6 red potatoes par cooked and cubed
· ½ lb Dungeness Crab
· ¼ cup Olive oil
· 2 tablespoons unsalted butter plus a ½ pound of small cubed for the sauce
· 3 tablespoons of whole grain mustard
· ½ cup of Dry White Wine
· ¼ cup heavy cream
· Juice of 1 Lemon, zest reserved for the Pesto
· 2 tablespoons capers
· 1 teaspoon sel gris (course grey salt)
· 8 whole black peppercorns
· 1 teaspoon dried minced garlic
· ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
· 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
For the Pesto…
· 1oz Italian flat leaf parsley, stems removed
· ½ oz fresh basil, stems removed
· 2 oz spring onion, rough chopped
· 3 cloves garlic
· 1-1 ¼ cups extra virgin olive oil
· ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
· ½ teaspoon lemon zest
· Salt and pepper to taste
In a food processer, combine everything but the olive oil and pulse to break it down a bit. With the processor running, slowly add in the olive oil until you have reached the desired consistency…not too thick, not too thin.
To finish…
With a mortar and pestle, grind up the salt, peppercorns, garlic, smoked paprika and onion. Trim any membrane or silver skin off the cheeks. Evenly season both sides of the Halibut Cheeks and dredge them in the rice flour, make sure to knock off any excess.
In a small sauce pot, add the lemon juice and white wine. Cook over a medium flame until the liquid has reduced down to a quarter of the initial volume. Add the heavy cream and simmer the sauce base until it has reduced down by three quarters. Turn the heat down and slowly emulsify the butter into the sauce one or two cubes at a time until gone. Whisk in the mustard and capers. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Note: If the sauce boils or gets to hot it will break
Place a large cast iron skillet or heavy bottomed sauté pan over a medium flame; add the olive oil and butter. When the butter has melted and is starting to lightly brown, add the halibut cheeks. Depending on the thickness of the cheeks, they need to sear for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a warm plate.
Using the pan the cheeks were cooked in, sauté the potatoes with the desired amount of pesto. When the salad is warmed through, toss in the spinach and cook until just wilted. Finish with the crab and season with salt and pepper.