HomeSearchApp
EN
Use App
Halibut, Saffron & Asparagus
Get the app
Phinney's

Phinney's

Halibut, Saffron & Asparagus

3h 30m

A delightful late-spring fish dish that showcases asparagus and saffron.

Get the asparagus at its seasonal peak and pair it with lively yellow cherry tomatoes. Combine it with a delicate and silky halibut to create a composed meal.

Perfect for a date night at home, but you can up the serving size and share among friends when hosting on the weekends.

This dish came together during the peak of asparagus and East Coast halibut season! Combined with an incredible Afghani saffron, the dish showcases a combination of ingredients that encapsulates a specific moment in the late spring season.

  • Slip the blade of a knife against the skin of 454 g of halibut and cut through to remove it. Cut the halibut into 4 equal pieces

    Step 0
  • Mix ½ cup of sugar and ½ cup of kosher salt

    Step 1
  • Coat the halibut in the salt and sugar mixture. Let it sit for 15m to lightly cure

    Step 2
  • Dice 4 slices of bread into ¼ inch cubes

    Step 3
  • Peel 4 garlic cloves

    Step 4
  • Melt 1 cup of duck fat in a deep frying pan over medium heat. Bring it to 149 °C

    Step 5
  • Add the diced bread and stir occasionally. Fry until golden brown on all sides

    Step 6
  • Add the garlic and 1 bunch of thyme. Stir for 30s

    Step 7
  • Transfer the bread to a plate lined with paper towels to drain

    Step 8
  • Season with salt to taste. Remove the garlic and the thyme. The duck fat croutons are ready

    Step 9
  • Toast 1½ tbsp cumin seeds and 3 tbsp coriander seeds in a dry skillet until lightly colored and fragrant. Transfer to a mortar

    Step 10
  • Toast ¼ cup of pine nuts in a dry skillet until light golden. Add salt to taste

    Step 11
  • Add 3 tbsp of dried garlic flakes. Add cumin powder and Aleppo pepper to taste to the mortar

    Step 12
  • Add 1 tsp of coarse salt and grind the ingredients until you reach a medium-coarse powder

    Step 13
  • Add pine nuts and saffron to taste to the mortar

    Step 14
  • Grind until the pine nuts are broken, but stop before they get pasty. The spice mix rub is ready

    Step 15
  • Peel 1 lemon

    Step 16
  • Peel 4 garlic cloves

    Step 17
  • Add the garlic, the lemon, and 1 bunch of thyme to 1 L of extra virgin olive oil. Heat to 125 °C

    Step 18
  • Gently rinse the halibut in cold water and pat it dry

    Step 19
  • Submerge the halibut in the oil

    Step 20
  • Poach for 40-55m until a cake tester can pierce the halibut without resistance

    Step 21
  • Trim, peel, and thinly slice 5 shallots

    Step 22
  • Trim and thinly slice 1 fennel bulb

    Step 23
  • Heat a pan over medium-low heat and add ⅓ cup of extra virgin olive oil

    Step 24
  • Add the shallots and fennel to the pan. Sweat until soft and translucent but without color. Mix periodically

    Step 25
  • Add salt to taste and continue to sweat the ingredients

    Step 26
  • Raise the heat to medium. Add ½ cup of white wine and reduce it by half

    Step 27
  • Add a pinch of Aleppo pepper and a heavy pinch of saffron

    Step 28
  • Simmer for 5m to incorporate the flavors

    Step 29
  • Scoop 1 jar of yellow cherry tomatoes and reserve the liquid

    Step 30
  • Add the liquid to the pan and reduce it by half

    Step 31
  • Press the tomatoes and add any additional liquid to the pan. Continue to simmer for 10m to concentrate the flavors. Remove from the pan

    Step 32
  • Cut ⅔ cup of butter into large chunks

    Step 33
  • Add the fennel and shallots to a blender. Blend on medium speed until smooth

    Step 34
  • Add the butter pieces, one at a time, while blending on low speed

    Step 35
  • Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a saucepan

    Step 36
  • Season with salt to taste, 1 tsp of champagne vinegar, and 1 tsp of shio koji. Keep warm over low heat

    Step 37
  • Add the yellow cherry tomatoes. The tomato saffron sauce is ready

    Step 38
  • Fill ¾ of a pot with water and bring it to a boil. Season heavily with salt

    Step 39
  • Remove the woody bottoms from 1 bunch of asparagus

    Step 40
  • Spread olive oil on a grill and preheat it to high heat

    Step 41
  • Blanch the asparagus for 20s until their color brightens, but the asparagus is barely cooked

    Step 42
  • Season with olive oil and salt to taste

    Step 43
  • Grill the asparagus with a press until lightly charred and slightly tender

    Step 44
  • Season with salt, lemon, black pepper, and aleppo pepper to taste. The grilled asparagus are ready

    Step 45
  • Remove the halibut from the oil

    Step 46
  • Remove excess protein and oil. The poached halibut is ready

    Step 47
  • Spread 2 spoons of the tomato saffron sauce in the center of a plate. Line up some grilled asparagus parallel to each other on top of the sauce

    Step 48
  • Fill the spaces between the asparagus with duck fat croutons

    Step 49
  • Dust some of the spice mix rub over each of the halibut pieces

    Step 50
  • Put 2 halibut pieces on top of the asparagus and croutons. Drizzle them with extra virgin olive oil to taste

    Step 51
  • The halibut, saffron & asparagus dish is ready! Enjoy it on a date night or with some friends, accompanied by a great glass of wine!

    Step 52

Yield 2 people

  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil

    Extra Virgin Olive Oil

    to taste

Poached Halibut

  • Halibut

    Halibut

    454 g
  • Thyme

    Thyme

    1 bunch
  • Lemon

    Lemon

    1
  • Garlic

    Garlic

    4 cloves
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil

    Extra Virgin Olive Oil

    1 l
  • White Sugar

    White Sugar

    ½ cup
  • Salt

    Salt

    ½ cup

Duck Fat Croutons

  • Loaf Bread

    Loaf Bread

    4 slices
  • Duck Fat

    Duck Fat

    1 cup
  • Garlic

    Garlic

    4 cloves
  • Thyme

    Thyme

    1 bunch

Spice Mix Rub

  • Coriander Seed

    Coriander Seed

    3 tbsp
  • Cumin Seed

    Cumin Seed

    1½ tbsp
  • Pine Nut

    Pine Nut

    ¼ cup
  • Dried Garlic Flakes

    Dried Garlic Flakes

    3 tbsp
  • Cumin Powder

    Cumin Powder

    to taste
  • Aleppo Pepper

    Aleppo Pepper

    to taste
  • Salt

    Coarse Salt

    1 tsp
  • Saffron

    Saffron

    to taste

Tomato Saffron Sauce

  • Cherry Tomato

    Yellow Cherry Tomato

    1 jar
  • Shallot

    Shallot

    5
  • Fennel Bulb

    Fennel Bulb

    1
  • Butter

    Butter

    ⅔ cup
  • White Wine

    White Wine

    ½ cup
  • Shio Koji

    Shio Koji

    1 tsp
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil

    Extra Virgin Olive Oil

    ⅓ cup
  • Champagne Vinegar

    Champagne Vinegar

    1 tsp
  • Saffron

    Saffron

    1 heavy pinch
  • Aleppo Pepper

    Aleppo Pepper

    1 pinch
  • Salt

    Salt

    to taste

Grilled Asparagus

  • Asparagus

    Asparagus

    1 bunch
  • Aleppo Pepper

    Aleppo Pepper

    to taste
  • Lemon

    Lemon

    to taste
  • Olive Oil

    Olive Oil

    to taste
  • Black Pepper

    Black Pepper

    to taste
  • Salt

    Salt

    to taste

Equipment

  • Mortar and Pestle

    Mortar and Pestle

  • Blender

    Blender

  • Fine Mesh Sieve

    Fine Mesh Sieve

  • Grill

    Grill

  • Grill Press

    Grill Press

Get the app for 1000+
step-by-step video recipes

  • App Store
  • Google Play