Good Enough for Jehovah*

After meeting Curtis Stone on Saturday, I was inspired to try one of his recipes, one that Ted has been talking about on and off since we saw the episode on TV. It was mighty darned tasty, so I thought I’d share it with you. Here goes. This recipe isn’t in his book, but you can find it here.

Pan Fried Halibut with Sautéed Black Beans and a Cilantro and Chili Salsa

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the cilantro and chili salsa:
1/4 cup/60 ml extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons/25 ml red wine vinegar
1/3 cup/15 g chopped fresh cilantro
3 serrano chilies, seeded, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Salt

For the black beans and halibut:
4 tablespoons/60 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, diced
½ red bell pepper, diced
½ green bell pepper, diced
½ yellow bell pepper, diced
1 garlic clove, finely crushed
One 15-ounce/425-g can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup/100 ml dry white wine
2 tablespoons/about 5 g chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Four 6-ounce/170-g halibut fillets (each about 1½ inch/3.8 cm thick)

Method:

To make the cilantro and chili salsa:

Stir the oil, vinegar, cilantro, chilies, shallot and garlic in a medium bowl to combine. Season the salsa to taste with salt.

To sauté the black beans:

Heat 2 tablespoons/30 ml of oil in a large sauté pan over a moderate heat. Add the diced red onion and sauté for 5 minutes or until tender. Add all the bell peppers and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes or until the bell peppers soften.

Add the beans and white wine. Bring the wine to a gentle simmer and cook for about 3 minutes or until the beans are heated through and most of the wine has reduced. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, to pan fry the halibut:

Place a large sauté or frying pan over a moderate to high heat and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons/30 ml of olive oil. Sprinkle both sides of the halibut fillets with salt and pepper.

Place the fillets in the hot pan and cook for 4 minutes or until the fillets are golden brown on the bottom. Turn the fillets over and cook for 3 minutes or until the fish is just cooked through but still moist and juicy.

To serve:

Spoon the beans onto the center of 4 plates. Top with the halibut fillets. Spoon some salsa atop the halibut and drizzle some salsa around the beans and serve.

*In case you’re unclear of the reference, here is a clip from Monty Python’s Life of Brian. God, You Tube ROCKS!