Chile Fish with Yuzu Paste

You may have noticed that I eat (and thus am posting) a lot more fish than before. That's because I just found a new seafood market right on Tully road, in San Jose. The fishmonger always surprises me with his freshest catch. My most recent purchase was a couple of beautiful halibut steaks. Halibut is a very delicate fish so I had to use ingredients that accentuate without overpowering. First, I cleaned and rinsed the fish in lemony, salted water. The marinade time was fairly brief and contained the bare minimum: chile, onion and yuzu paste.

I pan-fried the halibut steaks, to which I added fried chiles and onions as garnish. It’s always nice to give hints of what flavors are in the dish. The reason I used a generous amount of jalapeno chile is to prevent the fish from being tanh ("fishy" in Vietnamese). Maman used to say that there are two rules for making a good seafood dish: the fresher the product, the better it will taste and chile can be used to mask any unpleasant odor.

Pan Roasted Halibut Recipe

I love fish, but halibut can be a little bland. Like other mild ingredients though, it makes a perfect canvas upon which to "paint" stronger flavors. For this recipe, I used a spicy and tangy yogurt marinade to perk up the halibut. In this case the marinade does double duty, as it not only flavors but imparts a lovely color to the fish.

The preparation of the halibut is similar to how I cook many other fish so they're covered in a thick, paste-like marinade. A brief pan sear followed by a short stint in the oven is all it takes to transform the uncooked halibut into a main course you'll be proud to serve.