Humbly into greatness

Halibut was the first fish that came to mind when I stumbled across this gorgeous plate of braised radishes thanks to Know Whey. Radishes are just starting to hit the local markets right now, and I love them for two reasons. They’re pretty and they’re humble.

This plate said to me, "Give me a slab of halibut and some peas," so I complied and went off to see Laurie for some west-coast halibut, and to two great markets around the corner from her for radishes. Peas in the pod are starting to appear, too, but I’ll be honest: I shamelessly used frozen. I won't in the next week or two, though.

Following Know Whey's technique – a braise in stock and butter -- got me great results. I seared the halibut skin-side-up in a hot pan with a bit of veg oil and let the fish caramelize into gold. I turned it over [my pan goes into the oven, but if yours doesn't, you could put it on a baking dish] and finished it in a preheated 400F oven. For a one-inch-wide filet, 7 to 10 minutes should do the trick.

To serve, I heated up the radishes [I'd cooked them earlier; they were just standing by] with a bit of reduced stock/butter liquid. I added cooked peas and let them get acquainted for as long as it took for them to be heated through. I put a helping of these lovelies into warm, shallow bowls, with enough sauce to make everyone happy and then I placed the halibut majestically on top. Heaven.

For this dish, Glenn went to his consignment list and came back with a quick study in pinot grigio. He chose two from the Fruili region of Italy, produced by Forchir, “both with distinct white pepper notes and pear flavours that will complement this great fish,” he says.

They have a clear distinction. The first is Rosadis, which came to mind when he was considering the radishes. Rosadis has a slight pinkish hue, which it gets from the grape’s skin, which also imparts some hints of red fruit, like cherry and strawberry. Traditionally, Glenn explains, pinot grigios had this pink hue, but now that the wine has become hugely popular, the more common style for this wine is to make it like Lamis, his second offering, which has a greenish tint.

Any questions about the fish, food or wine? Let us know via Comments, and we’ll get back to you pronto.