Halibut Provençal

Felt like eating something light, so Uly and I decided to have some fish for dinner. We bought some fresh halibut from the Union City farmers market, and used one of the recipes from one of our favorite cookbooks, Jean-Georges' Simple to Spectacular. We just love how the recipes can be so simple, yet still "fancy" and very very tasty.

We picked a recipe that was one level up from the simplest, Provençal Halibut. The fresh, in-season grape tomatoes were the perfect complement to the fish, and the whole dish was very light and refreshing. For sides, we had some whole-wheat couscous and braised asparagus, which went very well with the fish. For our wine, we had a nice Chardonnay (free leftovers from Shirley's wedding!:) ).

Provençal Halibut
from Simple to Spectacular: How to Take One Basic Recipe to Four Levels of Sophistication (Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Mark Bittman)

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon minced shallots
Four 6-8 ounce bone-in halibut or other steaks, or 2 larger steaks, each at least 1 inch thick
Salt and cayenne pepper
1 pound tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons capers
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1/3 cup minced parsley

1) Preheat the oven to 500F. Smear the butter in a shallow baking pan that will hold the fish without crowding. Sprinkle the shallots over the butter.
2) Season the fish on both sides with salt and cayenne; lay it in the pan. Scatter the tomatoes and capers around and over the fish, then pour the wine around all.
3) Bring to a boil on top of the stove, then transfer to the oven and cook for 5 minutes, basting once with the liquid. Turn the fish and cook until it is done, about 10 minutes total; the fish should be firm and just about opaque all the way through. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Makes 4 servings
Time: 25 minutes