Braised Halibut with Leeks, Mushrooms and Little Neck Clams

I made this last nigh for dinner and it was excellent.  I made a few small changes.  I served it with the black rice I blogged about earlier and I reduced the broth to 2 cups instead of three. Plus I added a cup of cherry tomatoes cut in half.  I added them when I braised the leeks and mushrooms.  Since I served it over the rice, having it too soupy didn't seem appealing to me.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

What You'll Need

4 oz. (½ cup) unsalted butter

½ lb. oyster or hen of the woods mushrooms, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)

3 large leeks, white and light-green parts only, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 cups lower-salt chicken broth

4 skinless Pacific halibut fillets (about 4 oz. each)

16 to 24 small clams, such as Manila or littlenecks, scrubbed

1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half (optional)

Melt the butter over medium heat in an 11- or 12-inch straight-sided sauté pan with a lid. Add the mushrooms and leeks (and tomatoes if using) and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook gently, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the broth, raise the heat to medium high, and bring to a boil.
Season the halibut with salt and pepper. Nestle the fish and clams among the vegetables in the skillet. Bring the broth back to a boil, cover tightly, and reduce the heat to low. Cook gently until the fish is just cooked through and the clams have opened, about 7 minutes. If all of the clams are not open, remove the fish and the open clams and continue cooking until the remaining clams open, another 2 to 3 minutes. Discard any clams that haven’t opened by this time.
Serve the fish in warmed shallow soup bowls, topped with leeks and mushrooms, surrounded by clams and broth, and sprinkled with chopped parsley.

serving suggestions

To make it a complete meal, serve with a green side salad and Steamed Jasmine Rice. 

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 480; Fat (g): 28; Fat Calories (kcal): 250; Saturated Fat (g): 15; Protein (g): 40; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 7; Carbohydrates (g): 17; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 2.5; Sodium (mg): 460; Cholesterol (mg): 125; Fiber (g): 3;

Baked Halibut with Tomato, Caper, Jalapeno Sauce

I was having lunch with my girl friends the other day and we were discussing the local fish store, Kathleen's Catch.  I said I had bought the most wonderful halibut fillets.  Well, Bitchy, they queried, how did you prepare them?  I had posted in a much earlier blog "my favorite sauce for fish".  In that recipe it calls for you to fry the fish.   In keeping with low fat cooking, I baked the halibut in foil packets.  Here's the recipe:

Ingredients: Serves 4

1 or 2 jalapeno peppers (I often use canned and then chop)

1 med. onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

1 tbs lime or lemon juice (I prefer lime)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/4 cup sliced pimiento-stuffed olives or capers

1 tbs parsley, chopped

4-6 oz firm white fleshed fish i.e. halibut at least an inch to an inch and a half thick

Method: 

If using fresh jalapenos, cut jalapenos lengthwise and remove seeds and membrane (unless you want fire in the belly).  In a medium sized non reactive bowl, mix all ingredients together.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven  to 425 degrees.  Tear a length of heavy duty foil to accommodate the fish and the sauce and then to seal.  Place foil packets on a baking sheet.  Place fish fillet in center of foil and salt and pepper  both sides.  Top each fillet with about 1/4 cup of sauce.  Sprinkle with parsley.  Seal tightly.  Bake for 20 minutes or until  cooked as desired.