Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal
It sure does feel great to know that spring has sprung ... I think! We are on our second planting of our garden ... argh!
But there is a lot to celebrate. This year we have an early farmers market, thanks to the help of the Carson Station Casino, the Russell family, Linda and Ralph Marrone and their group of trusty, hardy farmers.
All the ingredients except for the halibut and bacon can be found at the market. Thus was the inspiration for this recipe. The early Farmers Market will move to its original home on 3rd Street the weekend of June 19.
Karen and I look forward to seeing you there ... Enjoy, Enjoy!
SUMMER FRESH HALIBUT
Ingredients:
Three thick slices of bacon or pork belly, cut crosswise into quarter-inch strips
1⁄2 cup sweet spring onions, diced into quarter-inch pieces
Three garlic cloves thinly sliced or minced
2 organic Roma tomatoes seeded and diced
2 pounds organic spinach (Make sure to pluck stems and cut extremely large leaves in half.)
4 Wild Alaskan halibut filets
11⁄2 inches thick about 6 ounces
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Additional ingredients for halibut:
Medium coarse sea salt
2 cloves garlic finely minced
1 teaspoon finely chopped chives or green onions
2 tablespoons olive oil
Spinach preparation:
Place one tablespoons olive oil and sliced bacon/pork belly in a large 12-inch skillet that is 2-inches deep and has a cover. Cook over medium heat until bacon is almost crisp. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons fat.
Add onions, stir until slightly softened, approximately three minutes. Add garlic and cook until very lightly browned. Add tomatoes, stir and cover 4 minutes, lowering the heat to low (look for slight breakdown of tomatoes)
At this point, turn skillet to medium high and add spinach plus salt and pepper to taste. Lightly toss spinach. Spinach should be slightly wilted. Add the balsamic vinegar and fresh lemon juice Put cover over spinach for, literally, 10 seconds counting slowly, remove immediately from heat.
Place in four individual shallow bowls 6 inches in diameter, placing the fresh cooked halibut in the center of the bowl. Or, for family style, place the spinach mix on a large serving dish, placing the cooked halibut filets around the edges.
Fish preparation:
Place halibut filets on paper towel and pat dry.
Lay halibut filets in shallow dish, equally spread salt, green onions/chives and garlic over the filets
Add fresh ground pepper to your taste
I like to sear halibut for 1-2 minutes on each side (due to its delicate nature) in a skillet and finish in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes using specified size filets above.
Or to barbecue, heat barbecue grill to approximately 350 degrees, place halibut on foil 8-10 minutes each side.
Staging the dinner:
First, have all items prepped for the spinach mix. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Once complete, you are ready to cook. Seer the fish and put in the oven or barbecue. While the halibut is cooking, combine spinach mix and the finish time will be perfect to serve and enjoy.
• Charlie Abowd is the owner and chef at Adele's. He and his wife, Karen, have lived in Carson City since 1980. Charlie is a fourth-generation restaurateur.