Last night we ate pan seared halibut for dinner with tomato and cucumber salad. It was easy and will remain an essential meal on my summer menu. First I made the salad while the halibut was thawing. Although we love leafy greens in the summer, this time I chose to use course cut fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, scallions, garlic and lemon with olive oil dressing. I wanted a simple and acidic salad that would not compete with the mild flavor of halibut. When the halibut was thawed, I cut it into smaller portions for serving; these are easier to flip also. Then, after dusting the halibut portions with paprika, dry mustard and a bit of dried red chile pepper flakes, I seared them in browned butter with a bit of olive oil. Once the halibut portions were cooked evenly and slightly browned around the edges on both sides [about 4 minuted per side], I squeezed the juice of one lemon all over them in the pan and hit it with a dash of sea salt. The finished halibut was plated and then drizzled with the pan's sauce. Each piece of halibut flaked softly without loosing their shape. The pretty white meat looked delicious with browned buttery edges and the copper colored sauce was a tangy explosion of flavor that complimented the halibut and resembled the lemony undertones of the salad.
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