Saffron Poached Halibut

We had friends for dinner last night, and this was a halibut dish that I came up with for them. It has a beautiful orange color, and the saffron flavor really infuses the halibut in the poaching process.

I topped the halibut with a beautiful carrot ribbon salad made with rainbow carrots and crunchy, spicy mustard seeds.

The whole dish made for a delicious, flavorful and moist fish that looked stunning on a simple white platter. I served this with a simple salad and pasta with a fresh pesto sauce.

Saffron Poached Halibut, serves 6
2.75lbs thick cut, halibut filet
2 Tbs butter
1 large shallot
.01 oz saffron threads
4 cups of chicken stock
Kosher salt

Rainbow Carrot Salad
5 medium rainbow carrots
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp mustard seeds
½ a lemons juice
2 Tbs olive oil
½ tsp sugar

For the carrot salad:
Using a sharp peeler, peel the outer skin from the carrots.

Using the peeler, shave the carrots into ribbons. Place in a bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl, add the garlic.

Add the mustard seed and the olive oil.
Add the lemon juice and the sugar. Whisk to combine.

Season with salt.
Dress the carrots and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

For the Halibut:

Season the Halibut with a little kosher salt.

In a large sauté pan, melt the butter.

Add the shallots and sprinkle with salt. Let sweat.

Add the saffron threads and cook together for a few minutes.

Add the broth and let simmer for about 20 minutes on low until it is fragrant and reduced.

Place the halibut in the pan. Keep the heat on medium.

Spoon the hot sauce over the fish and continue to do so until the fish is cooked through. This should take about 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.

When the fish is barely cooked through, top the fish with the carrot salad and serve hot.

Enjoy!