So, there are days and then there are days. This was a good one.
A visiting chef brought some first-of-the-season halibut from Alaska.
You heard me.
And there was one piece left. Uncooked. Well...
Fish wasn't on the menu, but when life gives you first-of-the-season halibut from Alaska...
It's one of my favorite fish! Delicate. Snow White. A rare treat because it's very expensive and needs to be perfectly fresh. So I wanted to go simple...
Salt and pepper. EVOO. A quick sear on both sides. A 3- to 4-minute stay in a 350 oven.
Then I remembered: I still had some idiot-proof beurre blanc in the fridge (idiot-proof because it contained cream, thus making it possible to reheat without breaking it!).
So I warmed the beurre blanc and barely napped (draped some sauce over) the fish and, over the top, scattered some minced tarragon. I served it on very hot plates with sautéed rosemary potatoes and barely cooked asparagus.
This was one of those perfect, laugh-aloud-after-the-first-bite meals. We sat and talked for hours.
As I've said to you a million times... When a great ingredient presents itself, scrap your plans and dive in. You'll be so glad you did.