Poached Halibut with Ginger and Cilantro

Poached Halibut with Ginger and Cilantro

Serves 4

Poaching is a tasty, healthy way of cooking seafood since it doesn't require any oil and preserves all of the flavorful juices that are released during cooking.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
4 green onions, halved
Dash of tamari**
2 tablespoons lime juice
4 (5- to 6-ounce) halibut steaks
Salt and pepper to taste
6 to 8 cilantro sprigs
1 lime, thinly sliced
Sliced avocados (optional)
4 cups cooked jasmine rice

Method

Put wine, ginger, green onions, tamari and lime juice into a large, deep skillet and simmer over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

Season halibut with salt and pepper then arrange in skillet.

Scatter cilantro over the top, cover tightly and gently simmer until halibut is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Toss limes slices and avocados over halibut and serve with rice on the side. Spoon poaching liquid over the fish if you like.

NOTE: **Although soy sauce and tamari [tuh-MAHR-ee] are both made from fermented soybeans, Japanese tamari is thicker, darker, and richer than its counterpart. Think of it as the kinder, gentler (and less salty) soy sauce. It has a more complex, smooth flavor compared to the sometimes harsh, overwhelming bite of a salty soy sauce.

Fish Stock

Use lean fish bones for this recipe, such as bass, scrod, cod, or flounder.

This is the quickest of the stocks to make. You can usually get the bones from your butcher.

Fish Stock
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YIELD: 1 Quart

Ingredients:
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2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, sliced
1 medium carrot, sliced
2 medium celery ribs, chopped
salt
2 cups dry white wine
3 cups water
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 pounds fish bones, washed, include tails and heads
celery leaves
8 sprigs parsley
1 teaspoon dried chervil
1 each bay leaf
3 each cloves
6 each peppercorns

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Heat butter in a large skillet, add the onion, carrot, and chopped celery, and saute over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Add salt to taste. Add the wine, water, and all other ingredients, bring liquid to the boil, reduce heat immediately, and simmer gently for no more than 30 minutes. Skim off scum and strain through a double thickness of cheese cloth.