Oil Poached Halibut and Veggies

This is a dish I misunderstood when I first read about it.  I heard fennel, orange peel, grape tomatoes, halibut and poaching.  I was instantly in.  Light and healthy.

I gathered my ingredients and then took a closer look at the recipe.  Note to self:  reading the recipe in full, and with care, might be in order in the future.  Upon my more pointed inspection I realized the ingredients were to be poached in oil.   Five cups of oil to be exact.  BLEH.  My vision of light and healthy flew right out the door.   

Todd talked me off the ledge and convinced me to just go for it.  Prepare the ingredients as called for and see what happens.  

So we did.  Fennel bulbs (and a bit of the fronds chopped up) orange peel, grape tomatoes and garlic, right into the pot of, gulp, 5 cups of simmering olive oil.    We cooked them for about 30 minutes until fork tender.  Then removed them and allowed them to drain.   

We put the piece of halibut in the same oil, covered it with parchment and let it cook quickly - no more than 10 minutes.

The results?  I was totally surprised.  First off, when the veggies where cooking the aroma that filled the kitchen was awesome.  Secondly, the veggies, surprisingly, didn't turn out sodden and oily.  They were delicate, perfectly cooked, and the oil gave them this really velvety texture.  Now, in the future I would have let them drain much, much, much more then I did this time around.   

The halibut was equally tasty.  But really, I can think of a 1/2 dozen other ways I'd enjoy it better. 

Give it a try, let me know what you think.   Here's the link to the recipe over at Epicurious.

Enjoy!

Comments

[grace]

long time no post, welcome back! this sounds like a fish dish i might actually enjoy, and that's rare.

[lola]

that sounds great, so many good veggies! i've never heard of poaching fish in olive oil, and i would probably generally avoid it for the same reasons you wanted to, but it looks good for something to try once.

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wow.
This is something way out of the ordinary... Sounds like it would be dripping in oil... But looks fantastic