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Seared and Roasted Halibut with an Orange Beurre Blanc Sauce

Beurre blanc,translated from French as “white butter”, is similar to a Hollandaise sauce-- except there are no eggs added. The warm sauce is made by reducing white wine and vinegar with shallots. Gradually, chunks of cold butter, and lemon zest (or orange). This sauce sounds fancy, but you can easily make this in your own kitchen. I served this with seared and roasted locally caught Fresh Halibut--but this goes perfectly with salmon or any kind of seafood or shellfish.
Course Main Course
Cuisine French
Keyword Beurre Blanc
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Author Debby - www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

Equipment

  • Fine Mesh Strainer
  • Wire Whisk

Ingredients

For the Beurre Blanc

  • 3 tablespoons dry white wine
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1 small shallot minced
  • Salt
  • 1 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 8 pieces and chilled
  • ⅛ teaspoon sugar
  • ⅛ teaspoon grated orange zest can substitute lemon zest

For the fish:

  • 4 fillet Fresh Halibut Or Salmon
  • 2 Tbsp olive or avocado oil

Instructions

For the Beurre Blanc:

  • Bring wine, vinegar, shallot, and pinch salt to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat and cook until about 2 scant tablespoons of liquid remain, 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low and whisk in cream.
  • Add butter, 1 piece at a time, whisking vigorously after each addition, until butter is incorporated and forms thick, pale yellow sauce, 30 to 60 seconds.
  • Off heat, whisk in sugar.
  • Strain sauce through fine mesh strainer into bowl. Stir in orange zest and season with salt to taste.

For the fish:

  • Preheat the oven to 425F
  • Pat the fillets dry with a paper towel. Season with Salt and Pepper. I like to use Old Bay Seasoning as well.
  • Heat the oil in the skillet until really hot. Add the fillets, skin side up, and allow to "sear" for 3-4 minutes. DO NOT MOVE THE FISH AROUND! Gently lift corner of the fish. If it has a golden brown color, gently lift with a spatula.
  • Move the skillet into the preheated oven and allow to cook until the internal temperature reaches about 145F (about 5-6 minutes). Carefully remove the skillet. To prevent burning your hands, always wrap a towel around the hot handle (speaking from experience).
  • If desired, add additional fresh lemon juice. Add the Beurre Blanc onto the fish.

Notes

You can easily switch out the orange zest for lemon zest.
Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen Cookbook "Spiced"