Day Boat Halibut with Yukon Gold Potatoes and Chive Blossoms

Michael Cimarusti - Providence, Los Angeles

Cooking With Nick Stellino
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Ingredients:

2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, diced and cooked in salted water
¼ cup softened butter
2 ounces DaVinci® Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
4 6-ounce portions day boat halibut (Any kind of halibut will work well.)
Salt to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste
½ cup garlic scapes, sliced finely and blanched, or freshly chopped chives
1 bunch chives with blossoms
(optional)
Lemon foam

For lemon foam:
1 cup lemon juice
½ cup C&H® or Domino® sugar

Serves 4

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Place the cooked potatoes in a saucepan with just enough potato broth to cover. Add the butter and 1 ounce of the olive oil to the potatoes once they begin to boil; this will form the broth that you will serve with the dish. Turn the heat to low and keep warm until ready to serve.

To begin preparing the dish, heat a nonstick skillet over a high flame. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the skillet, about 1 ounce. Dry the fish with a paper towel and season both sides with salt and cayenne pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Place the nicest side of each portion face down in the skillet. Cook the fish, about 2 minutes per side, then let it rest while you assemble the remainder of the dish.

To prepare lemon foam:

Mix together the lemon juice and sugar. When you are ready to serve the dish, heat the lemon mixture to just under a boil and aerate it with an immersion blender. This will create a light, lemony foam that will carry the flavor of lemon throughout the dish.

To serve:

Add the garlic scapes to the potatoes and adjust the seasoning. Divide the potatoes and their broth among 4 warmed soup bowls. Place the fish on top. Garnish with the optional chive blossoms, spoon a bit of the lemon foam over, and serve immediately.

Note:

In his restaurant, Chef Cimarusti cooks the fish on the stove on one side only, then finishes it in the oven at 200 degrees. The key is to cook the fish delicately and over very low heat.