Baked Parmesan Halibut with Tomato Buerre Rouge

Halibut is one of my absolute favorite types of fish.  It is a thick whitefish with a steak-like quality to it.  The best halibut is found in very cold waters.   However, living in Denver, fresh halibut is hard to come by, and when it is easily obtainable, it is usually too expensive to buy, so unfortunately, I do not get to eat it nearly as often as I would like.  When I do purchase it and get to eat it though, it is always a special treat to me, and I always make the most of it by preparing it in a very tasty way.  This time was no exception.  I added a crispy coating and baked it, then topped it with a delicious dill buerre rouge, or a dill red butter sauce, that just brought the dish to life and made the flavors really pop.  I complimented the meal with some creamy scalloped potatoes and Brussels sprouts cooked with apples and bacon and pumpkin Parmesan bread that i took out of the freezer.  Savory Sweet Pumpkin-Parmesan Bread  I finished the dish with a crisp chardonnay that had hints of citrus, apples and melon.  I was in seafood Heaven.

Baked Parmesan Halibut

1 lb halibut or white fish or your choice

1 cup corn flake cereal

2 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp dried dill

salt & pepper to taste

1/3 cup milk

1 egg

Mix all the dried ingredients together in a food processor until you have a nice crumbly texture.

Pat dry the fish.  Mix the egg and the milk together.  Dip the fish in the egg mixture and coat well, then dip it into the corn flake and Parmesan mixture and coat well on both sides.

Place the fish in a baking dish or on a baking sheet and bake at 450*F for about 10-12 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the fish flakes off easily with a fork.

 

Dill Buerre Rouge

1 tomato, diced small

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 TBSP garlic, minced fine

1 shallot, minced fine

4-5 TBSP butter divided

salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp fresh dill

In a very hot skillet, melt 1/2 the butter and saute the garlic and shallots, until they are soft and translucent, or about 5 minutes.  Add the wine, and completely cook off all the liquid.  This will reduce the acidity in the sauce.  Once the liquid is all cooked off, add the tomato and salt & pepper.  Continue to cook, at a medium heat for about 7-10 minutes, or until most of the tomatoes have broken down and are well incorporated into the sauce.  If you need to add more wine, add a bit more as needed, but make sure to completely cook the liquid off again.

Once the tomatoes have broken down and are now part of the sauce, add the rest of the butter and incorporate well.  The tomatoes do not have to be completely liquified.  In fact, I love the rustic flair where there are still some chunks of tomato left in the sauce.  It gives the sauce more texture and character.  Add the fresh dill right at the very end, after the sauce is completely cooked.  Serve it over your fish and top with a sprig of fresh dill for garnish.