Hazelnut-Crusted Halibut with Apple Vinaigrette

Photo Courtesy of Brad Lovejoy

This recipe was inspired by a cookbook that my mother-in-law gave me this past week. The author is a Seattle-based chef named Kathy Casey that writes a monthly column called "Dishing" for the Seattle times, owns a food and restaurant consulting firm, as well as operating a fresh made food-to-go company and offering a line of retail specialty products. Basically, she is highly accomplished and I now own her sixth cookbook. If only this made me as accomplished by association. :)

Over the past year plus of searching for new recipes, I have developed a routine with cookbooks. When I have a new one, I first leaf through the book to look at the photos and titles of each recipe. I then tag any page that houses a recipe of interest. I immediately go back through the tagged recipes and read the ingredients and directions in detail. If a tagged recipe appeals to me, I stop there and move forward with planning and preparation. Simple, right? I learned quickly that if I choose several recipes at once, I never make any of them.

This Hazelnut-Crusted Halibut with Apple Vinaigrette recipe appealed to me immediately. First of all, my grandparents gift us with a box of hazelnut products from an Oregon-based company called Hazelnut Hill every Christmas. (We highly recommend their Chocolate Covered Hazelnuts and Almonds, Chocolate Covered Razzcherries and Chocolate Hazelnut Toffee). Needless to say, I did not need to purchase hazelnuts in order to prepare this recipe.

Photo Courtesy of Brad Lovejoy

Next, Brad is a big fan of halibut. I try to make it at least every month or two since he appreciates it so much. Finally, I am drawn to recipes that encourage the use of local and/or organic products. I used Oregon hazelnuts, Washington apples and thyme from my own garden for this recipe. I also used organic spices, lemon, shallots and mustard from PCC and served organic zucchini as a side dish.

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

1 unpeeled red apple, halved and cored

3 Tbsp hazelnut oil (walnut oil, almond oil and olive oil are all acceptable substitutes)

2 tsp minced shallot

2 tsp sugar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tsp minced fresh lemon thyme or regular thyme

1/4 tsp salt

pinch of cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp water

Crust Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups (8 oz) hazelnut, lightly toasted and skinned

pinch of dry mustard

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp grated lemon zest

1 tsp dried thyme leaves

4 skinless 1/2-inch-thick halibut fillet portions; 4 to 6 oz each

4 Tbsp butter, melted (I used Canola spread to reduce amount of fat)

fresh lemon thyme or regular thyme sprigs for garnishing

To make vinaigrette, chop half of apple; reserve other half. In small skillet, heat hazelnut oil over medium-low heat and add chopped apple. Cook for 1 minute, then add shallot and sugar. Continue cooking until apple is soft, about 1 minute. Add lemon juice and remove from heat.

Let cool, then puree in blender until smooth. Pour pureed mixture into medium bowl, add mustard, then slowly whisk in olive oil. Add thyme and season with salt and cayenne. If vinaigrette is too thick, add water to thin. Cut remaining apple half into 1/4-inch dice. Toss into dressing. Refrigerate until needed.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease rimmed baking sheet with oil. Dip each piece of fish in melted butter, coating well. Immediately press each piece firmly into crust mixture, turning to coat all sides well. Place coated halibut pieces on baking sheet and bake for about 6 minutes, or until fish is just cooked through. Carefully transfer fish to individual plates and drizzle some of vinaigrette over top. Garnish with thyme sprigs. Pass around extra vinaigrette.

This dish was quite tasty. I was a bit worried about the vinaigrette overpowering the halibut but Kathy Casey knew exactly what she was doing when she wrote this recipe. The acidity of the vinaigrette cut right through the richness of the hazelnuts. In return, the cayenne and thyme in the crust tamed the vinaigrette. Every bite was well balanced and flavorful.

The only alteration I made to this recipe other than substituting olive oil for hazelnut oil, was to cook the halibut for 9 minutes instead of 6 minutes. At 6 minutes, the fish was still a bit raw but the extra 3 minutes finished it perfectly. This difference in timing was more than likely caused by the thickness of the halibut fillets. The only reason I used olive oil instead of hazelnut oil is that I didn't want to spend $13 on hazelnut oil that I would hardly ever use. I googled hazelnut oil substitutions and learned that walnut oil, olive oil and almond oil all work well. I am learning that there are good alternatives for many ingredients. If I don't have a certain spice, oil or other ingredient, I make sure to research possible substitutions before I cross the recipe off my list. This has panned out quite well for me on several occasions.

A special thank you to my little blonde sous chef and to Brad for taking one of the most beautiful photos on my blog for this entry.

Recipe Source:

"Kathy Casey's Northwest Table" by Kathy Casey

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