Fish Dish

After the debut of the new Cooking Channel, I was inspired to try a new fish dish. Although I didn't follow the recipe exactly, the final product did not disappoint! Roast Halibut with Smoked Tomato Vinaigrette was the perfect light summer meal.

Now, the recipe calls for you to make your own smoker, smoke your tomatoes, all that jazz...I didn't do that. Instead, I opened a can of tomatoes, tossed them in a few TB of olive oil and a few drops of liquid smoke (potent stuff, so just a smidge), and roasted them on a cookie sheet until their sauce had evaporated.

This method gave me similar smoky, intense tomato flavor without the hassle of a trying to MacGyver a homemade smoker (which would've turned out more MacGruber). Liquid smoke was the key. If you haven't tried it before, don't be scared. It's basically inexpensive BBQ essence in liquid form and is great in marinades, BBQ sauces, etc. And a little goes a long way, so it lasts forever.

After the tomatoes were roasted, I put the them in a food processor, whirred them around until they were smooth and then streamed in some olive oil. Vinaigrette done!

I followed the recipe pretty closely when cooking the fish: a bit of oil in a hot pan, put the fillets in (skin side down) and cooked them until they were golden and crispy. Gave them a flip then tossed them in a 375 degree oven to finish cooking all the way through.

I tossed some spinach and fresh corn (right off the cob) in a bit of the vinaigrette, then plated it all up like this:

First, I poured a bit of vinaigrette in the bottom of the bowl (which was actually more like a tomato broth). Next, I placed the halibut in the bowl. Finally, I topped it with the lightly-dressed spinach & corn. Fresh, nutritious, and very delicious!

Happy Searching,