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A beige plate with white beans, wilted greens, and microgreens, topped with a piece of white fish in a light sauce, arranged artfully on a speckled surface.

Vermouth Poached Halibut

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Halibut gently poached in vermouth and butter under a blanket of butter lettuce, finished with a bright chive and lemon pan sauce.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings: 1
Course: Dinner, Main Course, Seafood
Cuisine: Modern American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Poached Halibut
  • 6 ounces halibut
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 ounce vermouth
  • 1 shallot sliced
  • 2 ounces water
  • 1 extra large butter lettuce leaf
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • 1 tablespoon chives finely chopped
  • Lemon to taste
Beans & Greens
  • ½ cup cooked white beans cannellini or butter beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 cups tender greens spinach, chard or escarole, packed
To Finish
  • 1 pinch microgreens Bull's Blood if you can get them, or any red-veined variety

Equipment

  • 8-inch sauté pan
  • Spoon for basting
  • Small saucepan
  • Fish Spatula

Method
 

Poach the Halibut
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Season the halibut lightly with kosher salt.
  3. In a cold 8-inch sauté pan, layer in this order: 1 tablespoon butter, 1 oz vermouth, 2 oz water, 1 sliced shallot, the halibut fillet, and 1 large butter lettuce leaf placed directly on top of the fish.
  4. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook, presentation side down, for 4 minutes.
  5. Carefully remove the pan from the oven, flip the halibut, and return to the oven for another 3 minutes.
  6. Remove the pan from the oven and gently transfer the fish and lettuce to a warm plate to rest.
  7. Set the pan over medium-high heat and reduce the poaching liquid by two-thirds until slightly thickened.
  8. Finish the sauce with a squeeze of lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and 1 tablespoon chopped chives.
  9. Spoon the sauce over the halibut and serve immediately.
Beans & Greens
  1. While the halibut rests, add the white beans and the greens to the reducing poaching liquid. Toss until the greens have just wilted and the beans are warmed through, about 1 minute. The liquid is already vermouth, shallot and butter, so it seasons them for you and nothing else is needed.
  2. Spoon the beans and greens into a shallow bowl, set the halibut on top, and spoon the remaining sauce over. Scatter the microgreens over the top. They go on raw, off the heat, so keep them out of the pan.

Notes

Storage: This is a cook-and-serve-now dish. Poached halibut is delicate and overcooks fast on reheat, so there's no good way to hold it. If you have leftovers, warm the fish very gently, low heat, with a bit of the pan sauce, just until barely warmed through.

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