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<< Previous   of   Next >> (click to enlarge) Halibut cheeks with tarragon, saffron and tomatoes.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Melanie Munk, Features Editor munk@heraldnet.com   Published: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 Herbs jar memory of halibut cheek dish By Ron Ramey Herald Writer Did you ever especially enjoy a meal and wish later you had asked someone about the preparation of a dish, or taken notes from the menu, or something? It’s been a few years, I’m going to say at least six, since we dined at Five Sails restaurant in Vancouver, B.C., where I ordered halibut cheeks cooked with tomatoes, saffron and some herbs, all mentioned on the menu. It was delicious and memorable. Too bad my memory’s not better. Months later, back in Everett, I see halibut cheeks at the fish market and decide to recreate the dish. Cheeks, tomatoes and saffron were easy. Then what? Once I figure the herbs out, assuming I do, exactly how was it prepared? You know guys. They don’t stop and ask for directions, and they don’t call restaurants and say, “Hey, chef, can you give me the recipe for...” No, they just convince themselves they can figure it out. We’ll forget the five or six failures that would be featured in comical TV flashbacks and skip ahead to the present, when I finally produced something sort of like what I had. The secret ingredients I came up with were tarragon and fennel fronds. It jarred all my taste bud memories about right. Close enough. It’s how I’ll make it from now on. Halibut cheeks, by the way, are roundish bits of fish cut from the sides of halibut heads. They may be fairly large bits, three inches or so, or smaller. As you might surmise, it takes a bunch of halibut to make a bunch of cheeks, but they’re usually about the same price as filets. The cheeks taste like halibut, surprise, maybe a little sweeter, but instead of the flaky texture of filets or steaks when cooked, they are kind of like chicken breasts in texture, meatier than you would expect. So here it is, maybe nothing like the chef at Five Sails ever made, but in my warped and imperfect memory, just right. Halibut cheeks with tomatoes and herbs 3/4 pound halibut cheeks 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 medium shallots 1/2 cup dry white wine 6 roma tomatoes, cored and quartered. If you use a larger type tomato, use fewer, maybe 4 cut into large dice. Cut on a board that will reserve the juices. 3 saffron threads 11/2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped 1 tablespoon fennel fronds, chopped Salt and pepper. Pat halibut cheeks dry, salt and pepper them. Heat the olive oil in a large pan on medium high. When it’s shimmering, add the cheeks and just brown on both sides. Remove from the pan and keep warm in a 200-degree oven. Turn the heat to medium low and add the shallots to the remaining oil. Cook until softened, a couple of minutes. Add the wine, stir and scrape up any browned halibut bits that might have stuck in the pan. When the wine is reduced about half, add the saffron and dissolve, add the tomatoes and juices and stir a bit. When the tomatoes start to simmer, add the tarragon, fennel, a little salt and pepper. Return the cheeks and any juices to the pan, spoon some tomatoes over them, then cover and cook on medium low for another five minutes or so, until the halibut is cooked through and the tomatoes soft. Dish it out over a little bit of couscous in a shallow bowl. A chardonnay (we had one from southeast Australia) goes well with this. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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