Halibut with Za'atar, Olive, Romesco, and Flageolets
Here is a great mediterranean recipe using some flageolets beans which are french beans (usually a greenish tint, and sometime referred to a rice beans). I decided to add some other common mediterranean ingredients like olive, romesco to the dish as well. Za’atar is a usually a spice blend of thyme, sumac, and sesame seeds. To me, it is delicious! And very easy to make any vegetable or protein taste great with it. Here is the recipe I hope you enjoy this fantastic halibut recipe.
Recipe Ingredients
1 1/2 lb of Halibut cut into 4-5 oz pieces
Green Olive & Chive Sauce
1 cup of castelvetrano olives pitted
1 garlic clove
1 cup of water
2 oz of chives blanched
1/2 tsp of xanthan gum
4 tbsp of olive oil
Kalamata Olive Sauce
1 cup of kalamata olives pitted
1 cup of water
2 tbsp of olive oil
1/2 tsp of xanthan gum
1 cup dried flageolets beans (soaked in water for at least 2 hours if you have time to)
5 cups of water
2 garlic cloves
1 sprig of rosemary
2 tsp of salt
1 lb of spinach
2 garlic cloves minced
2 tbsp of butter and olive oil
salt and pepper
2 bunches of white radishes
3 tbsp of olive oil
salt and pepper
Recipe Instructions
How to make the green olive sauce,
Place water, olives, chives, garlic into a vitamix. Turn the vitamix on and puree until smooth. Add the olive oil in a slow steady stream. Then add the xanthan gum in the same slow and steady stream. Puree for another 15 seconds and then turn off the blender. The sauce should be thickened slightly. Place in a container and set aside.
How to make the kalamata olive sauce,
Place water and olives into a vitamix . Turn the vitamix on and puree until smooth. Add the olive oil in a slow steady stream. Then add the xanthan gum in the same slow and steady stream. Puree for another 15 seconds and then turn off the blender. The sauce should be thickened slightly. Place in a container and set aside.
How to cook white beans,
Drain the beans and then place them with all of its ingredients into a soup pot. Place on top of the stove on medium high heat. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a light simmer and cover. Cook for 30 minutes or so then add the salt. Continue to cook for another 25-30 minutes until the beans are just tender all the way through. Here I like to pour the beans into a shallow baking dish to cool, don’t strain out the cooking liquid. You want to stop the cooking process so they don’t overcook and become mush. Set aside to cool.
How to roast radishes,
On a sheet pan or heat proof pan, lined with parchment paper, add radishes. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place in a 400 degree preheated oven. Roast for 35-40 minutes or until tender all the way through. Take out and allow to cool.
To finish,
In a medium saute pan add olive oil. Season the halibut pieces by drizzling them with olive oil then adding salt and za’atar spice. Place fillet side down in the pan. Cook on that one side for 5 minutes and then cover the pan. Meanwhile place the radishes back in the oven to heat up. In another hot saute pan add butter, oil, garlic, and spinach. Cook for 2 minutes and then add 2 cups of the cooked beans with a little bit of the water. Cook for 4 minutes and then season with salt, pepper, and maybe a splash of sherry vinegar if you have it. Using a round cookie mold, place the mold on the plate. Fill the mold with the bean mixture. Then take the lid off the pan and flip the fish over. Cook for 10 seconds and then take out of the pan and place on top of the beans. Drizzle romesco sauce all over, along with the olive sauces. Add the roasted radish from oven to the plate. Finish the plate with red vein sorrel. Serve and enjoy!
