Hazelnut Crusted Halibut with Pasta
Up next in this alphabetical pasta adventure is, of course, H. This was a bit of a tricky letter because there aren’t that many foods that begin with H, much less food that’s classically Italian.
Hummus, sure, honeydew melon, a bit weird for a pasta dish, hoisin sauce, isn’t Italian, and I don’t even want to bother with haggis. In the end, I chose to keep things simple and do a nice halibut crusted with hazelnuts over pasta with a light tomato and white wine sauce. Simplicity at it’s best.
Serves 4
For the Halibut:
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
2 tsp Italian seasoning
4 skinless halibut filets
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
For the Pasta:
Salt
1 pound linguine
Olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
2 large shallots, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 small lemon, cut into wedges
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Dump the hazelnuts and breadcrumbs into a food processor then pulse about 8-10 times until finely ground but not pasty. Dump into a shallow bowl or plate, then stir in the Italian seasoning.
Pat the halibut filets dry with paper towels and lightly season both sides with salt and pepper. Brush one side of each filet with oil then dunk each filet into the hazelnut mixture, pressing to adhere.
Heat a large nonstick skillet with a bit of oil until the oil starts shimmering, then add the halibut, crust-side down, and cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until the crust looks golden and toasty. Flip, and then cook on the other side for 3-4 minutes longer, or until the internal temperature reaches 130-135 degrees F.
Set the halibut aside to rest.
While the fish rests, drop the linguine into the pot of boiling water, and cook for 7-9 minutes, or until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain.
Meanwhile, wipe the pan used for the fish, then add the shallots, garlic, and tomatoes, then sauté for a few minutes, tossing occasionally, until the tomatoes become soft. Add the white wine, then bring that to a simmer and cook for about 4 minutes, or until reduced by half.
Add the pasta and a splash of pasta water, toss to combine, season to taste, then serve, topping the pasta with a halibut filet, some parsley. Serve with lemon wedges, if you want.
