OSSO BUCO-STYLE HALIBUT AND WHIPPED POTATOES WITH HERBS
Today I wanted to feature a recipe that I’ve made a couple of times and just love. It’s a recipe that if you see, you might not make because it is different than how you would normally think of the dish. Osso Buco is normally made with veal shanks, and is a rich, very filling dish. When I came across this recipe at Epicurious, I was intrigued. The sauce is made lighter than the traditional sauce by using orange juice and lemon grass. The sauce is so flavorful, I could eat it atop many things. This is a nice recipe for a dinner party, because you can make the sauce ahead. Don’t forget the gremolata (like I always do!)-it really adds a spark to the dish.
Osso Buco-Style Halibut and Whipped Potatoes with Herbs Makes 6 servings
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped peeled carrot
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup white wine
4 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
1 cup crushed tomatoes in puree (from 15-ounce can)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup chopped lemongrass* (from about 3 stalks)
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
6 5-ounce halibut fillets
Cayenne pepper
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
Whipped Potatoes with Herbs (see following recipe)
Gremolata (see following recipe)
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, carrot and garlic; sauté until brown, about 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook 2 minutes. Add white wine and simmer until liquid is reduced by half, scraping up browned bits, about 5 minutes. Add next 7 ingredients; simmer until mixture is reduced to 3 cups, about 50 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Sprinkle halibut with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add fish to skillet and cook until brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer fish to plate. Pour off oil from skillet. Reduce heat to low. Add balsamic vinegar to skillet; simmer 1 minute. Add sauce. Whisk in butter. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce into 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Place fish atop sauce in dish. Bake until fish is opaque in center, about 10 minutes.
Divide potatoes among 6 plates. Top potatoes with fish and sauce. Sprinkle with Gremolata and serve immediately.
Whipped Potatoes with Herbs
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, quartered
5 garlic cloves
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
1/2 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs (such as basil, parsley, and chives)
Cook potatoes and garlic in large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain well. Return potatoes and garlic to pot.
Using handheld electric mixer, beat potato mixture at low speed until smooth. Add butter; beat until melted and smooth. Increase speed and whip potatoes just until light and fluffy. Stir in herbs. Season with salt and pepper; serve.
Gremolata
1 lemon
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Using vegetable peeler, remove peel in long strips from lemon. Mince lemon peel. Transfer to small bowl. Mix in parsley and garlic. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
That looks awesome!
How integral is the soy sauce to the dish? Do you think I could get away with less? Even 1/4 cup of soy divided by six servings is too much sodium for me these days. *Sad*
Amy-I think you would need to use some soy, as that really adds to the depth of flavor. Some suggested to use tamari because of its lower sodium. That’s what I used, and I have to say, it was still very salty. I didn’t add any additional salt at the end. What about low sodium soy? And then maybe using a little less?
Would balsamic vinegar serve a similar purpose flavour wise as the soy sauce?
Jerry-I don’t know if balsamic would serve as similar flavor or not, since balsamic is already in the recipe. Maybe because of it you could cut back some on the soy, but I think without some of the soy you would end up with a sauce that might be too orangey without the depth of flavor.
This looks great. I may try it using the Low-sodium soy sauce which I usually use (on an almost daily basis).
I tried this out last night with some minor adjustments, and it was wonderful! I used 3 Tbs. low sodium soy sauce (the low sodium still has 575mg per Tablespoon, ugh), less oil, and 1 Tbs. butter instead of two to finish the sauce. It was even better for lunch today, as the flavors had more chance to blend.
Amy-I’m so glad you liked it and that the modifications worked well. I figured that using less oil and butter wouldn’t hurt, but that’s good to know that you can use less soy sauce and still get good flavor. I also love the leftovers of this. It works well for a dinner party to make the sauce the day ahead and leave it in the fridge overnight, then put it in the oven about an hour before your guests arrive to heat back up then you can put your fish directly into the hot sauce until cooked, and even skip the browning in the pan part.