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Healthy Recipe: Poached Halibut with Fennel and Cauliflower

FitSugar — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 03:30:00 PDT

My first foray into poaching fish (Salmon with Yogurt Curry Sauce) was such a success I decided to branch out.

This poached halibut recipe is mild, lovely and features fennel, which is one of my favorite flavors. Halibut is a great fish to add to your diet. It is high in omega-3 fatty acids. However, since it is a large fish, its mercury levels can be high. It is recommended that pregnant women and nursing mothers limit their halibut consumption to once a month.

To see the recipe, just

Poached Halibut with Fennel & Cauliflower
The World's Healthiest Foods

I am loving poached fish and this new recipe is wonderfully mild and cooling on a hot Summer's day.

Ingredients

One pound halibut steak cut into 8 to 12 pieces 1 tbs fresh lemon juice 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth 2 tbs dry white wine 1 medium sized onion cut in half and sliced medium thick 3 large carrot, sliced on diagonal 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces 1 medium sized fennel bulb sliced medium thick 5 medium cloves garlic pressed or minced salt and black pepper and lemon juice to taste chopped fennel green tops for garnish

Directions

Slice onion and chop garlic and let sit for 5-10 minutes to bring out their hidden health-promoting properties.
Rub halibut with lemon juice and season with a little salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat 2 tbs white wine in a large stainless steel skillet. Wet sauté onion in broth over medium heat for 5 minutes stirring frequently.
Add broth and carrots to pan. Simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes covered.
Add cauliflower. Simmer on medium heat for 2 minutes.
Add fennel and garlic. Place halibut steaks on top and continue to cook covered for about 6 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve halibut with vegetables and broth on rice or whole wheat cous-cous. Sprinkle with chopped fennel greens and a squeeze of lemon.

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Try it! I think you will like it. This recipe is easy to make and not fishy at all. Even my girls liked it. Fish! My daughters ate fish!

Fast & Easy Dinner: Poached Halibut and Peppers

partysugar — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 07:50:16 PST

When we asked you what your culinary resolutions for 2010 were, Filmgirl81 said that she hopes to "cook more fish" because it's way "cheaper to make at home and very healthy." I couldn't agree with her more, and that's why I found this delectable-sounding poached halibut recipe. Thick fillets are simmered in a light liquid of white wine and water. Red bell peppers provide a pop of color and permeate the dish with a subtly sweet flavor. The resulting fish is flaky and moist. For a midweek pick-me-up, serve with mixed greens lightly dressed with dijon vinaigrette and a glass of the leftover white wine. Look at the simple but satisfying recipe after the jump.

Adventures in Ingredients: Banana Flower

Camilla Salem — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:58:00 PST

After my last experience with Indian bitter melon, I was a little nervous to experiment with my next ingredient. Just like the last time, I scoured the shelves of Berkeley Bowl, looking for something intriguing but not too intimidating. I settled on a purple, prehistoric-looking ingredient known as a banana flower.

The banana flower is also known as a banana blossom or heart, but frankly, I didn't even know banana trees had flowers. My preliminary research told me that it's an ingredient commonly used in Vietnamese and Thai cooking. It can be eaten raw or cooked, and it happens to be a great source of vitamins A and C. Banana flower also happens to be a common ingredient in Ayurvedic cooking, and it's believed to help heal menstrual pain (major bonus!).

As the outer leaves, or bracts, are pulled back, a row of long, black buds reveal themselves. I almost screamed after peeling back the first bract, because the buds were completely bizarre and off-putting. But the fact that those buds actually turn into bananas put me at ease. Once I pulled off enough bracts, I was left with a tender white heart, ready to be sliced up. To find out what I did with this strange ingredient, keep reading.

Fast & Easy Dinner: Poached Halibut with Green Beans and Potatoes

partysugar — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 05:47:39 PDT

Poaching is a delicious technique when applied to fish. Simmered lightly in dry white wine, this halibut is delicate, flaky, and flavorful. A drizzle of chive butter adds a rich finish. Paired with crisp green beans and boiled red potatoes, this makes a lovely balanced dinner. If you prefer to use another type of fish, choose a firm fleshed white fish like mahi-mahi or swordfish. For the recipe that would also make an elegant entertaining meal,

Poached Halibut with Green Beans and Potatoes
From Real Simple magazine

Ingredients

1 pound red potatoes
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 pound green beans, trimmed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 6-ounce pieces halibut
2 1/2 cups dry white wine

Directions

Place the potatoes in a large pot with enough cold water to cover them by 2 inches.
Add 2 teaspoons of the salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until almost fork-tender, about 15 minutes.
Add the green beans and cook 5 minutes more, until just tender. Drain and set aside.
In the same pot, melt the butter over low heat with the chives, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper.
Quarter the potatoes and return them to the pot with the green beans. Stir gently to combine. Season the fish with the remaining salt and pepper and place in a large skillet.
Pour in just enough wine to reach halfway up the sides of the fish. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, covered, until the fish is opaque.
Serve with the beans and potatoes. Spoon any extra chive butter on top of the fish.

Serves 4.

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Know Your Techniques: Poaching

YumSugar — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:45:58 PST

Poaching may sound like an advanced technique, but it is actually nothing more than gently simmering food in liquid until it is cooked through.

Poaching lends itself best to delicate ingredients that risk falling apart or drying out at high heats. Foods such as fish, chicken, eggs, and fruit poach beautifully; the low heat, kept between 140° to 180° Fahrenheit, preserves flavor, allowing for an incredibly tender and tasty result. Never allow the liquid to reach a rolling boil; rather, keep a watchful eye to make sure small bubbles form as the food gently simmers to perfection.

Poaching an ingredient doesn't require too much liquid - just enough to cover the ingredients.
A few ideal poaching liquids include water, milk, stock, or wine (my personal favorite). Depending on what I'm making I like to add whole spices to flavor the liquid, like bay leaf or peppercorns with salmon poached in white wine. What's your favorite thing to poach? Do you have any tried-and-true poaching recipes or tips?

Screw-the-Snow Fish Tacos

OnSugar Blog — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 04:47:25 PDT

Not quite feeling like Spring yet in your neck of the woods? Don't despair. Rather, follow in Fresh Tart's footsteps and cheer yourself up with gluten-free fish tacos!

The weather, I promised myself I would not talk about the weather.

But forget it man, this is Minnesota, and we talk about the weather. So here it is: It rained ice last night, as John and I were on our way from not one but two fabulous dinners.

See how she conquered the cold with fish tacos (recipe included!) when you keep reading.

4 Surprising Diet Disasters

Prevention — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 04:15:23 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

The surprising ways you turn healthy foods into diet disasters
By Nancy Rones, Prevention

1. Your marinades pack a big fat punch
You're wise to choose skinless grilled chicken, but be careful with condiments. Barbecue sauce is filled with sugar, which equals calories (about 94 per 1/4 cup).

The healthy move
Ditch the high-sugar sauce and instead spice up chicken by marinating it with cayenne red-pepper sauce, or mix hot sauce with some fat-free yogurt and smear it on your sandwich for buffalo-inspired flavor. Another way to punch up the taste and nutrient power of grilled chicken sandwiches and turkey burgers: Try a topping of homemade slaw. Bagged shredded cabbage makes a convenient base; toss it with flavored vinegar or fat-free mayo and a little mustard. At 11 calories per 1/2 cup, raw cabbage offers filling fiber and vitamins such as C and B6, and as a cruciferous veggie, it contains cancer-fighting antioxidants.

Swap These Foods to Lose Weight Fast!

2. Your coffee is anything but "regular"
Sipping coffee or tea plain isn't the problem. In fact, both beverages have been linked to a number of health benefits, including a lower risk of heart disease and cancer. A study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry also suggests that drinking coffee may reduce your chances of type 2 diabetes. But major calories and saturated fat come with added ingredients such as sugary syrups, honey, whipped cream, and whole milk (1 percent and percent aren't much better). For about the same 450 calories in a large Iced Mocha Raspberry Latte at Dunkin' Donuts, for instance, you can eat two slices of Pizza Hut's hand-tossed pepperoni pizza. And while honey may seem like a natural, healthier alternative to sugar, the fact is it has 21 calories per teaspoon versus sugar's 16.

The healthy move
For a low-cal, lower-fat drink that feels like a sweet treat, choose coffee beans in tempting flavors such as chocolate almond, hazelnut, or white chocolate, rather than using syrupy mix-ins after brewing, and lighten your coffee with fat-free milk. Teas, too, come in sweet vanilla, berry, and tropical fruit blends. And whether you use Splenda, sugar, or honey in your beverages, limit yourself to about a teaspoon.

Sneaky Names of Sugar on Your Food Labels

Make sure you're not committing the other two disaster when you read more!

Get to Know Gefilte Fish

Susannah Chen — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 13:15:00 PDT

Despite my love of Jewish food, I must confess I've never held a deep understanding of gefilte fish. Growing up, I'd stare at jars of those cloudy, floating Manischewitz members with a mixture of intrigue and disgust. What, exactly, was gefilte fish? I wondered. Did people actually eat that?

Now that I have the palate of an adult, I'm no longer disgusted, but as someone who's never tried gefilte fish, I remain intrigued. Gefilte is actually Yiddish for "stuffed," and this dish is really just white fish that's been chopped, seasoned with carrots, onions, and eggs, stuffed back into the skin of a fish, poached, then served chilled. Find out the story behind its creation when you read more.

Monday's Leftovers: Spicy Butter-Steamed Bass

YumSugar — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 09:00:49 PDT

A helter-skelter Monday doesn't have to equal a chaotic late night meal. One surefire way to save time is to use leftovers from yesterday to save yourself the hassle of shopping and prep.

Instead of grilling sea bass, opt for a steaming technique that poaches the fish, yielding a melt-in-your-mouth consistency. A pat of butter, serrano pepper, and ginger infuse the dish with fragrance, flavor, and richness. For the recipe - which doesn't even require a steamer! - keep on reading.

Healthy Eating Tip: Eat Two Different Fish a Week

FitSugar — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:00:10 PDT

Many people are worried about high mercury counts in fish, so they're swearing off seafood. The thing is, many types of fish are low in saturated fat, are an excellent source of lean protein, and are high in essential heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. I'm not saying that mercury is something to overlook, since this toxin can cause brain damage, and possibly cancer, but it doesn't mean you need to give up fish entirely.

It's safe to eat fish twice a week (up to 12 ounces), but you should choose two different types of fish to get a variety of nutrients. Good sources of low-mercury fish are shrimp, oysters, scallops, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, flounder, sole, halibut, and catfish. Young children, women trying to get pregnant, those already pregnant, and nursing moms are considered "high risk," since too much mercury can affect developing brains. So for those people, the EPA recommends limiting intake of seafood that's high in mercury such as swordfish, golden bass, golden snapper, and shark.

Trying to meet your fish "quota" doesn't need to be boring. Try poached salmon with curried yogurt sauce or halibut stir-fry for dinner tonight.