Halibut with leeks, mushrooms and red bell pepper

Ingredients: *

halibut filet(s), about 1/3 pound for one person

1 leek, thoroughly cleaned, white and tender green parts chopped into fairly fine slivers (discard tougher outer "leaves"), preferably in compost bin

1 red bell pepper, diced.

1 pint cremini ("baby bella") mushrooms

1 lemon 

1-1/2 glass of white wine

butter, canola oil, salt, pepper, whatever herbs or spices you like with fish

Steps:

1. In butter or canola oil, or a mixture of both, saute mushrooms and pepper. Remove from pan, leaving as much of the fat behind as you can.

2. Adding more butter/oil if needed, "melt" the leeks -- don't brown them, just soften them. Salt them. Add the mushroom/pepper mixture back in, zest the lemon into the pan. Juice the lemon into the bowl that held the mushrooms so you can be sure to catch any lemon seeds. Add the lemon juice to the pan. Check seasoning, add salt and pepper and whatever herbs you like with fish.

3. Remove the veggies from the pan. Add more butter/oil if needed, but there only needs to be enough to keep the fish from sticking.

4. Salt and pepper the halibut. Cook the halibut, about 3 minutes on each side for a filet that's about 1 inch thick. After turning once and cooking for 1 minute, add 1/2 glass of wine to deglaze the pan and make a little sauce. Drink the other glass.

Serve halibut over a bed of the veggies and pour the reduced sauce over the top.

 

*This makes enough of the vegetables for at least two people; if only making one portion of fish, refrigerate the remaining vegetable mixture to use with pasta. You'll just need to boil some pasta, heat the veggies, and add parmesan or pecorino romano cheese and a little cream, and if you like, prosciutto or cooked pancetta or bacon. Oh, and some garlic!

Options:

Use whatever veggies you like and cook accordingly. Omit wine, use water or a mild broth. You could probably use other fish, for that matter.