Halibut à la Barigoule – with Baby Artichokes, Pearl Onions, Cranberry Beans, and Basil Puree
Here’s a delicious, springtime fish dish – a halibut fillet served over a broth of braised baby artichokes, pearl onions, beans, and basil puree. The beans are optional in the recipes, but go so well with all the other ingredients. I found some fresh cranberry beans at the market the day I made this, and they were delicious. I enjoy the flavor of fresh beans, and prefer the time spent shucking them to the soaking overnight of dried beans.
Make sure your broth is the right consistency before adding the basil puree, as you don’t want to lose its bright green color by blasting it with heat. You’ll want the liquid more on the loose side, though, so it might not need to reduce at all.
Heat & Knives
The Recipe
Source: The Balthazar Cookbook
2 cups loosely packed basil leaves
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil
½ pint pearl onions, peeled
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ teaspoons salt
3 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch half-moons
12 baby artichokes, cleaned and thinly sliced
1 cup white wine
5 cups chicken stock
1 cup white beans, optional
6 halibut fillets
¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Prepare the Basil Purée:
Prepare an ice-water bath in a medium bowl and bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the basil and blanch for 1 minute. Strain, plunge the leaves into the ice bath, and reserve ¼ cup of the cooking water. Remove the leaves from the ice water and squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible. Place in the work bowl of a food processor along with the reserved ¼ cup of liquid and process until smooth, green, and bright. Refrigerate until needed.
Cook the Artichokes:
Wrap the coriander seeds, peppercorns, and bay leaf in cheesecloth to make a sachet. Set aside. Heat ¼ cup of olive oil in a large sauté pan over a medium flame. Add the onions and garlic along with 1 teaspoon of salt and sauté until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and herb sachet and cook for 5 minutes.
When the carrots have softened, add the sliced artichokes and the wine. Bring to a simmer and reduce the liquid by half, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in the cooked white beans, if using, and keep warm over a low flame while the halibut is cooked.
Cook the Fish
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Dry the halibut fillets and season with the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and the ¼ teaspoon white pepper.
Use 2 large sauté pans to cook the fish or, if using 1 pan, cook the fish in 2 batches. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the sauté pan until the oil smokes. Place 3 of the fillets in the pan and cook for 2 minutes per side. Transfer the pan to the preheated oven to finish cooking for 5 minutes, or until the fish just begins to flake around the edges.
Just before serving, remove the spice sachet from the broth, add the basil puree, and add the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil. Stir well to combine, and spoon the warm barigoule sauce into 6 shallow bowls, with a halibut fillet in the center.
