Anya von Bremzen's Roasted Halibut

It's been a rough couple of days. I've been helping Ben move out of his apartment, while battling a resurgence of the nasty insomnia I had last year. When I do sleep, I'm beset by freaky dreams, and being felled by a migraine on Saturday didn't help the situation much. I was too busy to even step into my kitchen for five days (though I did make a nice little pot of pasta al pomodoro for sustenance while we packed up all of Ben's worldly possessions at his apartment) and then when matters undiscussable on this website cropped up yesterday, it was all I could do to keep myself collected and calm enough to make it to the grocery store and home in one piece.

Somehow I did. The reemergence of cold rain after a weekend that brought warmth and joy to so many sun-starved New Yorkers was sort of a smack in the face. Do I sound a bit melodramatic? I'm feeling that way. You know there's a problem when tears well up in your eyes and you choke on your cinnamon Puffins while watching an television spot for Eliot Spitzer at 8:46 in the morning. I mean, I like the guy and all, but that was even a bit much for me. If you live in New York, maybe you know which ad I mean? Forgive me, I'm feeling pathetic.

Like I was saying, though, I made it to the store and home with only marginally drenched feet and a sack full of dinner. It would be something well-balanced and nutritious - to feed my mind and spirit. I had a recipe clutched in one hand that I'd printed out from The New York Times - courtesy of Anya von Bremzen's new book on Spanish cooking. It sounded delicious: a bed of boiled, sliced potatoes covered with spicy, garlicky oil and fat pieces of halibut, roasted together in the oven at a high temperature. But once I'd put it all together and we sat on the couch eating it, I kept thinking that something about the meal wasn't right.

The fish was terrific - the high temperature and short time in the oven produced a perfectly cooked filet. I'll definitely keep that truc in mind. But the half-cup of olive oil? It was really a bit much. Even if most of it was cooked with sherry vinegar (which filled the house with a pungent fragrance, but didn't do much to flavor the dish), it didn't keep the potatoes from swimming in the oil. Drizzled on some steamed broccoletti, the oil was nice, but who can stomach a half-cup of it, even if divided among four people? Incidentally, I made the full amount of potatoes but only half the amount of fish. There were no leftovers. A pound of sliced potatoes is definitely not enough for four people, unless they're very small people.

In truth, I felt like von Bremzen's recipe was a bit lazy. Couldn't she have figured out a less-greasy but still tasty way to cook the potatoes and fish? I know it's possible: I made a version of this dish from Martha Stewart several years ago, but with raw, sliced potatoes and tilefish and kalamata olives and melted butter. The sharp olive flavor cut through the buttery potatoes nicely and the thin, light fish was the perfect counterpoint. Chopped parsley on top actually gave it a nice herbal note (instead of disappearing entirely into the oil bath). I'd made it for friends who couldn't stop raving about it, and would make it again and again in a heartbeat. But I think I'll let this halibut dish fall by the wayside. Although it did do a nice job of reseasoning my pan.

Comments

[lindy]

Sorry to hear you've been having such a dire time of it. Hope the weather and you will both be better soon.

There is certainly a lot of oil in many spanish recipes. I love a traditional spanish tortilla
of the sort that resembles a frittata, with parsley and potatoes, but am always amazed when I see how much oil Spanish cooks use in them. The potatoes are positively stewed in it.
I think this may have something to do with earlier cooks having burners, but not ovens. Certainly, as you noticed, it keeps food from sticking to the pan!
I cheat when I make a tortilla- use less oil, and finish it in the oven, instead of flipping it dramatically.

Aside from the oil bath, this recipe actually sounds very good.

[MM]

Gawd, you poor thing! Glad you recovered enough to fix a nice dinner, even if it did sound like it made a mistake re the oil.

I've been suffering from a similar affliction to you. Insomnia (sometimes), freaky dreams and intense migraines that keep coming & going. Let me know if you find a sure. Take care!

[Julie]

Oh, you poor thing! That's a lot to deal with. I hope things get better fast. Trying to send lots of good positive thoughts your way.

That recipe reads absolutely deliciously -- sad that it didn't end up really being so. And now that you've mentioned the other fish and potato recipe which you make sound so tantalizing, it would be plain cruel not to share the recipe with us.

[tokyoastrogirl]

Hey Luisa,

Hope you are feeling better. I'm sorry that the recipe is a bunk one but the halibut does indeed look delicious. Sounds like you need a big bowl of something hot and delicious. Or a big glass of wine;)

Hope you feel better!

[Adrienne]

I feel your pain, it's been raining in Northern CA for 1 month straight with no end in sight. It's murderous what the weather can do to a person. Hang in there.

[Sally]

I made a fish dish w/potatoes this weekend as well. (Although in sunny Southern California. But I didn't get much sleep, if that evens things out a bit.) The recipe was from Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rogers so I knew it would be amazing. It was, but I paid $24 for a pound of sea bass. I bought it from an expensive market because I wanted it to shine. It was great, but I'm wondering if I would have been happy w/frozen fish from Trader Joe's that would have cost less than half of what I paid. I'm wondering if great technique + flavorings + flash-frozen fish = great eating.

[Luisa]

And now it's snowing here! It's like some big cosmic joke. Sally - most fish in American stores is flash-frozen these days, so even if it's being sold thawed, it was frozen at some point. I have no experience buying fish from the freezer section so I'm not sure if it lacks in quality, but I'd say to try and find out! Anyway, to deliver on the Martha Stewart recipe I raved about yesterday and then didn't post: here it is. It's so fantastic and although it has a stick of butter in it (I vaguely remember using slightly less) it's not greasy at all. Enjoy!

Roasted Tilefish Over Potatoes
Serves 4

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for dish
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 kalamata olives, pitted
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 tilefish fillets (12 ounces each)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Sprinkle bottom of dish with salt and pepper; set aside. Finely chop 12 olives and thinly slice remaining 4; reserve separately.

2. Slice potatoes very thinly (about 1/16-inch thick) with a mandoline or sharp knife. Arrange one-third of potatoes in buttered dish, overlapping slightly. Brush with melted butter; season with salt and pepper. Scatter one-third of garlic and half of the chopped olives on top. Repeat process to make another layer. Top with remaining potatoes; brush with melted butter, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside remaining garlic and butter.

3. Cover tightly with foil. Roast until potatoes just begin to color, 16 to 18 minutes. Remove foil; roast until edges are pale golden, about 10 minutes more. Meanwhile, skin fillets if necessary; halve crosswise. Stir together reserved garlic and melted butter in a large dish. Dip fillets in mixture; season with salt and pepper.

4. As soon as potatoes come out of the oven, place fillets on top. Roast until fillets are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Scatter olive slices and parsley on top.

[Bakerina]

Oh, my dear! I'm so sorry to hear that the fates are being all puckish and mischievous with you. It can only get better from here. (I would say that those Pain Quotidien brownies will go a long way toward helping with the transition. ;)

Incidentally, I know *exactly* what you mean about that Eliot Spitzer ad. >:)