Fresh Apricot Salsa with Poached Halibut

Apricots are in season and it’s time to make my favorite recipes and discover some new ones and that is exactly what I have done for the last couple of weeks. On our way home from the Sierras I bought several pounds of apricots from a fruit stand in the Central Valley of California. They were not quite ripe so I put them on a cookie sheet in my cool downstairs bedroom. They ripened quite nicely and I ended up with some juicy apricots. ​

I had dreams of making my delicious apricot jam or my apricot dumplings but I didn’t. Instead I was searching for new recipes. I found  some but wasn’t real happy with them. In my opinion one cake was too sweet and the other was not as good as my German apricot cake or my  apricot blueberry cobbler.  Click on the photo  below for the recipes.

After looking through some of my cookbooks and folders I came upon a recipe that caught my attention, poached halibut with apricot salsa. Sunset magazine published this recipe in 2007. I was a little hesitant to poach the halibut, but it was perfect and had an amazing texture and the apricot salsa was a perfect condiment for the halibut. This meal makes an elegant lunch or dinner, especially on a hot summer day.  I served it on lettuce with some avocados. I can also imagine making this salsa with peaches or plums.

I am disappointed that I didn't get to make my roasted apricot sorbet, my apricot dumplings, or my apricot jam. Hopefully I will catch up next year.  Click on the photos for the different posts and recipes. Have  a happy and healthy summer, my  friends.

​Chilled Poached  Halibut with Apricot Salsa The  secret in the salsa are toasted brown mustard seeds that add a nice crunch. Usually you can find  mustard seeds in your grocery store. Be careful when roasting the seeds as they burn easily.  I thought that the texture of the halibut improved after it was chilled for a day.

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Ingredients:

Makes 4-6 servings

2 tsp canola oil 
2 tsp brown mustard seeds 
1 ½ lb. apricots
4 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup diced red onions 
1 cup chopped cilantro, chopped
1-½ jalapeńo pepper
about 1 Tbs. coarse salt , divided
1 lemon, cut into thin slices 
2 ¼  lb. of halibut filet cut into 4-6 pieces

Directions:
​
Heat the oil in a skillet, add the mustard seeds, cover and cook them over medium heat until they begin to pop. After a minute remove the skillet from the heat and let it cool down. Be careful I burned my first batch.
Cut the jalapeño in half, remove the seeds and slice thinly. You can control the heat by adding less jalapeño. 
Cut the apricots into small slices ( about ½ inch ). Put the apricots in a large bowl and toss gently with lemon juice, onion,  cilantro, and the mustard seeds with the oil. Season with 1 ½ tsp of salt and chill for ½ hour. 
Wipe skillet clean and fill half-full with water, add 1 tsp of salt and the lemon slices.  Heat water over medium  heat until gently simmering. Add the fish and cook, covered, for 5-8 minutes until opaque in the center (cut to check). Don’t overcook because the halibut will get tough. Move the fish with a spatula to a plate and chill for at least an hour. Season with salt and pepper and serve cold with a salad and the apricot salsa.  My halibut tasted better the next day while the apricot salsa is better the first day.​

Guten Appetit!
Recipe from Sunset Magazine
adapted by©Sunnycovechef.com