Roasted Halibut with Butternut Squash Coulis , Edamame and Mushroom Sauce

Pretend your are in a fancy, expensive spa and imagine being pampered with a delicious meal.  I have been making this recipe for my health conscious friends for years using different types of fish. The butternut coulis and mushrooms are vegan and are very low in calories. For fish I have used whatever is  available and fresh. Red snapper or cod are good choices. For this occasion I roasted some asparagus as an additional vegetable. This meal serves four with some leftover coulis.

I live in Santa Cruz where over half the population is vegetarian and some folks are vegan. This is the perfect dish because they don't have to eat the fish and all I have to do is substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. The coulis can be turned into a delicious healthy soup by adding additional broth. Last Saturday I invited some friends who were in a middle of a health crisis and needed a comforting and healthy meal. This one fits the bill. A good meal will let you forget about the problems and fears you are facing and enjoy the moment. For an appetizer, I served my baked goat cheese with fresh herbs and garlic. We sat outside enjoying the warm evening, dipping fresh baguette in our goat cheese and sipping a glass of 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon from Hewitt Vineyard which my friends had brought.

The meal was a great success. The halibut was a little overdone, so watch the time when you roast it. My friend’s immune system would not allow any uncooked fish. This is one dish I always plate before serving. I am sorry about the quality of the photos, it does not reflect the food. I have tried to photograph this several times before but what can I say?… I am a slow learner and I am not devoting much time to improving my photography skills. It shows!  My dream is to take a workshop somewhere in Europe where I might improve my photography skills.

I had  some fresh raspberries and blueberries in my refrigerator . For dessert I decided to make my favorite galette. Okay, this is where I chose not be too healthy and got some bitter caramel ice-cream from the Penny Ice-Cream Shop  in Santa Cruz. These guys make the absolutely  best ice cream ever. I loooooove the bitter caramel and yes, I know that vanilla ice-cream probably would  go better with the galette. But I couldn't help myself. If you are ever in Santa Cruz and before you hit the beach, treat yourself to ice cream from this wonderful creamery. It is  worth every bite.

Recipe for baked Goat Cheese with Herbs and Garlic

Recipe for Blueberry and Raspberry Galette

I usually make the coulis ahead of time. Substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth to make a vegan version. I like my coulis spicy; if you don't I would recommend cutting the spices down. Try using 3/4 tsp of ground cumin and curry powder and 1 tablespoon of ginger instead of two.  Make the leftover coulis into a soup by adding more liquid. 
For mushrooms I like to use shiitakes but you can use button mushrooms or a mixture of both. I buy frozen edamame beans and use them while they are still frozen. 
This makes 4 servings with some leftover coulis and mushroom sauce. I make my own bread crumbs by putting day old sourdough bread in my Vitamix . Before I bought it, I used my food processor

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Ingredients
 
Butternut Squash coulis 

About 2 Ib of butternut squash 
1 onion, chopped
2 TBS finely chopped ginger
2-3 TBS olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp curry powder
1  1/3 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste


Mushroom  and Edamame sauce
6 (250g) ounces mixed mushrooms
1-2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS minced garlic
½ to 1 cup chicken broth 
​½ cup tomato sauce
1 cup edamame beans
2 TBS or more chopped chives
2 TBS chopped basil


Halibut

1 ½ to 2 lbs. of skinned Halibut filet. 

1 ½ cup fresh homemade breadcrumbs
1 ½ TBS finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 TBS chopped fresh parsley
½ TBS finely chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp tested lemon peel
3 TBS butter melted
​​

​​Directions

The coulis

Cut the squash in half lengthwise, using a mallet or a big knife if you have one. Scoop out the seeds. Peel the squash;  I use a vegetable peeler. Cut the squash into 1-inch chunks; you should have about 4 cups.
Heat the olive oil and add the onions and ginger and cook until limp, for about 10 minutes. Add the cumin and curry and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 1 ½ cups of broth and the squash.  Bring everything to a boil, cover and cook at a lower heat for about 20 minutes until the squash can be mashed with a fork. Blend with an immersion stick, blender or food processor until smooth. If you want a thinner coulis,  add some more broth. Season with salt and pepper.

The mushroom and Edamame  sauce

Wipe mushrooms clean with a wet paper towels. Cut off stems and cut the rest into ½-inch slices. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and stir the mushrooms until they are limp for about five minutes, adding  the garlic and saute for another minute. Add the broth, tomato sauce and edamame beans and cook for about five minutes . The soybeans should be tender to the bite. Add half of the chives and basil and season with pepper and salt.  

The fish

Preheat the oven to 320˚ degrees. 
Oil a rimmed baking sheet.
Mix the bread crumbs, cheese, herbs and lemon peel . Add salt and pepper to taste and drizzle with melted butter. Mix well.

Place the halibut on a baking sheet and sprinkle  the fish with salt and pepper. Cover the fish with the breadcrumb mixture and pat it down with your hands. If you have any leftover breadcrumb mixture, freeze it for later use. 

Bake the halibut for about 20 minutes, making sure you don't overcook the fish. The correct cooking time will depend on the thickness of the fish. Bake until fish is barely opaque, but still moist-looking in the center of the thickest part (cutting to test). 


Guten Appetit!
recipe from Sunset Magazine 
adapted by © Sunnycovechef