Pan Seared Citrus Halibut

On Wednesday night my bride had to work late.  I was blessed with the opportunity to have dinner with another lovely lady and I jumped at the chance.  So my daughter and I had dinner at the church together.  Later in the evening when my bride called to say she was leaving work, she asked what I had cooked for dinner… uh… well….err….  That’s the way it goes sometimes.

So I decided to make it up to her.  Tonight I prepared a dinner for two. (Natalie was fed earlier in the evening.)  The menu?  Pan-seared citrus halibut, udon noodles with mushrooms, shallots, asparagus and cherry/grape tomatoes with a side salad.  She loves fish… and flowers… I may look stupid.  I may act stupid.  Heck, I probably am stupid, BUT… I know what the best thing to ever happen to me is, so she’s getting fish and flowers.    



A little olive oil and zest from a lemon and orange

So I washed and patted the fish, and prepared the citrus marinade to coat the fillets.  Mixing the zest of a lemon and an orange with some extra light virgin olive oil, I stirred it all in a bowl then applied it to the fillets.  (Lemon and orange zest smells so good)  I also drizzled a little of the juice over the fish as well as salt and pepper. 

All set for the skillet!

Later I heated a skillet over high heat and added a bit of canola oil.  I then seared the fish on each side for a couple of minutes and finished it off by putting it in a preheated oven (350 degrees) for 5-7 minutes.  The citrus zest on the fish allows such a wonderfully fresh aroma throughout the kitchen – not fishy!

 

The udon noodles, were so simple.  Pot of boiling water, add noodles, return to boil for four minutes, drain and rinse with cold water.  I was able to let these sit in the colander until I was ready for them to go back in the skillet.  (just rinse them with cold water every so often to keep them from sticking) 

The vegetables were sliced and chopped and ready for the skillet that was heated to medium high with a little olive oil.  Onions first, then mushrooms, followed by asparagus.  Now add the udon noodles to the skillet to heat and I gave it a shot of soy sauce.  Once heated through, turn off heat and add the sliced grape tomatoes.  You’re ready to plate it!

The salad was simple to fix, and started it as soon as I got home from work. 

Chop and wash the romaine.  ALWAYS wash. 

Simple salad spinner

If you don’t have a salad spinner get one. 

Allowing the lettuce to soak in ice water makes it so crisp on the table and it will keep in the fridge longer.

Chopped all the veggies, then topped with cheese, croutons, and garbanzo beans.  Yum!  (This is a meal in itself when we add a little steak and some avocado)

Once it is all ready, plate and serve!  Oh and make sure you have flowers….  They aren’t much use for anything except… opening the door to the dog house to get you out!

Enjoy.