My search ended with this recipe for Seared Halibut with Cherry Tomato and Caper Pan Sauce from Mountain Mama Cooks. She's a personal chef and often uses this recipe at home when she's short on time. I've got to tell you, this was the easiest and most delicious halibut ever.
The ingredients are all staples in my kitchen and I prepared the recipe exactly as written. Instead of cherry tomatoes, I used the grape tomatoes I had on hand, and cut them in half rather than leaving them whole. I also ran out of capers so used only half the amount called for, but it was still delicious. Dinner was ready in literally 10 minutes - it doesn't get much better than that!
Moving on to the next item... Have you heard about Trish's Cook It Up Challenge? It's set up to be an extremely flexible and user-friendly way to use all those cookbooks on your shelf. Structure it any way you like - focus on a specific cookbook, set a goal for a certain number of recipes to try, or even borrow a cookbook from the library and take it for a "test drive". Trish will put up a linky post the first Saturday of the month. And If you don't want to write a post, you can just share photos on twitter and instagram.
So, what am I going to do? My plan is to try several recipes from one book. I'm not sure if I'll start with Real Grilling (which I bought for my husband along with a new grill for Father's Day nearly a decade ago... but he doesn't use cookbooks) or Tequila Mockingbird (cocktails with a literary twist, borrowed from the library). Check back August 2nd and find out.
What's happening in your kitchen this week?
I'm too scared to grill fish but that halibut looks absolutely delicious! And I can't wait to see what you whip up for the Cookbook Challenge. We are starting with BBQ/Grill as well but Scott has spent all morning scouring the internet for a recipe rather than using the cookbook. Sigh. ;) Glad you're joining in!
ReplyDeleteTrish - You should try grilling fish or shrimp! Maybe there's a recipe in your grill book ;-)
DeleteVery creative at the last minute! With those tomatoes, it's still a very summery recipe, even if it wasn't cooked on the gill.
ReplyDeleteJoy - Tomatoes are one of the best things about summer as far as I'm concerned!
DeleteThat fish looks delicious! I love how quickly fish cooks up. I will have to check out Trish's cookbook challenge... it may be just the thing for me to try this summer.
ReplyDeleteCecelia - Fish is always a great choice for quick dinners! I almost always have frozen salmon and tilapia on hand.
DeleteI've never cooked halibut (not sure if it is available around here on the Gulf Coast) but it looks fabulous. And how fun that cooking challenge looks!
ReplyDeleteDeb - I'm always interested the different varieties of fish available when we travel. Funny that some I take for granted are exotic to others.
DeleteThat halibut dish looks so inviting and fresh! I'll have to give it a try one day. I'm always looking for ways to add fish to our meals. Thanks for posting about it!
ReplyDeleteOlduvaireads - I'm sure this would work well with many other types of fish, too!
DeleteYUM! I love pan roasted tomatoes with halibut (I usually make a recipe by Aaron MacCargo from Foodnetwork that includes lemon and thyme..I should do a post on that!) and I love the addition of the capers to this one! I'll have to try it!
ReplyDeleteSarah - Oh, yes... please share that recipe! I have lots of fresh thyme in my herb garden now.
DeleteThis sounds great minus the capers!
ReplyDeleteJackie - LOL, there's no middle ground with capers ;-)
DeleteYummy! I want to do Trish's Cookbook Challenge, but haven't decided yet what exactly to do. Thank you for reminding me that I have a copy of Tequila Mockingbird that I got for Christmas, along with some other cookbooks that I haven't used yet. Maybe I'll make mine a Christmas Cookbook Challenge and try out all my new cookbooks that aren't really so new anymore!
ReplyDeleteLaurie - Tequila Mockingbird is so much fun! I think I'm going to need my own copy of that one ;-)
DeleteThe thought of that Cookbook Challenge makes me almost dizzy—I have WAY too many on my shelves! Maybe I can do as you suggest, just pick ONE book and dig in.
ReplyDeleteKaren - I think focusing one one book per month is easier... and a good way to use some of my more seasonal cookbooks, too!
DeleteThis challenge sounds fun, but just not sure I'd be successful. Summer is tough and we tend to eat out a lot.
ReplyDeleteDiane - I cook a lot more in the fall and winter, too.
DeleteI don't like to cook fish inside because of the smell but my husband would love that!
ReplyDeleteKathy - I always burn candles after cooking fish ;-)
DeleteSo excited to see what you end up making during the challenge! That halibut looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteAndi - I've pulled out a couple of cookbooks, but not sure where I'll start yet...
Deletecan I come to dinner?!?!? that halibut looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteStacy - Come on over... there's always enough for one more!
DeleteLooks delicious! The challenge sounds like fun, I'll have to check it out.
ReplyDeletePlease drop by and see what I am cooking this weekend,
Shelleyrae @ Book'd Out
Bookdout - This challenge will get me to finally use some of my newer cookbooks!
DeleteReally can't go wrong with grilling fish . So easy to do and takes minutes. One of our favourite meals.
ReplyDeleteHeather - We eat a lot of seafood around here!
DeleteWe cook out most night too. The storms lately have been crazy. Thank goodness for Pinterest. The fish looks great
ReplyDeleteBeth F - The storms were so unpredictable this week... made for quite a few last-minute dinner decisions.
DeleteI'm terrified of fish! I've never eaten much so I don't really know what I like and am scared to take a risk. Definitely need to get a little braver. I'm really looking forward to seeing what everyone does for the cookbook challenge on the 2nd!
ReplyDeleteKatherine - We're lucky to have such a wide variety of fresh fish available and Wegmans (the best grocery store ever, imo) always has recipe ideas, too. I'm sure some kind of seafood will be involved in my challenge!
DeleteI love the idea of a cookbook challenge. I find I don't use mine much or always go back to the same tried and true recipes. I am one of those people that usually needs a picture of a recipe to get myself interested in trying something. But, since our temp apartment kitchen has no ventilation, I don't plan to turn on my oven until September. And don't even mention grilling. That won't be possible until next spring for us.
ReplyDeleteThomas - I'll never forget how happy I was to have a kitchen again after living with my parents for 11 months during our remodel!
DeleteI've gotten better about buying cookbooks lately... usually take them for a test run from the library now. Still, I have far too many that I never use.