Recipes from Les Toques Blanches Ottawa

Filet of Halibut
topped with almond hazelnut scallion cilantro fumet

Executive Chef Michael Blackie, Brookstreet Hotel

Serves 4

Step one: Herb almond and hazelnut crust

5 slices White bread
¼ cup Hazelnut ground
¼ cup Almonds sliced & lightly toasted
¼ bunch Parsley leafs
5 grams salt and white pepper ground
15 ml Olive oil

• In a pan over medium heat, toast the almonds and hazelnuts until they are golden brown.
• Remove the crust from bread.
• In a hot pan heat the oil and fry the parsley until it becomes a sharp green colour about 2 minutes. Drain and reserve on paper towels.
• In a food processor, combine bread nuts salt and pepper together.
• Add the parsley and pulse until you see the mixture change to a green colour and the mixture is evenly ground.

Step two: Fish fumet

500 grams fish bones
¼ cup celery
¼ cup carrot
½ cup cooking onion
½ cup leeks (green part)
½ cup White wine preferably dry
6 to 7 pieces White peppercorn cracked
3 liters cold water

• Wash, peel and cut all vegetable into 4 cm size pieces.
• Rinse fish bones under running cold water for approximately 5 minutes.
• Place bones and vegetables into a medium sized sauce pot and cover completely with cold water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, add peppercorns and simmer for 30 minutes. Add white wine and simmer for another 10 minutes.
• Strain through a fine sieve. Will hold for 3 to 4 days and will freeze up to 3 months.

Step three: Halibut

4 x 200 gram halibut filets
1 cup herb and nut crust
2 tbsp champagne mustard from Miss McGarrigle’s
2 tbsp sour cream
4 baby carrots
1 medium green zucchini
150 grams green beans
12 green asparagus tips, six inches

• Combine mustard and sour cream using a spoon, spread evenly the mixture on the four halibut pieces.
• Place the herb nut crust on a plate and lay the salmon mustard side down in the crust until completely covered.
• Shake off any excess but be sure the entire piece of fish is evenly covered. Place in an oven proof dish and bake at 320 degrees on the middle rack for 16 minutes. Cook vegetables separately in a generous amount of salted boiling water until desired degree of doneness is achieved.

Step four: Scallion cilantro fumet

2 green onions (diced)
1 tbsp cilantro (chopped)
1 cup 35% cream
1½ cups fish fumet (see above)
1 cup spinach

• In a pot quickly sauté in a teaspoon of butter the green onion. Add and reduce the fish fumet by half. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes (careful not to let it boil over), add the cilantro and spinach and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes. Using a Braun stick blender puree all ingredients until smooth and green. Correct the seasoning and voila.

Restaurant Assembly

In a 31 cm open face plate assemble elements in the following order. Neatly arrange the vegetables at the bottom of the plate to act as a support for the fish. Next place the fish on top of the vegetables. Bring the sauce to a boil and spoon the sauce on to the plate avoid coating the fish. Garnish with your choice of herb or if you like fry off some julienne of leek, this will marry well with the subtle flavors coming from the sauce.