Crusted halibut with asparagus, confit tomatoes and oyster beignet

  • medium
  • 4
  • 1 hour 15 minutes
Not yet rated

Matthew Tomkinson's crusted halibut recipe is enhanced by some cheffy touches, from foamed beurre blanc sauce to crispy, lager-battered oyster beignets.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Crusted halibut

Oyster beignets

Plum tomatoes

Asparagus

Beurre blanc foam

Equipment

  • Deep fat fryer
  • Stick blender

Method

1
To prepare the fish, place the slices of bread onto a chopping board and place a piece of fish on top of each slice. Cut the slices of bread to the shape of the fillets, then cut each slice of bread into neat croutons
2
Lightly beat the egg white and brush it onto the side of the fish that will be stuck to the bread. Stick the croutons to the fish and carefully turn over
3
Place the crusted fish portions onto a non-stick tray and brush generously with the melted butter. Season and place in the fridge to set for 30-60 minutes
4
Preheat the oven to 150°C/gas mark 2
5
Peel and quarter the tomatoes and place on a suitably-sized tray. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, sugar and dill and cook in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and keep warm
6
Shuck the oysters, pat dry and set aside. Place the lager in a mixing bowl and quickly whisk in enough flour to make a light batter
7
Place the halibut under a medium-heated grill and cook until the bread is golden and crispy, and the fish is just pink inside. Allow to rest somewhere warm
8
For the beurre blanc, bring the shallots, white wine vinegar and white wine to the boil in a non-reactive saucepan. Continue to boil until the volume of liquid has reduced to 1 tablespoon
  • 1 banana shallot, finely diced
  • 1/2 tbsp of white wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp of white wine
9
Add the cold water and return the mixture to the boil. Boil again until only 1 tablespoon of liquid remains in the pan
  • 1/2 tbsp of ice cold water
10
Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the butter, a cube at a time, waiting until each cube has melted before adding the next
11
Remove from the heat and continue to whisk until the sauce is pale and thick. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper
12
Strain the sauce through a sieve into a clean bowl and set aside at room temperature until required (do not refrigerate or the sauce will split)
13
Cook the asparagus in salted boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain and season. Lightly flour the oysters and dip in the batter. Deep-fry at 180°C until golden and crisp, then drain and season
14
Using a stick blender, blitz the beurre blanc until aerated and foamy
15
Squeeze some lemon juice onto the fish and place onto warm plates with the asparagus, tomatoes and oyster beignets. Finish with the lightly foamed beurre blanc and serve immediately

Matthew Tomkinson’s elegant and highly accomplished food earned him a Roux Scholarship in 2005, as well as Michelin stars at The Goose and The Montagu Arms. He now cooks classically influenced comforting dishes at Betony at The Kings Head in Wiltshire.

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