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Halibut or Other Fish Braised in Red Wine

A delicate and subtle preparation that can also be made with monkfish, striped bass, sea bass, or other firm-fleshed fish. Serve with Braised Leeks (page 465).

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 4 servings

Ingredients

5 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped shallot
1 1/2 cups red wine
2 bay leaves
1 cup fish or chicken stock, preferably homemade (page 161 or 160)
1 1/2 pounds halibut steak, 1 inch or more thick
Salt and black pepper to taste
Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Put 3 tablespoons of the butter in a 10- or 12-inch skillet over medium heat. When the butter melts, add the shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 2 or 3 minutes. Add the wine and bay leaves, raise the heat to high, and cook until the mixture is reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 20 minutes.

    Step 2

    Add the stock and reduce to about 1 cup, about 10 minutes. Add the halibut along with some salt and pepper, turn the heat to low, and cover. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the halibut is tender (a thin-bladed knife will pass through it with little resistance). Transfer the halibut to a warm plate and stir in the remaining butter, cooking and stirring until the sauce is smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning, pour the sauce over and around the fish, garnish, and serve.

The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved. MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.
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