My husband is not a fan of fish, but he loves eggs benedict. So here’s where this dinner makes sense. Spread the creamy hollandaise sauce on almost anything and you’ll be in food heaven. This recipe was no different. I really enjoyed the subtle taste of the fish and the lip smacking sauce on top tempted me to lick my plate.

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The recipe took several steps, but was overall pretty easy to do. Add mushrooms and shallots to the bottom of a baking dish, place the fish on top.

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I don’t know about you, but I didn’t realize how expensive halibut is. I can say, though, that after the meal the cost was worth it. Now if you’re on a budget I’m told cod is a good substitute.

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When your fish is seasoned just pop it in the oven. Then the fun begins.

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Separate the eggs because you only want to use the yolks for the recipe. An egg white omelet the next morning for breakfast was pretty good.

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Now, this recipe called for plenty of butter. I’m sure adding every one of the 8-10 tablespoons would have resulted in a rich and satisfying sauce, but I wanted to be a little more health conscious so I used less than half of what the recipe wanted. It was still good. The best part was using a double broiler and watching the sauce texture transform in front of your eyes.

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Then what a difference two minutes make because once I topped the fish with the sauce and put it under the oven broiler, the dish turned into something magical. We enjoyed the dinner with green beans with a light lemon sauce and herbed rice.

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Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons shallots
  • 5-10 crimini or shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 2-4 halibut fillets
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine (I had chardonnay in the fridge)
  • Salt and pepper
  • For the hollandaise sauce
  • 3 egg yolks at room temperature
  • 1 and 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 4-8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
  • Parsley, chopped
Directions:
  1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees
  2. Spread shallots, then mushrooms over the bottom of an oiled baking dish.
  3. Lay the cleaned fillets over the mushrooms and pour in the wine.
  4. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Cover and bake for 10-15 minutes or until opaque when pierced with a knife.
  6. Meanwhile, make the hollandaise sauce by placing the egg yolks and one and a half tablespoons of lemon juice in a heatproof bowl or the top pan of a double broiler.
  7. Set over (but not touching) simmering water in a saucepan or the bottom pan of the double broiler.
  8. Whisk until it begins to thicken (about 2 minutes), then whisk in the butter one slice at a time until thickened (4-5 minutes)
  9. Remove from the pan of hot water and continue whisking until cooled.
  10. Cover partially and keep warm. Do NOT toss the hot water.
  11. When the fillets are done, drain off the liquid into a small saucepan.
  12. Cover the fillet to keep them warm.
  13. Place the sauce pan over high heat and boil until the liquid is reduced by about half (2-3 minutes).
  14. Preheat a broiler.
  15. Place the hollandaise sauce back over the simmering water. Whisk in the reduced liquid 1 tablespoon at a time, until thinned. It shouldn’t take any more than 3 tablespoons.
  16. Season to taste with salt and pepper and more lemon juice, if needed.
  17. Spoon the sauce over the fillets.
  18. Broil until lightly browned (1-2 minutes)
  19. Sprinkle with parsley.
  20. Add whatever vegetable side you’d like.