This was an exceedingly gratifying dish. It was so easy to make, but the flavors were complex and delicious. The Gremolata like topping elevated the whole dish. he sauce was so good -- anise flavors and garlic mellowed by being poached in milk -- that I ended up making spaghetti to go with the fish and mixing 2/3 of the sauce with the spaghetti and topping it with chunks of the cooked loin as illustrated above. That being said, it would also -- as originally intended -- make a fantastic, dinner party worthy main course, maybe on a bed of wilted greens spritzed with lemon juice.
2 lbs halibut loin
1 large fennel bulb
5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 lemons
1/3 cup dry white wine
3 cups whole milk
2 Tbsps butter
1/3 cup shaved Parmesan (optional but I ceded to L.'s request)
Remove the stem end from the fennel and discard. Cut the remaining fennel into 1 inch rings. Remove the fennel fronds and set aside.
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. As soon as it is frothy, add the chopped fennel, the garlic cloves and the white wine. Salt lightly and stir to combine well. Cook for a couple of minutes to burn off the alcohol from the wine.
Lower the heat and add the milk to the pan. Stir to combine. Cover and let cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the fennel and garlic are very tender.
While the fennel is cooking, prepare the Gremolata like garnish. Remove the peel from the lemons, leaving the pith behind, and chop it finely. Chop the fennel fronds. Combine the two in a bowl and squeeze over the juice from the two lemons. Salt lightly, stir to combine and set aside for later.
Remove the fennel-garlic infused milk from the heat and blitz until smooth with an immersion blender. Taste and add salt if needed.
Lightly salt the halibut loin on all sides and return to the pan with what is now a fennel-garlic sauce.
Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes on each side until flaky and opaque.
Either remove the whole loin to a platter, drizzle with lots of the sauce and top with the reserved Gremolata and Parmesan (if using) or cook some spaghetti while the fish is cooking and mix 2/3 of the sauce with the pasta before topping it with chunked loin, Gremolata and Parmesan.
Inspiration recipe, here.
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