Herb Crusted Halibut over Green Beans and Curly Celery

Lately, I have been feeling a serious lack of inspiration. A couple of weeks ago I was high on my Saturday paper shout out, delicious dishes and life. But, lately I have been feeling a little… boring. And I HATE being boring. It turns out the thing I was missing was just some chill time.

I have a tendency to over book myself, and I haven’t had much time lately to just relax. Saturday, my booked plans fell threw so I managed to spend an hour in bed. It was exactly what I needed. Just one hour with The Food Network and I felt revitalized. My mind was racing with all the new things I wanted to cook. Now, I just had to find time too cook them.

Tuesday this week might not be so full of new food since I’m heading to a get together at Lindsey K’s new place in Hollywood. So, I opted for Sunday. I tried out this quick and healthy halibut recipe. I needed quick and healthy. Quick because after Tuesday nights calzone cooking marathon, I needed an easy fix and healthy because I am determined to drop a dress size before Lish gets married. Yes, I realize she is not getting married till June, but I’m giving myself a good head start.

Check out how gorgeous and fancy this herb crusted halibut over green beans and celery looks. I’m not fancy, but I sure can fake it. You can too if you try this dish. Fake it till you make it, I always say.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Ingredients

Vegetables:

6 ribs celery

Kosher salt

1 lemon, halved, divided

1/2 pound haricots verts, stem end removed

Extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

Fish:

4 (6-ounce) halibut fillets, skin removed

Kosher salt

1/2 bunch thyme, leaves chopped

1/2 bunch chives, minced

4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, leaves finely chopped

1 heaping cup instant mashed potato flakes

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Vegetables:

Using a sharp veggie peeler, shave the celery to get long thin shavings. Put the celery shavings in ice water with half a lemon and its juice and let sit for at least 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator. The celery will get very crunchy, curly and cute.

Bring a pot of well salted water to a boil, over medium heat and set up a bowl of well salted ice water. Toss the haricots verts in the boiling water and cook until the beans are tender but still firm. Remove the beans from the boiling water and plunge immediately into the ice water and let them cool. When they are cold and still vibrantly green, remove them from the ice water and reserve.

Fish:

Season the fish fillets with salt. Combine the herbs and the potato flakes in a shallow dish. Dip the flesh side of each fillet into the egg wash and then press them into the herb/potato flake mixture. Put on a sheet tray with the crusted side up.

To cook and assemble everything: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and heat it over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the fish, crusted side down. When the crust has become golden and crispy, flip them over, then transfer the fish to a baking sheet lined with a cooling rack and put in the preheated oven for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the oil in the saute pan and add new oil. Toss in the garlic and crushed red pepper. When the garlic becomes golden and aromatic remove it and discard. Toss in the reserved haricots verts, season with salt, to taste, and roll them around in the oil to heat through. When they are hot, turn off the heat and reserve them in the pan. Remove the celery from the ice water and dry in a salad spinner to remove the excess water. Add the celery to the pan with the beans. Squeeze in the juice from the remaining lemon half and season with salt, if needed.

Divide the veggies between 4 serving plates and top with the crusted fish.