VALENTINE’S DAY DINNER: JOSH’S HALIBUT WITH ARUGULA AND CORN SALAD

With Valentine’s Day almost upon us I decided to post this fresh little ditty…. and I have three reasons for doing so:

1) I created it on Valentine’s Day a few years ago
2) It is the perfect date night food- Light, tasty, and easy to make. It won’t weigh you down on a night you might want to look (and feel) your slimmest *wink wink, AND without any super strong spices or raw onions, your breath is saved too ;).
3) It is actually the most requested dish by Josh for dinner in our household… Hence the name.

P.S. That is a photo of Josh in Italy last summer holding up a plate of emoji fish. Enjoy.

So, Happy early Valentine’s Day you love birds!

You will need:
For the corn salad-
1 Tbs butter
1 clove of garlic (minced)
Salt and pepper
1.5 Cups frozen corn
1 Cup packed arugula (very roughly chopped)
1/2 Cup sliced almonds

For the Halibut-
2 Wild caught thawed frozen Halibut steaks (unless you live on the coast and are SURE it’s fresh off the boat BUY FROZEN)
1 Tbs Oil (I used Olive but coconut works great too!)
The zest and juice of 1 lemon (separated)
1/4 Cup white wine (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc)
Salt and Pepper

I like to start with the corn. In a medium sized sauté pan, heat your butter over medium heat. Add your garlic and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add your frozen corn, a sprinkle of salt and pepper and let cook until completely warmed through. Turn the heat off and let sit until your halibut is done.

To start the halibut, you will want to pat your steaks dry after thawing them.

Sprinkle both sides with salt, pepper, and some fresh lemon zest.

Coat the bottom of a medium sized sauté pan with oil and bring heat to medium-high (to make your life easier, try a non-stick pan).

Once the oil is hot, carefully place your steaks in the pan, making sure your steaks aren’t touching. Also, use caution, as any extra moisture will pop and sizzle.

Cook on the first side for about 4 minutes or until the bottom edges begin to look opaque. Flip and pour in your wine. Lower heat to medium and cook an additional 4-5 minutes or until your fish is just almost cooked through. (it will continue cooking once removed from the pan)

While your halibut is finishing up, add your almonds and arugula to the corn mixture. Stir to incorporate.

Once your fish is cooked, place a steak on each plate (drizzling a little bit of that white wine pan sauce on top).

Next divide the corn salad and place half of it on top of each steak.

Lastly quarter the lemon you used the zest from and squeeze one wedge over-top of each steak! Done! For a heartier meal, serve with a side of mashed potatoes or cauliflower rice.