Local Halibut in Albariño Crazy Water
From Gather Restaurant in Berkeley
Serves 4
- 1 pound local halibut, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 12 fresh mussels
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 whole shallots, thinly sliced
- ½ bulb fennel, thinly sliced
- 2 Calabrian chiles (or other hot Italian chile), thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons high quality tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 cup Albariño (an aromatic white wine from northwestern Spain)
- ½ cup seawater or salted tap water
- ¼ bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon oregano, chopped
Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet and add olive oil. When oil is hot, add the shallots, fennel, chiles, and garlic. Sauté 4 minutes until soft and lightly caramelized. Add the tomato paste, cumin, and coriander, sauté 1 minute more, and then add the Albariño wine and cook approximately 2 minutes until the alcohol is cooked out.
Add the seawater and simmer on low heat for 6 minutes, until all the flavors start to come together. Add the halibut and mussels and cook for 2 minutes until halibut is cooked through and mussels have opened. Add the parsley and oregano. Serve in shallow serving bowl and finish with a drizzle of high quality olive oil.