KIMCHEE
"CHOUCROUTE" WITH SEARED DIJON HALIBUT
Most
cooks know that choucroute garni is an Alsatian dish consisting of
braised,
tart cabbage (like our sauerkraut) garnished
with meats including sliced pork and sausage.
Served with sharp mustard, it’s a hearty feast, though a bit heavy for
today’s tastes. An attempt to lighten the
dish, and my love of all things hot-hot, led
me to devise this tart-spicy seafood version, which everyone loves.
As
elsewhere, the addition of the cucumber kimchee adds a spicy Eastern
note; and this time, mustard is used
to coat the fillets before they’re seared for cooked-in flavor.
Serves 4
-
1/4 cup
grapeseed or canola oil
-
2 large
heads of cabbage, cored, halved, and cut into 1/4-inch ribbons
-
Kosher
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
-
3
cups Cucumber Kimchee , plus additional, with 1 1/2 cups of
its liquid
-
1 bottle
dry white wine
-
1 bay
leaf
-
4
halibut fillets, 6 to 7 ounces each
-
4
tablespoons Dijon mustard
1.
Heat a large sauté pan or deep heat-proof casserole over high heat. Add
2 tablespoons of the oil and swirl to coat
the pan. Add the cabbage, season with salt
and pepper, and cook, stirring, until soft but not colored, 5 to 8
minutes.
2. Add
the kimchee liquid and the wine and reduce the mixture by three
quarters, 20 to 30 minutes. Add the 3
cups of kimchee and the bay leaf and simmer until the cabbage
has almost melted, 30 to 40 minutes.
3.
About 20 minutes before you are ready to serve, heat the oven to 425°F.
Season the halibut with salt and
pepper. Heat a large ovenproof sauté pan, preferably nonstick,
over high heat until hot. Add the remaining two tablespoons of oil and
swirl to coat the pan. Add the fish and sear
until brown, about 4 minutes. Turn the fillets,
rub the mustard on the cooked sides, and transfer the pan to the oven.
Bake until the fish is cooked through
and flaky, 4 to 6 minutes. Divide the "choucroute" among
4 pasta bowls, discarding the bay leaf. Place the fillets on it, garnish
with the additional kimchee, and
serve.
