Spring is in the air, or well, it’s supposed to be. So maybe Mother Nature isn’t exactly cooperating with us, but that doesn’t mean some of the great things about spring’s arrival aren’t already upon us. One of the things I have really come to enjoy with the arrival the new season is the return of fresh Pacific Halibut. The commercial fishing season closes every November to help ensure the population can be maintained, opening every March.

When fresh from the ocean, especially in early spring, when the ocean water is at its coldest, the flesh of the halibut is firm and flakes at the touch of a fork when cooked right. As the waters warm I do find the fish tends to get a little softer, which is why I like to reach for this versatile and delicately flavored flatfish as the season dawns.

I am sure many of you have dined on halibut in winter, unaware you weren’t being served fresh fish. The reality is you were being served flash frozen filets that were likely caught months earlier and stored in a freezer.

Also look for the Ocean Wise symbol when buying fish and seafood. Ocean Wise is an organization founded in 2005 by the Vancouver Aquarium, in collaboration with C restaurant in Vancouver. Its main purpose is to create awareness about the sustainability of the fish and seafood we eat. At its inception it only had 16 Vancouver-area restaurants involved in the program. Today, they have over 300 partners across Canada at over 2,700 locations. The intention is to work with chefs and business owners to eliminate non-sustainable seafood choices from their menus and businesses, and encouraging the use of fish and seafood that can be harvested in a safe, sustainable way, with as little impact on the environment possible.

In the past decade, thanks to the efforts of the halibut fisheries working in collaboration with the government and groups like Ocean Wise they have managed to make a strong positive impact on the halibut population and now have it at one if the healthiest states of all time, making it a positive example for what all commercial fisheries can do to not only survive, but thrive in their industry.

This week I have chosen a fun play on the classic pairing of peas and carrots. The saltiness and crisp texture of the prosciutto contrasts the delicate, flakiness of the fish. The rich, creamy flavour of the green pea risotto and the sweet, buttery flavour of the carrot and orange beurre blanc pair quite nicely with the mild flavor of the halibut. I hope you enjoy!

Prosciutto Wrapped Halibut, Spring Pea Risotto, Carrot & Orange Beurre Blanc

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Special Tools: Juicer

Feeds: 4

4 pc. Fresh Pacific Halibut filet, 6 oz. each

8 slices prosciutto, sliced thin

4 Tbsp. canola oil or clarified butter

1 medium carrot, peeled

1 navel orange, peeled

1 Tbsp. chunk of ginger

¼ cup white wine

¼ lb. raw butter, cubed about the size of a sugar cube, cold

1 tsp. honey

1 cup arborio rice

2 Tbsp. shallots, minced

½ Tbsp. garlic. minced

2 Tbsp. canola oil or clarified butter

¼ cup white wine

3 cups stock, chicken, vegetable or fish, your preference

1 cup fresh spring peas, blanched and chilled quickly

1 Tbsp. raw butter

2-3 Tbsp. mascarpone (similar to cream cheese, but try to find the real thing)

¼ lemon, juice only

Salt and pepper to taste

Spring Pea Risotto

In a medium sauce pot, warm the canola oil, add the shallots, and garlic

Cook until translucent, but do not brown

Add the rice, and coat evenly with the oil

Deglaze the pan with the white wine, and reduce

Add the stock, ladle by ladle, stirring constantly to create a creamy, well cooked risotto, al dente, firm, yet tender, the idea is to add a fair amount of stock initially, and then less and less at a time as you get closer to it being cooked. Be sure to season as you go. The end result should be creamy, but not runny, this will take anywhere from 15-20 minutes

Add the blanched peas, lemon juice, butter and mascarpone, stir to completely combine and heat the peas through

Carrot & Orange Beurre Blanc

Using a vegetable juicer, juice the ginger, followed by the orange, and lastly the carrot

If the juice stills seems a little pulpy, quickly pass it through a fine mesh strainer

Place the juice in a small, thick bottomed sauce pot and bring to a simmer

Add the white wine and allow to slowly reduce to about one quarter of it’s original volume, taking on the viscosity of a light syrup

Reduce the heat to low

With whisk in hand, begin to add the butter, cube by cube, whisking quickly to emulsify the butter into the reduction, continue to do so until all of the butter is used, creating an almost cream like sauce, if the surface looks oily, you have overheated the sauce or failed to whisk it in fast enough, causing it to split, and will have to start over

Finish with honey and season

Keep in a warm, but not hot environment until ready to serve over fish, do not make this too early in advance!

Prosciutto Wrapped Halibut

Place a large piece of saran wrap down on your work surface

Lay two slices of prosciutto down on the saran wrap

Place the halibut on the prosciutto, presentation side down, ie fat side up

Fold the saran wrap over the fish, allowing the prosciutto wrap around the fish

Seal the fish in the wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, this will allow the prosciutto to adhere to the fish while cooking later

Heat a medium sized sauté pan to high heat, if you are not comfortable cooking fish without it sticking to the pan just use a non-stick pan

Remove the fish from the wrap and season with salt and pepper

Place the clarified butter or canola in the pan, followed by the fish

Sear on the first side until lightly browned and the prosciutto has crisped up, 3-4 minutes, repeat on the second side

Assembly

Place a bed of spring pea risotto on the plate or bowl

Top with seared halibut

Drizzle the beurre blanc over the fish

Garnish with some fresh pea shoots if you’d like

Who’s hungry?