Blueberry Halibut with Feta Spinach Cauliflower Mash – Delishar

I love Halibut. I love the delicious firm and meaty texture of this lovely white fish known as the largest flatfish in the ocean. Due to the firmness of the flesh, it can withstand a more robust cooking just be careful not to overcook, or it’ll dry out.  I like searing the fish with very little seasoning as I feel that by doing so, it accentuates the natural flavour of the fish. And searing the fish helps to keep the flesh moist. There is nothing worse than to mask the delicious taste of quality seafood with tons of spices. 

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I got my supply of Alaskan Halibut from The Alaska Guys (TAG). I’ve collaborated with them for a while now, and they have never failed to supply me with the best quality Alaskan seafood. I’ve learnt a lot about Alaskan seafood and the fishery industry from Kevin, the founder or TAG. I’ve found out that Atlantic halibut is classified as endangered species, while halibut around Greenland is considered threatened. However, the Halibut from TAG are sustainable line-caught Pacific halibut. I found that interesting as I had no idea that there are such differences, and of course I want to support sustainable seafood.

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I also found out that the ‘halibut’ we get from out local markets here are usually turbots. Turbot is also a flatfish similar to halibut, but it isn’t halibut. Turbots are smaller, wider, kind of rounder in appearance. While Halibuts are bigger fish, and longer with a white bottom side. That made me feel slightly cheated. I mean, I don’t want to be playing for a good glass of wine, only to be served grape juice cause it kind of looks alike. Well, not that bad but you get the gist. 

Anyway, back to this delicious meal I made. The husband claimed that this meal topped all the other meals and is now on his top 10 favourite list. He loved the texture of the fish, with a slightly crisped up golden crust, and moist lovely flesh that flakes off piece by piece. The blueberry sauce was a suggestion from Kevin. He said that his mom used to make a blueberry sauce to serve atop fish, and asked if I can recreate it.

The sauce was absolutely delicious! It paired nicely with some chicken breast the next day too! The husband and I loved it so much. The husband also commented that this was the best cauliflower mash recipe I’ve made. All in all this meal was a very satisfying low-carb meal that I will be making again sometime soon. 

Halibut with blueberry sauce process

Pan-Seared Halibut with Fresh Blueberry Sauce

Delishar

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Fresh Blueberry Sauce

  • 1 Cup fresh blueberries + 2 tbsp fresh blueberries
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1-2 sprigs thyme

Pan Seared Halibut

  • 4 fillet of Halibut about 200g each
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Pat dry Halibut fillets, and season both sides with paprika, salt and pepper.

  • Start cooking the sauce.

  • Place 1 cup fresh blueberries in saucepan together with sugar, lemon juice, and thyme.

  • Simmer for 3 minutes, and then add the remaining 2 tbsp of blueberries.

  • Allow to simmer for another 1-2 minutes until syrupy.

  • Remove from heat and set aside.

  • Heat a frying pan on medium high, and add oil.

  • When oil is shimmering, sear fish presentation side down.

  • Do not touch or flip it for 3-4 minutes to get a nice golden sear.

  • Flip and allow to cook for another 2 minutes or until done.

  • Serve with sauce over fish.

Spinach and Feta Mashed Cauliflower

Delishar

Serves 4-6

  • 1 medium head cauliflower cut into small florets
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup cream cheese
  • 1 cup cooked fresh spinach squeezed of excess liquid and coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup feta crumbled
  • 2 tbsp chopped spring onions
  • 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
  • Milk to taste
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Steam cauliflower until fork tender, about 10 minutes.

  • Mash the cauliflower with a food processor along with butter and cream cheese.

  • Add enough milk to bring the mashed cauliflower to the desired consistency.

  • Mix in spinach, feta, cilantro, and green onion.

  • Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Get the pre portioned cook kit for this amazing dish and
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Halibut with blueberry sauce 6

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Almond Crusted Halibut with Cauliflower Mash – Delishar

Day 26 of Whole 30: To be honest, I’m quite disappointed that that legendary tiger blood is not flowing through my body nor the husband’s. He is always telling me how tired he feels. I wonder if it’s because his body is actually burning fats and glucose from the food we eat rather than the sugar that we consume in our normal diet.

He did say that although he isn’t a bundle of energy, he feels like his body doesn’t crash like it used to (from the sugar and extra caffeine). He also feels more mellow and less anxious as compared to before Whole 30. Perhaps mellow Devo is a tired Devo? 

I think it’ll be helpful to compile a list of grocers that sells Whole 30 compliant products. Yeah, I’ll do just that when I reflect back on the program after day 30. This way it’ll make your planning easier if you want to go on the program. 🙂

Let’s talk about this recipe. I was a little lazy to pan-fry my fish, and I really didn’t want my kitchen to be greasy. So I chose to bake it instead. Usually, I would have coated the fish with crushed cornflakes. But since it isn’t whole 30 compliant, I had to think of an alternative. 

I open up my pantry, and my packet of almond meal was staring right at me. I grabbed it and proceeded to doctor it up with spices. Brush on some ghee on my wild caught Alaskan Halibut to help the topping adhere to the fish. Baked both the fish and asparagus together. While the oven does it’s magic, I worked on the cauliflower mash.  

The whole meal was really good! I liked the almond crust and meaty halibut best, while the husband and kids were all over the cauliflower mash. The husband asked if it was mash potatoes, he said he couldn’t tell the difference. The girls could not differential either, all they said was,”Mmmm! Mash potatoes!” and was shoveling spoonfuls in their darling little faces. 

Oh, I made a recipe video to show you have this meal was put together. I’m still learning how to shoot cooking videos, so any feedback and tips will be helpful. 🙂

Almond Crusted Halibut with Cauliflower Mash

Delishar

Almond crust

  • 1/2 cup 8 tbsp almond meal
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp parsley flakes
  • Zest of 1 lemon

Halibut

  • 4 fillets of wild caught halibut I got mine from The Alaska Guys
  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • Salt and black pepper

Roasted asparagus

  • 500 g asparagus tough ends trimmed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper

Cauliflower Mash

  • 1 kg cauliflower cut into florets
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • Salt and black pepper

Almond Crusted Halibut

  • Preheat oven to 200C.

  • Mix together all the ingredients for almond crust.

  • Place fish on parchment paper, and brush the top with ghee.

  • Spoon 2 tbsp of almond topping on top of fish, and pat it to spread it across the top evenly.

  • Bake 10-12 minutes at 200C.

Roasted Asparagus

  • Place asparagus on baking tray, single layer.

  • Drizzle olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.

  • Shake pan to coat asparagus with oil and seasoning.

  • Bake for 18-20 minutes at 200C.

Cauliflower Mash

  • Bring a large pot of water to boil, and season with salt.

  • Add cauliflower and garlic.

  • Cover and cook for 12 – 15 minutes, until cauliflower is tender.

  • Drain well, and return to pot pan.

  • Add ghee, season with black pepper & more salt (if needed).

  • Using a stick/immersion blender, blend until smooth and creamy.

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