Halibut with Vietnamese Sauce and 2 Delicious Salads!

When we've got a crowd in the summer we love to make no-fuss, flavourful dishes that can be prepped ahead of time so that we can be outside enjoying the fun with our families.  

Coconut Curry Soup with Smoked Vegetables

This versatile soup can be made with whatever grilled or smoked vegetables you have left over....a good reason to cook extra whenever you fire up the grill or smoker.

  

2 tbsp olive oil

½ onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 ½ tsp red curry paste

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

2 smoked red peppers, chopped into 1” chunks

1 smoked yellow pepper, chopped into 1” chunks

12 spears smoked asparagus, chopped into 1” chunks

1 smoked zucchini, chopped into 1” chunks

2 smoked tomatoes

½ smoked garlic

4 cups chicken stock

1 can coconut milk

Sauté chopped onion, red curry paste and garlic gently in oil for 3-5 minutes. Add fresh herbs and smoked vegetables and cook on medium-high heat for a further 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and simmer for 30 minutes. Puree with immersion blender. Add coconut milk and continue to heat gently for another 5 minutes. Serve with crusty bread, nippy cheddar cheese and a glass of wine for a lovely, light summer meal.

 Halibut with Vietnamese Sauce

We doubled Lucy Waverman's recipe for the sauce and served it with grilled boneless chicken, tuna steaks and halibut to please everyone in the crowd.

1 large halibut filet

Hot and spicy sauce

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

 1 teaspoon Sambal oelek*

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup baby spinach, packed

 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

 3 tablespoons fish sauce

 2 tablespoons chopped mint

Combine garlic, chili sauce and sugar in a food processor. Add spinach, lime juice, rice vinegar and fish sauce. Process until blended. Stir in mint. Reserve. Preheat grill to high. Brush halibut with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place halibut skin-side down on grill. Close lid and grill for 10 minutes or until halibut is cooked but still moist in centre.

*Sambal Oelek is a pure chili sauce that packs a lot of heat.  You can find it in the thai section of the grocery or specialty food shop.

  

Lemony Potato Salad with Garlic Scapes and Peas

This delicious salad takes advantage of the best of the garden’s offerings right now:  fresh peas, garlic scapes and herbs. 

3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes

Large handful garlic scapes, trimmed of pods

1 cup shelled fresh peas

For the Dressing:

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup olive oil

1 large lemon, zest and juice

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

To Season:

½ cup green onions, thinly sliced

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/3 cup chopped fresh mint

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water by an inch or so.  Add a generous spoonful of salt to the water and bring to a boil.  Place the scapes on top of the potatoes, cover, and reduce heat to medium.  After 5 minutes, transfer the scapes with tongs to a cutting board and chop into 1” pieces.  When the potatoes are tender drain them, and peel them when cool enough to handle.  Chop into ¾” cubes.  In a small pot, cover the peas with salted water, bring to a boil for a minute or two, then drain and rinse under cold water.

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, oil, and lemon zest and juice.  In a large bowl, combine the rice vinegar, and some salt and pepper.  Toss the cubed potatoes with the vinegar, then add the dressing, and toss in the scapes, peas, herbs and green onions.  Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if needed. 

French Beans with Cherry Tomatoes and Sun-Dried Olives

1 pound French beans, trimmed

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1/3 cup chopped Kalamata olives

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 ½ tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon minced shallots

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Blanch the beans, then drain and dry them thoroughly.  Place them in a shallow serving bowl with the cherry tomatoes and olives.  In a small jar with a tight seal, combine the oil, vinegar, shallots, thyme, salt and pepper.  Shake well to combine, then drizzle over the vegetables.  Toss gently to coat with the vinaigrette.

Ginger-Orange Halibut Grilled on a bed of Orange Slices

Theo and Kathleen enjoyed being taste testers this week

We picked up a recipe for grilled halibut at T and J’s Seafood  when we went in to look for inspiration for a simple grilled dinner last week. We love these simple recipes with easy to access ingredients – and it was delicious! 

The supermarkets were all offering fresh cobs of corn for sale that looked too good to ignore, so we picked up a few and decided to grill them and add the niblets to a salsa to serve along side the halibut. The corn was so tender and sweet. Even though it is not local, it gave us a taste for things to come. We can't wait for the great Ontario produce that we will be seeing in the months ahead.

We also decided to sample some tapenades that Andrea and Ted  were given by Philippe while visiting him in Aix en Provence.  Staying with our philosophy of keeping it simple, we put together a  crostini appetizer, topping slices of toasted baguette with chevre and the tapenades.

 

 

Crostini with Goat Cheese and Olive Tapenade

1 baguette, sliced ½ thick on the diagonal

An delicious savory appetizer ready in minutes!

Olive oil

1 small log chevre, at room temperature

1 small jar olive tapenade

Preheat barbecue on MEDIUM.  Meanwhile, brush the baguette slices lightly with olive oil on both sides. 

Grill the bread on both sides until golden.  Spread the softened goat cheese in a thick layer and add a dollop of tapenade. 

 

 

Ginger-Orange Halibut Grilled on a bed of Orange Slices

2 navel oranges

1/3 cup green onions, chopped

1/3 cup hoisin sauce

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

4 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp ginger, minced

2 lb piece halibut, skin on

Theo and Andy are happy to be home for a few days!

Grate rind from one orange and place in a medium glass bowl.  Add green onions, hoisin sauce, cider vinegar, soy sauce and ginger. Whisk to combine. Place fish in a large flat casserole dish and pour hoisin marinade over top, turn to coat. Allow to sit in marinade for 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile preheat grill and set to medium heat.

 Cut oranges into ¼ inch thick slices, and create a base for the fish, by laying them close together, directly on the grids.

Carefully place halibut on top of orange slices, skin side down. Baste liberally with hoisin marinade, close lid and cook for 5-8 minutes. With a large spatula, carefully turn halibut over and apply remaining marinade. Close lid and continue grilling for another 5 – 8 minutes, until opaque  and fish flakes easily. 

 

Grilled Corn and Mango Salsa

3 cobs of corn, grilled and cut off of the cob (follow this link for grilling instructions)

2 mangos,  cut in small cubes

1 small red pepper, diced

3 tbsp red onion, minced

3 tbsp cilantro, chopped

                                                           

Grilling corn really highlights its sweetness

Dressing:

1 tbsp lime juice, freshly squeezed

2 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp crushed red chili pepper flakes

1 tsp honey

Salt and pepper, to taste

Grill corn as directed.

In a large glass bowl, combine corn niblets, mango, red pepper, red onion and cilantro. Combine dressing ingredients in  a small glass jar, shake vigorously, pour over salsa and toss to mix. Set aside for 15 minutes to allow flavours to combine.

 

Every second meal in spring has to include asparagus - we wait for it to be in season all year!!