Pan-Roasted Wild Pacific Halibut with Roasted Mushroom Broth and Crispy Potatoes

By: Matty Kane, Shelter Restaurant

Chef’s Note:
Wild Pacific halibut is one of the most valued fin fish on this coast, at once sturdy and delicate. At Shelter, chef Matty Kane serves it with the earthy flavours of mushrooms, potatoes and sesame. Just be super careful not to overcook the fish—it takes only seconds to go from perfect to disappointing.

 

  • 2 - large russet potatoes, skin on

  • salt

  • 1 Tbsp - sherry vinegar

  • 1 Tbsp - shoyu (see Note)

  • juice of 1 lemon (divided)

  • bunch of large green onions

  • 1/4 cup - salted butter

  • 8 - large cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced

  • 1/2 cup - water, plus extra if needed

  • 4 cups - grapeseed oil, for deep-frying

  • 1 Tbsp - sesame seeds

  • 1/4 tsp - toasted sesame oil

  • 2 Tbsp - grapeseed oil, plus extra for frying

  • black pepper, to taste

  • 2 - 8-oz skinless Wild Pacific Halibut fillets


DIRECTIONS

  1. Place potatoes in a small saucepan, then cover with water and add a generous amount of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain, then set aside to cool. (This can be done well ahead of time.)

  2. In a small bowl, combine vinegar, shoyu and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and mix well. Set aside.

  3. Fill a small bowl with ice and water. Slice onion stalks lengthwise into very thin strips. Place onions in the ice bath and set aside until they curl up.

  4. Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it begins to foam. Add mushrooms and pan-roast them, stirring occasionally, until they brown. Add water, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 5 minutes.

  5. Transfer mushrooms and liquid to a blender, then add half of the shoyu mixture and blend on high speed until smooth. If the purée is a bit too thick, add a little water as needed. Transfer to a small saucepan and reserve until needed.

  6. Pour the 4 cups of grapeseed oil into a deep fryer or deep saucepan and heat to a temperature of 350°F. Using your fingers, break up potatoes into irregular pieces, slightly larger than bite-sized. Carefully lower potatoes into the fryer (or pan), taking care not to splash hot oil. Deep-fry for 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown. Transfer potatoes to a paper towel–lined plate.

  7. Using a mortar and pestle, grind sesame seeds to a paste. Add the paste to the remaining half of the shoyu mixture, along with the sesame oil and the 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil. Season the sesame vinaigrette with pepper.

  8. Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Season Wild Pacific Halibut with salt and pepper. Add halibut to pan, then reduce heat to medium-low and pan-sear for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown. Turn fillets and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, spooning pan juices over the halibut to help cook it more evenly. Be careful not to overcook.

  9. Transfer halibut to a wire rack, then drizzle the remaining lemon juice overtop.

    Note: Shoyu is the name for Japanese soy sauce, which is made from fermented soy and wheat and is sweeter and lighter than its Chinese counterpart.

ASSEMBLY

  1. Spoon enough hot mushroom purée into 2 shallow bowls to cover the bottom. Place halibut slightly to the side of the plate.

  2. Season crispy potatoes with salt and pepper, then place next to the fillets. Drain onions, then dress them with half the sesame vinaigrette. Spoon remaining vinaigrette over the halibut and potatoes, garnish fillets with the onions and finish with black pepper. Serve immediately.

Serves 2

Excerpted from Island Eats: Signature Chefs’ Recipes from Vancouver Island and the Salish Sea by Dawn Postnikoff and Joanne Sasvari. Photographs by Gabriel Cabrera and Danika McDowell. Recipes copyright © 2021 by individual restaurants. Excerpted with permission from Figure 1 Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

October 2022

This project is supported by the BC Government Buy BC Partnership Program: delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC with funding from the Government of British Columbia.

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