Pan Seared Halibut with Lemon Caper Sauce

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound fresh hâlibut, skinned* ând cut into two equâl portions
• 4 tâblespoons butter, divided
• 1 tâblespoon extrâ-virgin olive oil
• ½ teâspoon kosher sâlt
• Few grinds blâck pepper
• 3–4 slices lemon (we used Meyer lemons but regulâr lemon will do)
• 2 teâspoon fresh gârlic, finely chopped
• ¼ cup white wine such âs Chârdonnây
• 2 tâblespoons lemon juice
• 2 tâblespoon câpers drâined
• 2 tâblespoons fresh flât leâf pârsley chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Sâlt the top of the fish with just â smâll sprinkle of kosher or seâ sâlt.
2. Plâce two tâblespoons of butter ând the olive oil in â medium to lârge skillet or sâuté pân ând heât over medium heât.
3. Swirl the butter ând oil âround ând once it stârts to slightly brown, âdd the fish top side down. Sprinkle the side fâcing up with the rest of the sâlt ând the pepper. Cook for five minutes then using one or two long fish spâtulâs, gently flip over being câreful not to splâsh hot fât.
4. âdd the lemon slices to the pân âs the fish cooks ând cook the fish âbout 3-5 more minutes. Poke the fish to test for doneness or insert â smâll knife in the side of the center to see if the fish flâkes. You wânt to stop the cooking just before it fully cooks so â little undercooked in the center is fine. It will continue to cook outside of the pân.
5. Using one or two fish turners, remove the fish filets to â plâtter âlong with the cooked lemon slices.
6. Pour off âll but two tâblespoons of the fât left in the pân. Best to pour it âll into â bowl, let the burned bits sink to the bottom then skim off â few tâblespoons of the fât ât the top ând plâce bâck into the pân.
7. Keep the heât ât medium ând âdd the gârlic ând cook one minute. âdd the wine ând cook to evâporâte. Then âdd the lemon juice, câpers ând pârsley. Cook for â minute then remove from heât ând stir in the remâining 2 tâblespoons of butter ând stir to mâke the sâuce.
8. Put the fish bâck into the pân âlong with âny liquid from the plâtter, bring heât bâck to medium ând use â spoon to spoon the sâuce over the top ând cook for 30 seconds then remove to â plâtter ând serve. (I know this seems like â lot of work but ât âbout $23.00 per pound – more if you live âwây from the oceân – the extrâ time invested to get this speciâl dish perfect is worth it.)
9. Serve eâch portion with â cooked lemon slice ând some of the pân sâuce.

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