Bittersweet Bistro

Rio Del Mar, California

Specialty Recipe

Monterey Bay Halibut
with a Smoked Salmon Crust

Ingredients - Smoked Salmon Crust

4 ounces smoked salmon

2 sticks butter, room temperature)

6 slices white bread, crust removed)

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

1 dash of Tabasco pepper sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients - Chive Horseradish Creme Fraiche

1/2 cup of creme fraiche

1/8 cup of mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon of chopped fresh chives

1 Tablespoon of lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients - Roasted Monterey Bay Halibut

Eight 6-ounce Monterey Bay halibut fillets, one inch thick

flour - for dusting

oil (such as canola) for sauteing

Smoked Salmon Crust: Combine all ingredients on a food processor. Puree until smooth. Place ingredients into a small bowl lined with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm. Unmold onto a plate. Slice 1/8 inch thick when needed.

Chive Horseradish Creme Fraiche: Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Serve 1 to 2 tablespoons per fish.

Roasted Monterey Bay Halibut: In batches, season fish with salt and pepper. Dust fillets in flour. Film a preheated saute pan with one table of oil. Saute fish 45 seconds per side. Remove and keep warm on a buttered cookie sheet pan. Cover the fillets with sliced butter. Place six inches from a preheated broiler. Cook approximately for 2 minutes (until crust is golden brown).

Lower heat and finish cooking for an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Check doneness by inserting fish with a small paring knife. Cook to medium or desired doneness.

Serves: 8

• You found this recipe on 1st Traveler's Choice Internet Cookbook. (www.virtualcities.com)