Halibut and Cioppino

Cook Time: 45 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
Halibut and Cioppino:

* 5 links chorizo
* 1 large onion
* 2 garlic cloves
* 2 ribs celery
* 1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes, drained, hand-crushed with juice
reserved (recommended: San Marzano)
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1/4 bunch fresh thyme
* 2 bay leaves
* 2 cups dry red wine
* 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
* Salt and pepper
* 2 fresh Dungeness crabs (2 pounds each), cut into 6 pieces
* 16 littleneck clams, scrubbed
* 16 large uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 1/4 bunch Italian parsley, chopped for garnish
* 4 (6-ounce) halibut fillets
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* Extra-virgin olive oil

Sourdough Garlic Toasts:

* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
* 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 loaf sourdough bread, cut in slices but still connected

Directions

Place the chorizo, onion, garlic, celery, and tomatoes in a food
processor and process until the pieces are small and well ground up.
Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat and add the ground chorizo and
vegetables to cook until well colored and fat is rendered. Once the
ground chorizo and vegetables are cooked, add the flour, thyme and bay
leaves. Saute for a further 5 to 7 minutes (this forms the base of a
roux). Then add the red wine, reserved tomato juice, and chicken
stock. Season lightly with salt and pepper and then cover and simmer
for 30 minutes. With 10 minutes to go, turn the heat up and add the
crabs and clams to the broth and steam until open, discarding any
un-open ones. Reduce the heat and just prior to service add the shrimp
and shut off the heat so they don't get over cooked. Remove and
discard bay leaves.

While the cioppino is cooking, prepare the halibut. Season the fillets
with salt and pepper and fresh thyme. Heat a large nonstick saute pan
and add a 2-count of olive oil. Cook fillets 4 minutes on 1 side then
turn once briefly before setting on paper towels to drain.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine, garlic, butter, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl and stir
to combine. Smear the inside of the bread with garlic butter and toast
on a sheet tray in the oven. Reserve any left over garlic-butter to
serve with the cioppino.

To serve, set garlic sourdough toasts in the bottom of a flat bowl.
Top with halibut then ladle over cioppino. Top with a spoonful of
reserved garlic butter. Garnish with fresh flat-leaf parsley and
serve.

Salt and Pepper Salmon

Cook Time: 25 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

* 1 salmon fillet (about 2 pounds), skin on, 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick
* Kosher salt
* Extra-virgin olive oil
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
* Smashed New Potatoes with Peas, Lemon, and Pearl Onions, recipe follows

Directions

Run your finger up and down the center of the salmon feeling for any
pin bones. Remove any that you find with a needle-nosed pliers or
tweezers. With a sharp knife cutting across the width of the salmon,
divide it into 4 equal portions. Lightly salt the salmon and let sit a
couple minutes; this will help you get crispy skin.

Heat a 2-count, about 2 tablespoons, of olive oil in a large skillet
over medium-high heat until the oil is almost smoking. Season the
salmon with pepper, and rub about 1 1/2 tablespoons butter on the skin
side of each fillet. Add the salmon to the pan, skin-side down. To get
super crispy skin, cook the salmon almost to completion, about 6
minutes.

Flip the salmon and cook until flesh side is nicely seared, 1 to 2 minutes.

Transfer the salmon to a platter and serve with the Smashed Potatoes.

Smashed New Potatoes with Peas, Lemon, and Pearl Onions:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds red bliss potatoes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 (10-ounce) box frozen pearl onions, defrosted

Pinch sugar

Splash freshly squeezed lemon juice

5 slices lemon

2 (10-ounce) boxes frozen peas, defrosted

1 lemon, zested

Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper

1/4 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 heaping tablespoons roughly chopped fresh dill

1 bunch watercress, stems trimmed just above the rubber band

Put the potatoes into a large pot, cover them with cold water, and add
a large pinch of salt. If they're large, cut them in half. Bring to a
boil and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
Drain. Stick a fork into the potatoes, 1 at a time, lift them out of
the colander and peel with a paring knife. Toss the potatoes into a
bowl and roughly crush them. Drizzle with olive oil and season with
salt and pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil with the butter in a medium saucepan over
medium heat until the butter melts. Add the pearl onions, sugar, and
lemon juice and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are
browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the lemon slices, peas, and lemon zest
and continue cooking until the peas are hot. Season with salt and
pepper. Dump the vegetables over the potatoes in the bowl, drizzle
with extra-virgin olive oil add the parsley and dill and taste for
salt and pepper. Scatter the watercress over the top, fold it in just
until it wilts and call it a day.