Roast Halibut With Meyer Lemon Mojo Verde

By ltrodrigu

Ingredients

• 1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
• 1 serrano chili, minced
• 1/2 cup packed flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 Meyer lemon, halved, one half thinly sliced into bite-size slivers, seeds discarded
• 4 4-ounce halibut fillets
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• 8 thin slices jamón serrano

Preparation

Step 1

Roast Cauliflower:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss half of cauliflower with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt. Spread florets out on a baking sheet and roast until browned and tender, about 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, Make Cauliflower Purée:
In a medium pot, cover remaining cauliflower with cold water. Bring water to a boil over high heat and cook until florets are very tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and transfer boiled cauliflower to a blender. In a small pot over medium-high heat, warm cream and butter together until butter melts, about 3 minutes. Pour cream-butter mixture into blender with boiled cauliflower and purée until smooth. Season with salt.

Make Mojo Verde:
With a mortar and pestle, pound garlic with a pinch salt, cumin and serrano pepper. Once a paste forms, pound in parsley until smooth. Stir in 3 tablespoons oil. (Alternatively, purée ingedients in a blender or food processor.) Stir lemon slivers into sauce and season with salt and juice from other lemon half.

Roast Halibut:
Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees and place rack in uppermost position. Season halibut with salt and lightly slick with remaining oil. Place fillets in a baking pan and pour in wine. Roast fish until flaky and just cooked through, about 10 minutes.

To serve, distribute cauliflower purée and fish among four plates. Arrange roasted cauliflower florets and jamón slices alongside. Spoon mojo verde over fish.