Fresh Halibut

Yesterday was a beautiful day here in southwest Ohio. There was full sunshine and all the new, green that spring brings with it. It was cool, but a light jacket was all one needed to be outside.

One more sign of spring is the appearance of Alaskan Halibut in the area seafood departments. The fish is bright white, clean, and totally refreshing. It was dusted with a bit of chipotle powder, pan seared on the flesh side for a minute to give it a slight crust, flipped over and finished in a hot oven with a couple of crusty rolls. The sauce was a reduction of orange and lemon juice with butter added at the last minute. There was fresh asparagus and some Butanese red rice to fill out the plate. The red rice is firm in texture and has a distinctly earthy taste to it that I find appealing.

The wine was a 2007 Chapoutier Belleruche Cotes du Rhone Blanc. The nose was interesting because there was a bit of banana hiding among the ripe apple, peach and melon notes. This wine has more body than a crisp young white, and the acid was a touch low but it matched well with the citrus sauce on the fish and was superb with the Butanese rice. The rice brought out an earthiness in the wine that the fish and citrus did not. It was an interesting combination.

Today is Easter and that makes it the unofficial opening of "summer rose'" season. There's a family gathering with a large ham so there will be a couple of rose's to try.