MARINATED HALIBUT WITH SPICED EGGPLANT
Recipe courtesy of Gordon Ramsay, from his new book Healthy Appetite
Serves 4
Ingredients
6 skinless halibut fillets, about 4-1/2 oz each
3 tb sp olive oil
Sea salt
Black pepper
3/4 tsp ground turmeric
Spiced Eggplant
3 large eggplants
5 tb sp olive oil
3 large onions, peeled and finely sliced
2 tsp ground cumin
3 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 cup golden raisins, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
2-3 tb sp lemon juice, to taste
handful of basil leaves, torn
Method
Preheat oven to 350° F. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Lightly butter a 13- x 9-inch baking dish and line with parchment or wax paper.
Lay the fish in shallow dish and drizzle over the olive oil. Sprinkle with pepper and the turmeric, and rub all over to coat evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours, or for at least 20 minutes.
Heat the oven to 400º F. Cut the eggplants into 1 1/4-inch chunks, sprinkle with salt, and let stand in a colander set over a bowl for 20 minutes. (Doing this prevents them from absorbing as much oil during cooking.)
Rinse the eggplant to remove the salt, drain well, and pat dry with paper towels. Toss the chunks on a baking sheet with some black pepper and 2-3 tb sp olive oil. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the eggplant chunks are soft.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tb sp olive oil in a pan. Add the onions with some seasoning and sweat over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes until soft. Add the cumin and cook for a few more minutes until the onions are lightly caramelized. Take off the heat. When the eggplant is ready, add to the onions with the tomatoes, golden raisins, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
To cook the fish, heat a large nonstick skillet and pan-fry the fish fillets for 2 minutes on each sid - they should feel just firm when lightly pressed. Let rest for a minute or two, while you reheat the spiced eggplant. Pile it onto warm plates and top with the halibut fillets. Scatter the basil around and drizzle over a little turmeric oil from the pan.