Halibut a la Barigoule

I love cooking fish for dinner at least once a week. There are so many different ways to prepare it and it takes almost no time at all to cook. Last night I made halibut prepared in a bacon, fennel, carrot and thyme sauce. I served it with my rosemary roasted red potatoes and it was such a flavorful meal.

I happen to love halibut. It is a dense fish, yet so flaky once cooked. If you do not enjoy halibut as much as I do you can certainly substitute tilapia or haddock in this dish. Cook the fish the same way as instructed below until it is opaque all the way through.

Halibut a la Barigoule:

(recipe adapted from: http://www.marthastewart.com)

3 ounces center cut bacon, cut into pieces

3 shallots, sliced into thin rings

2 cloves garlic, minced

5 carrots, peeled and cut into thin rounds

1 fennel bulb, core removed and chopped into medium pieces

6 sprigs fresh thyme

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups white wine

3/4 cup water

1 1/2 lbs halibut, cut into 4 pieces

2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

1. Cook the bacon in a saute pan over medium high heat until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan, but leave the fat in the pan. Add the shallots and cook until caramelized, about 7 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, carrots, fennel, thyme, salt and pepper to the shallots. Cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and water and scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pan.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the halibut. Cook until the halibut is opaque and flaky, about 8 minutes.
4. Transfer the fish to a serving dish. Remove the thyme sprigs from the sauce and stir in the parsley. Serve over the fish and top with the cooked bacon.