Crispy Crusted Halibut with White Wine Beurre Blanc

Happy Hump Day!  Hope you are all having a lovely week.  Since the last time you heard from me, I have been all over the place.  

Last week was spent at The Highland Dallas and lucky me got to stay at this gorgeous hotel Monday through Friday.  It was a lot of hard work; long days trying to uncover new business and the nights were spent catching up on my normal duties.  Attached to the hotel is a restaurant that is renowned with the locals, The Knife.  Holy delicious!  Most of my meals were ate here and I was spoiled all week eating such amazing food!  

I was home for two days and then headed to New Jersey to be with family (my mother-in-law went through a major heart surgery and all went well!) and New York to meet with clients.  I finally made it back home today and my own bed has never been so inviting.  Plus, I am so sick of planes, trains and automobiles.  Can't wait to settle back into my normal routine.  

With all of these fine foods and dinners I've been eating, I can tell you that this Crispy Crusted Halibut with White Wine Burrre Blanc rivals any fancy restaurant out there.  I made it last weekend and the hubs told me it is the best thing I have ever made (I know, he says that a lot).  What made this different is the homemade mix of breading that I whipped up; part homemade breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and cornmeal.  I think it made all the difference.  It really was quite simple to make and the best part is, you have some leftover wine to drink with dinner!   

Crispy Crusted Halibut
2 halibut filets
1/4 cup flour
1 egg
1/2 cup breading (I used a mix of homemade bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and cornmeal)

Salt and pepper the halibut.  Place flour, egg and breading in three separate dishes.  Beat egg with fork.  Season flour, egg and breading with salt and pepper.  Stir to combine.

Dip the top of the halibut into the flour, then the egg and finally, the breading.  Place skin side down on a plate and let sit in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Right before you take the fish out of the fridge, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of of butter in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Let the pan get hot and then place the fish in the pan, breading side down. Cook until breading is golden brown. Flip fish filet over and cook until skin is slightly browned.

If filet is thick, place in a 375 degree oven for 5-7 minutes to finish cooking.

*To make homemade breadcrumbs, remove the crust off of old bread.  Let sit out on the counter for a day, flipping a few times throughout the day.  Once bread is dry, cut into large cubes and pulse in a food processor until crumbs form. 

For this breading, I used 2 parts breadcrumbs, 1 part parmesan cheese and 1 part cornmeal.*

White Wine Beurre Blanc
2 tablespoons shallots, minced
1/3 cup white wine
1 tablespoon lemon juice
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons cream
kosher salt and white pepper to taste

Place the shallots, white wine and lemon juice in a pan and heat over medium high heat.  Continue cooking until the liquid has reduced down to about 2-3 tablespoons, a little over half.

Cut butter into 10-12 pieces.  Once liquid has reduced, lower heat and slowly add butter one piece at a time.  Take the pan off the heat frequently so the sauce does not get too hot.  You want to keep whisking vigorously and slowly incorporate the butter, one piece at a time,  into the sauce. Once the butter is all gone, add the cream.  Keep whisking and salt and pepper to taste

Serve over the fish.

::note::
This sauce will separate if you let it sit for too long.   Cook the fish first and place it in a 200 degree oven to keep warm while you are making the sauce.  Once sauce is completed, immediately serve over the fish.