A good few months ago, I cooked a meaty chunk of halibut sous vide. I did it at 55°C for 30 minutes. It was super wonderful. When in the fishmonger’s recently, I saw a perfectly excellent piece of large halibut steak, carved from a giant halibut. I had to have it. I had to repeat the easy simple recipe and show it to you here. If tautology has taught me anything, it’s taught me to double down and do things twice as well as before.Ingredients for two (double if making for four)
- 250 gramme halibut steak
- 250 grammes of yellow split peas
- 800 grammes (two cans) of diced chopped tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon of piment d’Espilette
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 generous knob of butter
- 1 handful of green parsley
Slice the parsley up pretty fine.
That parsley looks pretty fine to me.
Rinse the split peas. I like to soak them three times to get clear water in which to cook them. Cover them in water and bring to a boil.
Rinse the split peas until the water is very clear.
Simmer for about 20 minutes or so. Drain, rinse and return to the saucepan. Add a little water and then add the tomatoes, parsley, piment and most of the salt and pepper (keep enough to season the fish).
When I talk about layers of flavour, this is what it looks like.
Skin the halibut and slice it into large generous portions (these were more than generous).
We could have fed four with these large size big slices.
Season the fish and place it along with the butter and a couple of slices of lemon in a ziplock bag. Use the water displacement method to get the air out of the bag.
This qualifies as the most pointless photo I have ever used.
Place it in the sous vide and cook for between 30 and 45 minutes at 55ºC. It can stay there a bit longer if, like mine, your split peas take about twice as long to cook as suggested on the pack.
This is a shot of the bag submerged underwater in the sous vide.
Serve the halibut on top of the split pea mixture. The split peas with the piment and tomato add a nice hot spicy note that works very well with the meaty, chunky fish.
At the risk of repeating myself, this is a fantastic wonderful dish.
Elyss | 3rd October 2017
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Looks Fab! And, as I’ve serendipitously just bought some Espelette pepper, I shall be making this just as soon as I can lay my hands on some halibut (but I guess any firm fish would do?) I shall use my vacuum sealer though: I have mastered the art of sealing mid-suck 😊
Conor Bofin | Author | 5th October 2017
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Hi Elyss,
Thanks for the kind words. Yes, any firm fish would be fine. You must share your “mid suck” secret with me, if that is not too rude a question! Halibut will be my favourite for this as I love it.
Claire | 3rd October 2017
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That looks amazing. Is it too early for lunch now?
Conor Bofin | Author | 5th October 2017
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Never too early Claire. Thanks for the kind thought.
katechiconi | 3rd October 2017
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No sous vide, so no gently cooked fish, but I might try some nice firm white reef fish cooked en papillote instead. Love the spicy split pea mix 🙂
Conor Bofin | Author | 5th October 2017
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The split peas are really good. Your en papillote idea is most worthy and I agree on a good firm reef fish. Happy days!
Eha | 3rd October 2017
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Two good ideas at the end of my working day: Like your split peas and Kate’s of poisson en papillote 🙂 ! Are you back from Spain if so, how was it . . . . you did not manage to get near the unfortunate Catalan conflict, I hope!!
Conor Bofin | Author | 5th October 2017
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Still here in southern Spain. Thankfully away from the excitement. Plenty of mountains to be cycled. Home and back in the kitchen at the weekend.
sallybr | 3rd October 2017
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That looks pretty awesome! I guess for a fish like halibut, no need even to finish it off on a hot pan or anything like that.
great, absolutely great, looks tender and juicy… On a side note, I cooked freekeh for the first time yesterday, and I bet it would be awesome as a side dish for your halibut too
Conor Bofin | Author | 5th October 2017
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A great idea Sally. My own side note involves a commitment to pulses this winter. I have never been (bean) disappointed by them.
Hungry Breton (Franck) | 3rd October 2017
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I love the peas/ pulses idea with fish… Great presentation!
Conor Bofin | Author | 5th October 2017
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Thanks Franck, the plate was a gift from the wife. It helps the overall feel of the photo.
StefanGourmet | 3rd October 2017
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This looks great, Conor. That is a lot of tomato you’re adding to those peas. Last week there was a freakishly huge halibut on display at the fish market, about my size! I already had other plans but this would have been nice. I would probably go lower on the temperature, but that’s me.
Conor Bofin | Author | 5th October 2017
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Your comment doesn’t surprise me. 😀 The fish that this was from was not bigger than me. 85 kilos, I believe. Beautiful fish.
nadyleets | 3rd October 2017
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Try not to make a halibut of it…
Conor Bofin | Author | 5th October 2017
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Trying my best. Very happy with it.
cookinginsens | 3rd October 2017
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I like the yellow split peas.
Conor Bofin | Author | 5th October 2017
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They are delicious. A little bit of bite and a great conveyance for flavours.
Our Growing Paynes | 3rd October 2017
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I may have to give split peas another chance. As an adult I have avoided them as a staple of growing up was split pea soup which was a thick unpalatable soup. But a big soup for New England. But yours look tasty and edible!
Conor Bofin | Author | 5th October 2017
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Virginia, you could do so much with them. Forget that awful soup.
Our Growing Paynes | 7th October 2017
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I try to forget that soup!
sheila kiely | 3rd October 2017
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Looks delicious & robust enough for this time of year. Have never cooked with split peas and as per previous commentator that’s probably due to childhood soup trauma too! Will have to experiment.
Conor Bofin | Author | 5th October 2017
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Sheila,
You must. They are lovely (and dirt cheap). You must tell me the soup trauma story one day.
buyingseafood | 4th October 2017
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I planned on getting some swordfish this week, now I may check out the halibut first. Not quite ready to try sous vide, but one of these days…
Conor Bofin | Author | 5th October 2017
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You will not be disappointed with either the halibut or the sous vide. Guaranteed.
Elyss | 12th October 2017
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Ah – busted! My mastering of the art involves merely having a ‘pulse’ vacuum button my sealer 🙂 I finally have a lovely piece of halibut and I have just this minute popped it in the sous vide doohickey. I made the peas last week – I’m about to find out how they stand up to freezing! I must admit I found them a little bland, but that could just be my jaded palette. so I upped the Espelette and the salt and pepper, and threw in a little home-fermented chilli sauce for good measure. Only 40 minutes to go…….
Conor Bofin | Author | 15th October 2017
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Excellent Elyss,
How did it turn out? You must be using a milder espelette than I. Mine was a flavour punch and delicious with the tomatoes.
Karen | 28th October 2017
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We’ve yet to sous vide fish…halibut usually available but I think a large piece of snapper would work nicely.
Conor Bofin | Author | 28th October 2017
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Karen, a treat in store. Whatever you do, don’t over cook it. Any firm fish is beautiful in the Sous Vide.