Halibut Cooked In Corn Husks Recipes

GRILLED HALIBUT WITH INDIAN SPICES AND CORN RELISH

Steps:

• Combine cumin, turmeric, coriander, fennel, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste. Rub fish steaks on both sides with juice of 1/2 lemon, then rub with all but 2 teaspoons of spice mixture. Refrigerate 3 hours.
• While fish marinates, heat 2 tablespoons ghee in a skillet, add ginger and onion and sauté until onion just starts to brown. Stir in remaining spices and sauté, stirring, until spices smell toasty, then add corn and juice of 1/2 lemon. Cook briefly and set aside.
• Remove fish from refrigerator and brush on both sides with remaining ghee or butter. Heat grill and oil grates. When hot, place fish on grill over medium-hot coals or gas fire and cook about 5 minutes. Use a spatula to turn fish and grill 3 to 4 minutes, until a little liquid just begins to pool on surface of fish and a paring knife inserted just at the bone can move flesh away from it easily. Salmon should be cooked about 3 minutes on each side. Remove fish to a warm platter or individual plates.
• Reheat corn mixture, adding cilantro and a couple tablespoons water to moisten it. Spoon corn on fish, garnish with wedges cut from remaining lemon and serve.

CUMIN-SEARED HALIBUT WITH SWEET CORN SAUCE

Steps:

• For the sweet corn sauce: In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the canola oil, onions, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Sweat on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the wine, if using, and cook until it evaporates, about 5 minutes.
• Add the corn kernels, reserved cobs and stock. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 10 minutes.
• For the halibut: Meanwhile, in a large plastic bag, combine 5 teaspoons of the canola oil, the cumin, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper with the halibut fillets and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Discard the corn cobs, thyme and bay leaf from the sauce. Carefully pour the mixture into a blender and puree on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes. The natural starches will activate and thicken the sauce. Pour the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan. Simmer over low heat until it reduces by half, about 15 minutes.
• To finish the halibut, in a medium sauté pan, heat the butter and remaining 3 teaspoons canola oil over high heat until the butter melts and the oil is hot (a little smoke indicates it's ready). Place the halibut fillets in the pan skin-side up and cook until a nice crust forms on the bottoms, about 4 minutes. Carefully flip the fillets and cook 3 minutes more. Lower the heat and continue to cook until the internal temperature registers 140 degrees F, about 4 minutes. Let rest, covered with foil, for a few minutes. Serve topped with the sweet corn sauce.

SWEET CORN AND HALIBUT TAMALES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly oil baking sheet. Carefully remove husks from corn, reserving 4 largest ones. Lay corn ears on work surface and cut off kernels. Process corn kernels in food processor until coarsely chopped (do not puree). Add cilantro, cornmeal, sugar and salt and process just to combine. Season with pepper. Using slotted spoon, transfer corn mixture to small bowl. Mix in finely chopped red bell pepper.
• Arrange 2 corn husks on prepared baking sheet. Spread 1/4 of corn mixture (roughly matching size of halibut fillets) over each husk on sheet. Season halibut on both sides with salt and pepper. Place over corn mixture. Top each with another 1/4 of corn mixture. Press remaining husks over to cover tightly. Cover both tamales with foil.
• Bake until halibut is just cooked through, approximately 20 minutes.

TRADITIONAL CORN HUSK TAMALES

Steps:

• To prepare chile paste:.
• Break caps off all red chiles and shake seeds out. Soak red chiles in hot water until soft. Blend or process chiles into a paste using a small amount of water in which they were soaked to help it move in the food processor or blender. Put paste through a sieve to remove the skins. Throw skins away. This may be made way ahead of time and refrigerated until you make the tamales.
• To prepare meat:.
• Use the cheapest roasts you can find! Try to cook the meat the day before assembling tamales, keeping it in the refrigerator until tamale-making time. Cut meat into large chunks. Cover meat with water in a very large pot. Add 6 to 12 garlic cloves and 2 or 3 tablespoons salt. Cook meat, covered, for 3 hours or until meat is tender and falling apart. Remove meat from juice and shred. SAVE THE JUICE. Mix meat sauce with the meat.
• To prepare meat sauce:.
• Melt 2/3 cup lard or Crisco and add 2/3 cup flour. Boil for 2 minutes. Pour over shredded meat and mix. Add chili paste, one cup at a time, to taste. Add 1 tablespoon of cumin. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• To mix masa:.
• Place 12 pounds masa (room temperature) in a very large pan and mix with 1 1/4 cups lard or Crisco, 2 tablespoons salt, 2 tablespoons baking powder, 1 cup chile paste and 2 cups meat broth.
• Mix with hands. Add more meat broth (about 1 cup). Add more chile paste for color if desired. Work all ingredients together with hands for about 10 minutes. The dough is ready when a small lump floats slowly to the bottom of a glass of water.
• To assemble tamales:.
• Soak corn husks in hot water until soft. Using the larger husks, place each husk waxy side up (ribbed side down). Spread masa onto each husk out to the wide edge. Place a small portion of meat in the center of masa. (You may place a stuffed green olive on the meat if you care to.) Roll husks and fold back, wide sides to center, then tapered flap up.
• Set a wire rack or vegetable steamer in the bottom of a large kettle. Put water in kettle just up to the bottom of the rack or steamer. Set tamales in kettle standing on end. Pack them in, allowing room for expansion of masa as they cook. Steam for about 20 to 40 minutes, or until masa pulls away from corn husk easily.

CORN COOKED IN HUSKS ON THE GRILL WITH CHILE-LIME BUTTER

Steps:

• Pull the husks back from the corn and remove the silks.
• Pull the husks back into place around the corn.
• Soak the ears in warm water for at least 30 minutes.
• For the Chilie-Lime Butter:.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the butter, chilie powder, lime juice, salt and pepper.
• Preheat the grill.
• Remove the corn from the water and pat dry.
• Gently peel the husks back from the corn and brush the corn with the butter.
• Pull the husks back around the corn and tie with a piece of husk or kitchen string to keep the husks around the corn.
• When the grill is hot, place the cobs on the rack and cook until the kernels are tender and lightly browned, about 20 minutes, turning occasionally.
• The outer husks will burn, but the inner layers will protect the corn.
• Remove the husks and serve immediately.
• Pass additional chilie-lime butter.