Just for the Halibut
July 7, 2005

In my last column, “The Little Red Hen Loses It”, the labors of schlepping food  struck quite a nerve with my loyal readers, so here’s a brief update about how not shopping’s been going. I haven’t technically shopped at a supermarket for three weeks now, and I’m loving it. I did tiptoe into Shaw’s today, just to get my supersaver coupon validated before the deadline, so if you saw me there- I swear- I wasn’t shopping! And to all of you that I bumped into at Costco the other day with my orange boat loaded with booty, I contend that this is a different topic altogether, for a trip to Costco is considered the cook’s equivalent to a day at Disney. I’ll admit that I did stop into Adam’s wonderful farm market yesterday, but just for their native strawberries, it being the season and all. But when I saw their homegrown basil and red leaf lettuces I started to panic at what I might miss, so I grabbed a handful, plus some tomatoes, melon and a baguette, too, just for the hell of it.

So far my summer shoppers, daughters #1 and #2, have performed on a scale ranging from abysmal to very fine. Shopper #1 has been at bat twice: week one she came home with a bill for $140.00 of which $64.50 was for health and beauty aids: hair dye, paste on nails, shaving cream for women only, etc. Actual food included Lucky Charms, Triscuits, Oreos, grape tomatoes, and a package of chicken. After I got done gnawing on my arm, we had a meeting and wrote a more detailed list for the following week; her batting average went up by 900%.

Shopper #2 worked well off the list, and then did some improvising, which is where the fun began. Among other goodies, she bought two pounds of halibut and some Montreal-style frozen bagels, two items I’d never purchased. I felt just like the Iron Chef cooking with these random ingredients, and the happy result is a divine halibut dish dripping in golden bagel crumbs. So far I’d say this shopping experiment has been worthwhile, even if it’s just for the halibut.

Lemon Roasted Halibut
Serves 4-6

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove the zest from a lemon, cut in half, and squeeze juice over the bottom of a roasting pan. Lay 2 pounds of halibut into pan, do not overlap; squeeze the remaining lemon juice and sprinkle with kosher salt. Toast 3 Montreal-style bagels, let cool. Place lemon zest and 3 garlic cloves in a food processor, process 60 seconds; add bagels and pulse lightly until chunks form. Add 2 tablespoons of cold butter and pulse 30 seconds until coarse crumbs form. Top halibut with crumbs, packing gently. Roast in a hot oven for 18-20 minutes.

Kim Dannies is a graduate of La Varenne Cooking School in France. She lives in Williston, VT with her husband, Jeff, and three college–aged daughters who come and go. ©2008