East Coast Halibut Cakes

Being in Newfoundland, is such a wonderful thing when it comes to having the freshest of ingredients only minutes from being in the sea, to being prepared and on the plate. One of my fathers favorite fish is Halibut, and that was the inspiration of this dish. The bean casserole was a trial run and an idea from one of my mentors, Chef Michel Fronteddu, owner and operator of Trattoria Timone (http://trattoriatimone.ca/). I took his idea with the beans and twisted it to suit our traditions here at home.


For the Cake

Fresh Halibut                     large diced
Yukon Gold potatoes         boiled and still warm
Carrot                               brunoise      
Celery                               brunoise
White onion                       brunoise
Garlic
White wine
Eggs
Sour Cream
Fresh herbs                       Chive, Basil, and scallion ( finely chopped )
Tabasco sauce
Bread crumbs
Flour for dusting

Boil the potatoes in salted water, mash, and place to the side. Place a non-stick pan on the stove and heat with a touch of oil. Lightly sear the fish on all sides. Remove the fish without breaking it up to much. In the same pan place the carrot, onion, garlic, and celery and slightly saute it, (do not brown). deglaze the pan with wine. Add the fish once again and cook until the fish is 3/4 cooked. Put the potato in with fish. Add the eggs, sour cream, fresh herbs and Tabasco sauce. Only if the mix is too moist would you add any bread crumbs.

Form into small puck shapes, dust with flour and sear until golden brown and place in 350 degree oven for five minutes.

For the bean casserole

White beans
Carrot                               brunoise
Onion                                brunoise
Celery                               brunoise
Garlic
Salt meat                           Left over from a Sunday jiggs dinner
Chicken Stock
Double Smoked Bacon       finely diced
Fresh basil
Freshly Ground Black pepper

Soak beans overnight. In a sauce pan saute the bacon and remove access fat. Then through in the vegetables, the garlic, and the left over salt meat. Add the beans and totally cover the beans with chicken stock and cook on a low simmer until the beans are tender, adding more chicken stock only as needed. When the beans are cooked there should be minimum liquid, basically just a sauce with a nice consistency. Add the fresh herbs and grid the fresh black pepper to taste. For a finishing touch splash the casserole with olive oil.

Enjoy my take on a fish cake.