"Smoked C Salt" Crusted Baked Pacific Halibut with Preserved Sungold Tomatoes, Baby Watercress, Apple and Hazelnut Salad
By Chef Robert Clark, C Restaurant, Vancouver, BC

Chef Participant: Cooking for Solutions Conference 2006

Serves: 4

Ingredients: (use organic when possible)
4 (6-oz. portions) Halibut*
2 tspn. Smoked Sea Salt

Procedure:
Season fish 1 hour before baking at 425† F for 7 minutes, or until just undercooked.

*Seafood Watch “D" recommends wild-caught Pacific halibut from the U.S. and Canada

Apple and Hazelnut Salad
Ingredients:
2 cup Granny Smith Apple (julienned)
2 tbls. Creme Fraiche (drained)
1/2 cup Hazelnuts (roughly chopped)
1 tbls. Quince Jelly
Zest of 1 Lemon
TT Salt and Pepper

Procedures:
1. Julienne apples using a mandoline. Fold in creme fraiche, hazelnuts, quince jelly and lemon zest. Season and allow salad to macerate for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours before serving.

2. To make creme fraiche, mix 1 part buttermilk and 3 parts 35% cream. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place for 2-3 days. Take the creme fra~che and place in a china cup lined with cheesecloth. Drain the cream for a day or two. It will resemble cream cheese and will last in the refrigerator for a week.

Garnish:
Preserved Tomatoes
Baby Watercress

Procedures:
1. In the height of summer, buy farm-fresh cherry tomatoes. Cut tomatoes in half. Place cut side up in a dehydrator and process for a day or two. The tomatoes should be raisin-like, not chewy like a sundried tomato.

2. Place dried tomatoes in a container and cover with extra virgin olive oil and allow to macerate for a week in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer.

To Serve:
Garnish halibut with tomatoes, apple salad and watercress tossed with some of the olive oil that preserved the tomatoes.