Grilled Halibut over Greens (Chef Steve Debaste)

Chef Steve Debaste, of the New Leaf Café on Orcas Island, shares his recipe for Grilled Halibut, served over local salad greens with a verjus white truffle vinaigrette.

When Seattle native Chef Steve Debaste was hired on in 2010 as Chef at Orcas Island's New Leaf Café, he already had quite an impressive resume.

Chef Debaste began his career as the Chef at the Creperie de Touraine in Honolulu. After some years, he returned to Seattle, where his positions included Chef of the nationally recognized 1904 Restaurant and Wine Bar, District and Executive Chef at Microsoft, and Executive Chef for Guckenheimer. He was recognized as the Pacific Northwest Chef of the Year in 2006.

Since his arrival at the New Leaf Café, Chef Debaste has developed a creative menu, inspired by and designed around locally sourced ingredients and products. His recipe for Grilled Halibut, served over local salad greens with a verjus white truffle vinaigrette, is no exception.

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This recipe may sound fancy, but it is actually quite easy to prepare. 

Halibut season begins in early May in the Pacific Northwest. Not only is halibut a delicious fish to eat, but it provides many health benefits as well. A 6-ounce halibut fillet as a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, and is loaded with phosphorus, magnesium, niacin, selenium and vitamins B6 and B12.

What is Verjus?

(I have to admit that until Chef Debaste sent this recipe to me, I had never heard of verjus. In case it is new to you too, here's what I learned.)

Verjus is a tart, fresh non-alcoholic juice pressed from unripe wine grapes – essentially a very young white wine without the alcohol. Verjus, which takes its name from the French term vert jus, which literally means “green juice,” is a culinary ingredient most often used in sauce making. Verjus is available in gourmet food stores, or directly from producers.

If you don’t happen to have any verjus sitting around your kitchen, try using a very astringent white wine.

Is there a substitute for white truffle oil?

Not really, but if you don't have any and don't want to pop for a bottle (it's expensive!) you can use a fresh and flavorful extra virgin olive oil. To achieve the musty mushroom flavor that truffle oil imparts, you can also use a little truffle salt in place of regular salt when you season the dish. Truffle salt can be made at home by pulsing together a little porcini mushroom powder (or any dried mushroom from the store) and salt.

Grilled Halibut over Greens with Verjus White Truffle Vinaigrette

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Pacific Northwest

Keyword: fish, seafood

Prep Time:15 minutes

Cook Time:15 minutes

Total Time:30 minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 409kcal

Author: Chef Steve Debaste ~ New Leaf Cafe, Orcas Island

Ingredients

• 4 6 oz. Fresh Halibut Filets
• 8 oz local salad greens
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 4 cups creamy mashed potatoes
• Salt & Pepper

Verjus Vinaigrette

• 3 shallots
• 2 cloves garlic
• ¾ cup Mt Baker Vineyards Verjus
• 4 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon French Dijon mustard
• 1 ½ cups Canola-Olive oil blend
• ½ cup white truffle oil
• 1 bunch flat leaf parsley chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

• Season the Halibut with Salt and Pepper and Grill until your desired doneness.
• Gently toss the salad greens in enough vinaigrette to coat the greens.
• Plate 1 cup of mashed potatoes in the center of your dinner plate.
• Place the dressed greens on the mashed potatoes.
• Place the Grilled Halibut on the Salad greens and brush with melted butter.
• Garnish the plate with a circle of vinaigrette around the potatoes. Garnish the Halibut with pine nuts and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Verjus Vinaigrette

• Process all Vinaigrette ingredients together in a blender until smooth.

Notes

Nutritional Information (including calories counts) for this recipe does not include the Verjus Vinaigrette. 

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Verjus Vinaigrette

Chef Debaste's Vinaigrette recipe makes A LOT of vinaigrette! Because it isn't my recipe, I didn't reduce the amounts here, but keep that in mind. A third of the Verjus Vinaigrette recipe is plenty for six servings. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 409kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 193mg | Potassium: 1753mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 939IU | Vitamin C: 55mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 3mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.

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Planning a trip to Orcas Island? Be sure to check out my Orcas Island Vacation Guide!

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