Fishing for a Great Recipe

I love making goals. To get back to exercise class. To take the dogs on at least one long walk a day. To schedule a regular date night with Dave and not let it fall by the wayside. To eat more fish.

In keeping with at least one of those, I was trolling through the recipes on my brother's blog. He's begun incorporating more fish into his rotating repertoire lately, and I thought I'd take advantage of his testing rather than start with an unknown quantity that might or might not work out.

Since I can't ever seem to get enough Asian flavor in my diet, the halibut with nori jam that he found on the New York Times website seemed to fit the bill. And even though the extra step of making the "jam" was outside my usual just-throw-it-together dinner style, it went together quickly and easily and added that extra sparkle that made this recipe a keeper.

Halibut With Nori Jam
Adapted from David Myers

For the nori jam:
2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
2 Tbsp. mirin
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. water
1 1/2 sheets nori (Japanese seaweed sheets), torn into small pieces

For the halibut:
4 6-8 oz. skinless halibut fillets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 tsp. nori jam
1 to 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. sliced chives.

For nori jam: In small saucepan, combine soy sauce, mirin, vinegar and 1 tablespoon of water. Bring to boil and add nori, stirring until nori is soft, about 30 seconds. Transfer to blender and purée until smooth. Return to pan and cook over medium heat until thickened and jamlike, 2 to 3 minutes.

For halibut: Preheat oven to 350°. Season halibut with salt and pepper to taste. Place large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat and add oil. When oil is very hot but not smoking, add fillets skinned side down and let them sit until browned on underside, about 3 minutes.

Transfer pan to oven and bake until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer fillets to warm platter and spread each fillet with about 1 teaspoon of nori jam. Sprinkle with lemon juice, and garnish with chives. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings.