Olives & Fish

I love olives and T. loves fish (well I love fish too). I've exposed T. to so many different varieties of olives over the years, he actually is starting to like them now. Persistence pays off!! 

Castelvetrano are a buttery vibrant green olive grown in Sicily. Not briny at all...which will make anyone an olive lover. Pairing the Castelvetrano olives with the flavor packed Nicoise olive for this dish is a brilliant match, use any of your favorite olives, my only request is this is not the time for the infamous Lindsay Olive that you'll find on most conventional grocery shelves. Branch out and go for the bulk olives. Taste and see what you like!

Summertime meals at our home often include fish, particularly Halibut. We are lucky as Halibut season runs from May-September here in the Pacific Northwest. This dish is equally as good with grilled Halibut or Seared Scallops.

Serves 4

Pounded Olive & Orange Sauce
1 small red onion, frenched
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup, Castelvetrano Olives
½ cup, mixture of your favorite olives (both with and without pits)
3 oranges, divided, 1 for juicing (ie. Valencia) and 2 for segmenting (ie. Cara Cara/Navel)
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
small handful of fresh basil, coarsely chopped
small handful of Italian flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
freshly ground black pepper & sea salt to taste

Cut the pitted olives in half or in quarters if particularly big.
With the blunt side of your knife press the olives with pits until they split, or using a heavy bottomed pan pound the olives until split.

In a saute pan warm ¼ cup olive oil over medium-heat.  Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, approximately 8 minutes.

Add freshly squeezed orange juice and olives and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Add the orange segments and shut off the heat. Toss in fresh basil and parsley.  Drizzle in ⅓ cup fruity olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pan Seared Halibut
4 halibut fillets (6-8 ounces each)
⅛ cup safflower oil, or your favorite high-heat oil
a few healthy pinches of sea salt



Blot fillets dry and season the halibut fillets with  pinch of sea salt per side.

Warm a skillet over medium-high heat, add the safflower oil and let warm. Add the halibut fillets and sear until just cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of fillets).



Serve with Pounded Olive & Orange Sauce

Buon Appetito!