One fish, two fish...

I love seafood.  Growing up, we spent many weekends with the family at Salt Point State Park "poke pole" fishing for monkey faced eel while my uncles went abalone diving.  Dinner feasts of pan fried eel and abalone by the campfire while me, my sister, and my cousins melted our shoes on the fire rings is one of my favorite childhood memories.

One of the best things about living so close to San Francisco is the abundance of fresh seafood we have available at all times, not to mention all the amazing seafood restaurants scattered throughout the area.  Sadly, with my diet restrictions, it's too difficult to go out to eat without being "that" patron.

Saturday at the farmer's market, the fish-monger had some amazing cuts of fresh halibut, swordfish, and salmon.  I was craving a nice seafood dinner, so I decided on a nice halibut filet.  Since it was projected to be record breaking warm temperatures on Saturday and cooking on the BBQ was out of the question, I decided to pan sear it with a butter caper sauce.  Because I can't have butter, I used organic, grass-fed ghee (clarified butter with the lactose and milk solids removed, making it easily digestible for many people who need to avoid dairy).  I found so many amazing sounding recipes and combined the best of them all with what I had on hand, and modified to work with my allergies.  It was so delicious, I could eat this every day!  Although it wasn't as exciting as fine dining at a San Francisco seafood restaurant, it definitely cured my craving until I can start venturing out to the restaurant world.  

Halibut with a Butter Caper Sauce

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 lb halibut, skin and bones removed, cut into equal sized pieces (I cut it into 6 pieces)
1/4 c brown rice flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup of white wine
2 tablespoons capers
1 tablespoon ghee
1 lime 

Grilled Asparagus (optional)

Heat the oil in a large skillet.  Put flour in a small bowl or plate and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Dredge fish in flour.  Add the fish to the pan and cook until lightly golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Be careful not to overcook the fish!  Remove fish from the pan and set aside.  Add the onions to the pan and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and saute about 1 minute.  Add the white wine and deglaze the pan.  Simmer to reduce the sauce a bit.  Turn off the heat and add the capers, ghee, and lime juice.  Serve fish with some of the sauce spooned over the top.  Serve with grilled asparagus, or your favorite vegetable.