Baked Halibut with Three-Colored Peppers and Red Bliss and Fingerling Potatoes

By Nora Pouillon, chef/owner, Nora's and Asia Nora, Washington, D.C.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds halibut fillets, cut into 4 portions
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 green peppers, seeded and julienned
1 red pepper, seeded and julienned
1 yellow pepper, seeded and julienned
1 cup white wine
2 to 3 tablespoons assorted herbs such as thyme, oregano and rosemary
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Small bouquet of assorted herbs such as thyme, oregano and rosemary, for garnish
16 to 20 small red bliss and/or fingerling potatoes (about 1 pound), unpeeled

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium sauté pan; add the onion, garlic and peppers and saut� for about five minutes, stirring frequently. Add the wine and herbs and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil, and cook for one minute, stirring to combine. Remove the pan from the heat.
4. Spoon the pepper mixture and juices into a baking dish large enough to accommodate the fillets in one layer. Arrange the halibut fillets on top. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Bake for eight to ten minutes, until the fish is cooked through.
6. Steam the potatoes in a medium saucepan using a collapsible insert or boil them for 10 to 15 minutes, until a fork can be easily inserted in the potato.
7. Using a spatula, transfer each halibut fillet with the pepper mixture and juices under it to the center of a large warm dinner plate. Surround the fish with the potatoes and garnish with a bouquet of fresh herbs.

Notes

Because I own and operate an organic restaurant, I'm aware of what's going on with the environment. If chefs see the price of a fish getting higher and higher, or a big fish getting smaller and smaller, they should realize that we're catching fish before they've had a chance to grow up or there literally are less fish in the sea! Fish are one of the last wild foods left. We need to preserve our fish populations so that future generations can enjoy them too.