By Irene Hayton
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
- 2 medium lemons
- 2 halibut steaks, about ½ pound (250 g) each
- sugar snap peas, trimmed
- red, yellow and/or orange bell pepper slices
- unprocessed sea salt
- broccoli florets, cut into bite-size pieces
Put enough filtered water in the bottom of a large saucepan to sit just below a stainless steel steaming rack. Add the garlic to the water and insert the rack so that it’s fully opened.
Grate enough peel from one of the lemons the mince it to obtain 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of lemon zest (or use a lemon zester). Slice 1½ of the lemons into very thin slices.
Place the lemon slices over the bottom of the steaming rack. Put the halibut steaks over top of the lemon slices. Arrange the sugar snap peas and pepper slices around the halibut. Squeeze some lemon juice from the remaining half lemon over everything, and then sprinkle with sea salt and the lemon zest.
Measure the fish at the thickest part—you want to cook it for approximately 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Bring the water in the saucepan to a boil over high heat and steam, tightly covered, for about 10 minutes or until fish is opaque and separates easily when tested with a fork, adding broccoli during the last 4 minutes. Be sure to turn on the overhead fan to minimize the fish smell in your kitchen. Another option is to cook it outside on your barbeque, if it has a burner on the side.
Cut the halibut steaks in half, remove the bones and arrange on 4 dinner plates along with the snap peas, peppers and broccoli. Discard the steaming water and lemon slices. Serve with fresh lemon wedges and Lemon Dill Sauce (below), if desired.
Lemon Dill Sauce
- ¼ cup (50 ml) plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon (2 ml) fresh lemon juice
- dill and sea salt, to taste
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
