Garlic-crusted halibut on roasted garlic scapes and asparagus
Instructions:
- Garlic scapes and asparagus:
- 6 garlic scapes;
- 16 asparagus spears;
- 1 tablespoon lemon-infused olive oil or extra-virgin olive oil;
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste.
- Halibut:
- 1 cup fresh bread crumbs;
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil;
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic;
- 4 skinless halibut fillets (each about 6 ounces and 11⁄2 inches thick);
- 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt;
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper;
- Fresh Herb and Caper Sauce or Romesco Sauce
, for serving.
- For the scapes and asparagus:
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Pinch the little flower bud bump in each scape. If it’s too hard to squeeze then it is too tough to eat, so trim it out. Cut the scapes into 1-inch lengths. Snap off and discard the tough asparagus ends. Place the scapes and asparagus on the prepared pan, drizzle with the oil, season with salt and pepper, toss to coat, and spread them out into a single layer.
- For the halibut: Toss together the bread crumbs, oil, and garlic in a small skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the crumbs are golden brown. Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Sprinkle both sides of the fillets with the salt and pepper and place on the bed of scapes and asparagus. Roast for 10 minutes. Top the fillets with the bread crumb mixture and continue roasting until the vegetables are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife and the fish is opaque, about 8 minutes longer. To test the fish for doneness, slide a small paring knife into the center of a fillet (the knife is parallel to the baking sheet), count to 3 and slowly pull out the knife. If the blade feels warm, the fish is done.
- Serve hot, topped with a generous spoonful of sauce.
- What else works? You can replace some or all of the garlic scapes with pencil-thin scallions or baby leeks.