Halibut Steaks with Creamy Saffron Sauce

You can use the stand-alone sauce in this recipe with any simply cooked fish (steak or fillet), though I especially like it here, with the gentle butter-poaching technique and a delicate-tasting fish like halibut. Other seafood you can use: any fish steaks or scallops or shrimp.

1 cup yogurt, preferably whole-milk

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Small pinch cayenne

1 shallot, minced

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads

Juice of 1/2 lemon, or more to taste

About 11/2 pounds halibut steaks or fillets in 2 or 4 pieces

2 tablespoons butter

• In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt with some salt and pepper, the cayenne, and the shallot. Rub the saffron between your fingers to crush it, then stir it into the yogurt mixture. Let sit for about 20 minutes (or refrigerate for up to 2 hours). Just before serving, add the lemon juice, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
• Sprinkle the halibut with salt and pepper. Put the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter melts, add the fish and cook gently, turning once or twice, until a thin-bladed knife meets little resistance when inserted into the thickest part; this will generally be less than 10 minutes. Serve the fish hot, warm, or at room temperature, with the sauce spooned over it.

MAKES: 4 servings

TIME: 30 minutes