This dish features a bouquet of PNW summer bounty, from fresh Halibut to chanterelles and sweet Walla Walla onions. The recipe also utilizes a fantastic blend of blackening spices (discovered by accident at the Alameda Brewhouse - thanks for giving up your secret!), as well as some out-of-this-world-good smoked paprika, both of which can be obtained from the R.L. Schreiber company.

Chanterelle Ragoût

4 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 Tbs. olive oil
5 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 large sweet walla walla onion, large dice
1 large red bell pepper, med dice
40-50 button sized Chanterelle mushrooms, whole
6 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 1/2 c. vegetable or chicken stock
2 tsp better than boullion vegetable base
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 Tbs + 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
3 Tbs. tomato paste
1 Tbs. smoked paprika
1/2 c. basil, chiffonade

1.5-2 lb. halibut fillet

Heat the butter and olive oil in a deep, heavy pan over med. high heat and saute the garlic and onions. Once the onions are translucent and fragrant, add the chanterelles and the red pepper and season a bit with salt and pepper. Keep tossing the mushroom mixture until the mushrooms glisten and the peppers soften a bit. Don’t be afraid to get a bit of the ‘breath’ of the pan on the veggies, but don’t let them burn.

Next add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper again, and allow the tomatoes to soften and break down some. Add in the stock, white wine and vegetable base along with the balsamic and turn the heat down to med to reduce, partially covered for 20-40 minutes.

At this point you want to reduce the sauce relatively slowly, giving the dense chanterelles plenty of time to soften to a light ‘pickled’ consistency before the sauce thickens too much. Once the mushrooms are cooked to your liking, stir in the tomato paste and paprika and cook an additional five minutes. Remove from heat and add in the basil. Stir to incorporate, cover and set aside.

For the blackening procedure, the pan needs to be very hot. Heat a scant amount of high temperature vegetable oil in a heavy cast iron skillet over med. high heat. Meanwhile cut your halibut fillet down to pieces that will cook quickly at searing temperature (no more than 1 1/2 in. wide). Pat the fish dry with a towel and lightly brush each side with butter, liberally applying the blackening seasoning as you go.

When the oil in your pan *just* begins to smoke (ever so slightly - watch it carefully!), quickly add all of the halibut fillets. Watch carefully, the halibut should take about 3-4 minutes to become opaque white on the bottom 1/3 of each of the pieces. Carefully flip each fillet using tongs. The underside should be golden brown with a little bit of black around the edges and still plenty of red from un-blackened spice mixture. Depending on your stove, you may need to turn the heat up to high at this point. The fillets should only be left on for another 1-3 minutes, you want a moist fillet so don’t allow the fish to become too flaky and well done.

To plate, serve the ragoût over a bed of white rice, top with a halibut fillet and garnish with a pinch of fresh parsley.