Macadamia Nut Crusted Halibut with Passion Fruit Butter Sauce and Pineapple Swiss Chard

I laughed after taking my very first bite of this meal. Not because it was bad - quite the contrary. After 8 days in Hawaii dining at various restaurants, checking out local, fine dining, casual establishments, the best "Hawaiian" meal that I had came the day that we flew back into San Francisco and was cooked by our very own Chef Derek.

I was against this meal from the beginning as I had said the day before that I would be eating vegetarian for the upcoming week. However, I knew I would be coveting Derek's delicious halibut while sitting across the table digging into my mundane salad or soup...therefore, my plan for the week went out the door before it was even in place - good decision.

The star of the meal, the halibut, was purchased from Marina Meats just minutes before it closed at 7 PM on Sunday. We were lucky to purchase the final two pieces of halibut left in the case - it was as if they were saved just for us. I'd like to say that the macadamia nuts were straight from Hawaii but I would be lying. We made the mistake of not bringing anything back from the islands - nothing at all - and knew macadamia nuts are not a cheap item in the grocery store - such is life. $7 later for the nuts (not a terrible deal - surprisingly at Real Food Company) + $19 for the two pieces of fish + about $10 for the other ingredients for the meal (passion fruit juice, swiss chard, dried pineapple, panko breadcrumbs) comes to about $36 total, or $18 per person for the food portion of the meal. Add another $27 for the bottle of wine we are looking at $33 per person for an incredible meal - no tipping required! I can say with certainty that I spent at least double that for some of my meals in Hawaii and was not nearly impressed. This is why knowing your way around a kitchen is a great budget-friendly feat.

The recipes were simple and perfectly executed:

Macadamia Nut Crusted Halibut
from http://www.fishalaskamagazine.com/recipes/2004/9_04.htm

2 6- to 7-oz. Halibut Filets
1/2 cup Macadamia Nuts—crushed
1/2 cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 Eggs
1.5 tsp. Water (mixed with eggs)
Flour for dredging
Peanut Oil for sautéing
salt
black pepper

Place macadamia nuts and panko in food processor bowl fitted with a work blade. Using pulse, crush nuts and panko together until you achieve a medium coarseness. Do not over grind nuts or you will extract oil. Beat eggs with water until smooth. Heat a large saute pan or skillet on medium-low to medium heat. Lightly season halibut, dredge in flour, shake off excess then dip in egg mixture, then place in macadamia nut mixture and coat well. Press nuts on and lightly shake off excess. Add oil to pan and place halibut in pan. Let brown 3 to 4 minutes then turn over. Continue cooking halibut until golden brown on both sides—approximately 6 to 8 minutes total time. If using thick filets (one inch or more), finish cooking in a 350 degree F oven for 7 to 10 minutes.

Rather than the fruit salsa that accompanies the recipe, Derek came up with his own sauce, a Passion Fruit Butter Sauce:

1/4 cup passion fruit juice
3 T. butter
1/2 lime, juiced

Simmer juice and butter on the stovetop until it forms a silky consistancy - stir in lime juice to finish.

We served this with a side of our own creation consisting of the following (measurements are not exact):

Pineapple Swiss Chard

2 tsp. EVOO
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup chopped dried pineapple (no sugar added)
1 bunch rainbow chard, stems removed, leaves slices into strips about 1/2 in. thick
1/8 cup white wine
salt and pepper

Heat oil in a large pan (we used a dutch oven). Add the onions, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook until onions are translucent. Add the pineapple and stir. Add in chopped chard and white wine. Stir until the chard starts to break down and wilt. Turn down the heat to low and cover. Let cook for about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I obviously loved this meal. It was relatively simple and was fabulous because it contained great ingredients and was perfectly executed. Derek made an observation that everything in the meal was organic or at least "natural" by food standards - maybe that had something to do with the final result.

The swiss chard was nice, though maybe a little spicy to be paired with the delicate fish. The pineapple plumped up and took in all of the flavors of the garlic, onion, and wine.

The fish - oh the fish - it was a melt in your mouth, lick your lips experience. I typically like small servings of fish because I get sick of eating it. This was a definite exception because I was actually sad when the meal was over.

I tried to take a picture of the fish to show how tender and moist it was - not sure the camera can do any justice:

I guess it is a good thing to know that I don't have to go out to a fancy restaurant and spend a bunch of money to get a truly memorable meal. This could have easily been a $36 dollar dish in a restaurant - for the fish alone - and I would have been happy to be served it at that price. That says something.

Kudos Chef Derek.