Pine nut and pistachio crusted halibut

The above Ottolenghi recipe was recently posted on Food52. I am confused with the directions to "set the broiler to 400 F or broiler's highest temperature" since I consider the broiler temp to be at least 500F.

ChefGam
  • Posted by: ChefGam
  • December 28, 2015
  • 3200 views
  • 7 Comments

7 Comments

Adrienne
Adrienne December 29, 2015
I'm cooking for 8 people, so I'd prefer to do the whole thing in the oven. Melissa Clark has a model that I'm considering in this recipe:
http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013079-roasted-halibut-with-lemons-olives-and-rosemary
 
Nancy
Nancy December 29, 2015
You could either do the whole Melissa Clark recipe or adapt the Nopi one to do it all in the oven.
Agree with your caution about using parchment paper with a broiler. I would only use the parchment paper if you were baking the fish en papillote (another approach entirely).
 
Nancy
Nancy December 29, 2015
cv is write about careless porof raeding or copy editing in posted recipes, but with fish I would always go with the lower temperature (easier to control and correct). And/or find another version of the recipe.
akrainey, I don't have the Nopi recipe you're presumably working with:
https://food52.com/recipes/38874-yotam-ottolenghi-and-ramael-scully-s-pistachio-and-pine-nut-crusted-halibut
but I do have a similar one from Bon Appetit (Nov 1995) that I've made countless times:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/trout-with-pecan-and-pine-nut-crust-2571
There the cooking instructions include cooking the crusted fish 2 minutes in a non-stick skillet over medium heat, then baking in a heated 400F oven until opaque in center, about 3 minutes.
Works every time, and delicious.
 
702551
702551 December 29, 2015
Nope. While I often bemoan the poor editing of online recipes, there's bad writing in cookbooks as well.

I realize that this recipe originates from a dead-trees book, but that does exempt it from the dangers of poor copy editing. The Nopi recipe can be found online elsewhere with the same errors.

If you are an experienced fish cook, cooking smaller pieces/filets at high temperature is not an issue.

However, setting up a broiler to cook this fish appears to be unnecessarily fussy. You can set similar results with Nancy's technique.
 
702551
702551 December 29, 2015
I wouldn't worry about the verbiage too much, it's probably just sloppy copy editing (all too common in today's food writing).

Just set the broiler to its highest setting, regardless of the number on the dial and cook your fish.
 
Adrienne
Adrienne December 29, 2015
Another iffy part of the recipe is broiling the fish on a parchment lined pan. I can imagine the whole thing erupting into flames!
 
702551
702551 December 29, 2015
Paper burns at about 450 degrees, so yes, he should have suggested aluminum foil, not parchment.

I would approach any recipe with some caution and use your best judgment if you see something awry.
 
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