Luke Holder really lets the halibut shine in his simple recipe of pan-fried fillets on a bed of Coco de Paimpol beans (a variety of haricot beans). A saffron vinaigrette is the perfect finishing touch.
Pick the fresh coco beans from their shells, place in a large pan and pour in enough water to cover. Roughly chop the vegetables and add to the pan, along with the bay leaf and streaky bacon
Slowly cook on a gentle boil for approximately 35-45 minutes until the beans are tender but not falling apart. Once cooked, allow the beans to cool in the cooking liquor
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Meanwhile, in a separate pan, bring the Chardonnay vinegar to the boil. Once boiling, add the saffron, remove from the heat and leave to infuse
Remove the halibut fillets from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature before cooking. Season the fish well with salt and heat some vegetable oil in a large pan until hot but not smoking. Add the fillets and cook for 2 minutes until lightly golden
Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 4 minutes. After this time, remove from the oven, turn the fillets over and allow to rest, off the heat, for a further 4 minutes - the residual heat from the pan should cook the fillets through
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Meanwhile, warm the beans in a little cooking liquor, season and add the chopped tarragon
Divide the beans between plates. Mix the saffron vinegar with the lemon oil and drizzle over the beans. Top with the fillets of halibut and serve immediately
Luke Holder comes by his taste for ultra-authentic local cuisine honestly: he's spent large chunks of his career soaking up regional techniques in far-flung parts of the world.
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