Gifts of Halibut wrapped in Chard

Endless Swiss Chard -  We have chard, lots of chard.  I think you may have read about this before.  Swiss chard is a wonderful plant.  My mother fed herself greens all summer last year from a single chard plant.  Every day she picked a few leaves, and everyday more appeared - until the first hard freeze. 

In our garden we have nine chard plants left after several were removed earlier this week.  That's enough to keep me busy experimenting with new recipes - nearly every day.  Last night's experiment was resounding success.  In fact the entire meal, most of which came from the garden, was delicious, and pretty too.  I cooked the halibut seasoned with lemon and garlic, wrapped in chard leaves, and then foil.  The chard was delicate, bright green and very tasty.  The halibut was cooked to perfection.  The covering of chard held in the moisture and produced a juicy, subtley flavored piece of fish.  The creative packaging also provided a bit of surprise to the meal.  You may want to try this one.

The Menu:  Halibut gift-wrapped in Swiss Chard
                    Lemon Dill Rice
                    Yin and Yang Carrot and Beet Salad
                    Individual Mixed Berry Clafoutis

Halibut in Swiss Chard
for 2 servings

2/3 pound of Halibut fillet

8 chard leaves, stems removed
1/4 cup Garlic Scape Pesto
for recipe see my July 2 post
zest of 1 lemon

Remove stems from chard, blanch briefly in boiling salted water.  Drain and submerge in cold water to cool. On work surface place two 12" squares of foil. Drain the chard leaves and pat them dry.  On each foil square place a large chard leaf, continue layering the leaves to make a base for the halibut packages.  I mixed the lemon zest into the pesto -- if you don't happen to have garlic scape pesto, you can substitute a mixture of olive oil, fresh herbs, garlic, and lemon zest. Spread this mixture on top of the chard leaves. Cut the halibut into two pieces and place each piece on top of the chard leaves.  Fold the leaves over enclosing the fish.  The side can remain open.  Wrap the chard/fish packets in foil and place on rimmed baking dish.  Bake at 425F for about 15 minutes.  To serve, simply remove the foil outer wrapping and add a slice of lemon.

I also served a Dilled Rice with the fish.  To prepare, cook white long grain rice in chicken stock, then finish by adding 1 - 2 Tbsp of olive oil, 2 tsp of dried dill, and 2 tsp of capers. Stir to combine, then let sit a few minutes.

Yin and Yang Salad
2 garden fresh carrots, grated
1 large beet, grated
vinaigrette with 2 tsp sesame oil added
Sprinkling of black sesame seed and chives
Arrange carrots and beets on plate - I made individual salads.  Sprinkle with black sesame seeds and chives.  Drizzle on dressing.  The sesame oil is crucial to the richness of the salad. It is so good.  If mixed together, the carrots and beets are delicious, but the beet juice causes both to turn red.