At the beginning of this year, I made it a goal to eat less red meat and incorporate more seafood and vegetarian meals into my diet. Twelve months later and I can proudly say that I met my goal the entire year. Nowadays, if I have red meat for one meal, all I crave are vegetables or seafood the next day. In fact, I never find myself craving red meat anymore! Amazing how our palate can change over time. The trick to not getting sick of seafood or vegetarian meals? Keeping the flavors interesting like with crispy saffron halibut with chorizo and potatoes. Flavor the halibut with spices, drizzle some saffron vinaigrette on top, serve it with chorizo and roasted potatoes and you have one spectacular meal.

Recipe

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Crispy Saffron Halibut with Chorizo and Potatoes

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Keyword: seafood

Servings: 4

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Saffron vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• pinch of saffron
• ¼ cup olive oil
• salt and pepper

Remaining ingredients

• 1 lb halibut filets
• 1 teaspoon garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 lb Yukon potatoes
• 4 ounces cured chorizo chopped
• ¼ cup scallions chopped
• ¼ cup crumbled feta

Instructions

• Make the saffron vinaigrette. Whisk together the white wine vinegar with the garlic, dijon mustard, and pinch of saffron. Slowly add the olive oil, whisk continuously. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Marinate the halibut. Combine 1 teaspoon garlic with paprika and olive oil. Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper and rub the marinade into the fish. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Cut the Yukon potatoes into medium-size chunks. Place in a large pot and cover with enough water to cover the potatoes. Season the water with salt, cover the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue to simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and arrange them in one even layer. Continue to cook the potatoes until browned, about 3-4 minutes. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and toss the potatoes with half of the dressing. Keep warm.
• In the same pan, heat another tablespoon of oil. Add the chopped chorizo and cook until caramelized and browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Heat another tablespoon of oil in the same pan. Cook the halibut until browned and the fish flakes easily. If the filets are thick, cover the pan to help cook the inside. Remove from heat.
• Arrange the plate. Place the potatoes on the plates with the fish. Sprinkle the chorizo, green onions, and crumbled feta on top. Drizzle the remaining saffron vinaigrette and serve immediately.

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

The great thing about this saffron fish with chorizo and potatoes is that it's one complete meal. No need to make any sides because you have it all on one plate! And not to mention, it's easy to prepare all of the components.

First up, make the saffron vinaigrette. This vinaigrette is going the season the potatoes and complete the fish. As expensive as saffron is, a small pinch goes a long way so don't fret. Whisk the saffron together with white wine vinegar, dijon mustard, garlic, and oil, and season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper.

Set the dressing aside and marinate the halibut. You can also swap out the halibut for any other type of firm fish, shrimp, or even chicken. In fact, I imagine roasted chicken would work wonderfully with this recipe.

While the fish is soaking up all those wonderful spices, boil the potatoes. We're going to par-boil the Yukon potatoes and finish them in the saute pan to get them nice and crispy. I don't know about you but I can never resist potatoes that are crispy on the outside but tender and buttery on the inside. So good.

Season the potatoes with half of the saffron vinaigrette and let it sit while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Use the same pan to crisp up the chorizo. I prefer cured chorizo so I can bite into small chunks of the spicy meat; however, you can also use the uncured version. You can also substitute chorizo with crispy prosciutto or even crumbled spicy sausage. It will all be delicious.

By now the halibut should be ready to be cooked. Use the same pan to pan-sear the halibut. Continue to cook the fish until the meat flakes easily with a fork. Alternatively, you can bake the fish at 400 degrees F for about 12-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.

Now it's time to finish plating. Arrange the potatoes on the plate, place the fish on top and drizzle the remaining saffron vinaigrette on top. Finish the dish with the chorizo bits, crumbled feta, and chopped scallions. Grab a fork and get ready to dig in.

As complex as this crispy halibut with potatoes and chorizo may seem, it comes together rather quickly. And might I say, it's so delicious! All of the flavors work so well together from the tart dressing to the spicy chorizo to the salty feta. Definitely adding this recipe to the keeper list!

For more seafood inspiration check out this miso chili lime sea bass recipe!