I recently promised to make canadian bacon-wrapped tilapia and share the recipe. I did manage to make it before my BJ's pack of tilapia went bad (I also did white wine braised tilapia and cumin-seared tilapia with that package of fresh filets).
Well, because I wanted to try something new and I had sort of ran out of ideas, I turned to the rich blogosphere and its wealth of food blogs. I found this recipe on Hope in the Kitchen. Her recipe for Bacon-wrapped Halibut comes from Rachael Ray, but she adapted almost as much as I did, based on the ingredients she had on hand.
Bacon-wrapped Halibut
4 6-ounce halibut fillets (I used tilapia)
salt and pepper
8 bacon slices (I used Canadian bacon, and I doubled the amount of meat)
3 tablespoons EVOO
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 10-ounce boxes frozen peas
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, a generous handful (I used dried)
Zest of one lemon (I used a few splashes of lemon juice)
3 tablespoons half and half or heavy cream (I used soy milk)
1 pint cherry tomatoes (I used 14 ounces of crushed tomatoes)
1 large garlis clove, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup chicken stock, plus another 1/4 cup to reheat peas if necessary
1/2 cup fresh basil, about 10 leaves, chopped or torn
(1) Season the halibut fillets with the salt and pepper, going easy on the salt. Arrange 2 bacon slices side by side, overlapping slightly. Place one end of a halibut fillet on the edge of the bacon slices. Working a spiral fashion, wrap and roll the bacon around the fish, pulling gently on the bacon to make both ends up on the same side of the fillet. (This is prevent the bacon from unraveling as it cooks.) ***(My problem is that Canadian bacon comes in rounds, so I just did my best to wrap the four peices of canadian bacon around each fillet, and then securing with toothpicks)***
(2) Reserve the fish in the fridge while you get the smashed peas working.
(3) To a medium saucepan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of the EVOO, once around the pan, then 1 tablespoon of the butter and the onions. Saute the onions for 2 minutes, then add the frozen peas, and raise the heat a bit. Stir the peas to heat them through and allow the liquid to evaporate. When the peas are heated through, add half of the parsley, the lemon zest, half and half or cream (or soy milk), salt, and pepper to the pan and smash all together using a potato masher or fork. Turn the heat off and cover the peas with a lid or some foil to keep them warm.
(3) Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of the EVOO. Add the bacon-wrapped halibut to the hot skilelt, bacon-end side down first, and cook them for 2 or 3 minutes on each of the 4 sides. Don't turn the fillets until the bacon is crispy looking on each side.
(4) While the halibut cooks, start the seared cherry tomato sauce. Preheat a small skillet over high heat with the remaining tablespoon of EVOO; once it is screaming hot add the cherry tomatoes, season them with the salt and pepper, and sear them for 1 minute without moving them.
(5)Turn the heat down to medium and shake the pan, add the garlic, and continue to cook for 1 minute. Next, add the white wine and cook until it has almost completely evaporated, then add 1/4 cup chicken stock. Bring the sauce to a bubble and remove it from the heat. Add the basil and the remaining tablespoon of butter and stir them to combine and melt the butter.
(6) If the smashed peas need to be reheated, put the pot over medium heat, add 1/4 cup of chicken stock, and stir until the peas are steaming.
(7) To serve, spoon a portion of the smashed peas in the center of a dinner place, arrange a bacon-wrapped halibut fillet on top of the peas, and top it with some of the seared cherry tomato sauce and the remaining parsley.
Sorry about the lack of photos. If you go to Hope's site, you can find an approximate of what mine looked like. BUT, trust me when I say they were super delicious.
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