Halibut with Chimichurri and Roast Broccolini

You learn something new everyday.  Yesterday I learned a new word from someone at work - "preantepenultimate."  It means fourth from last.  Today I learned that kabocha squash doesn't roast very well.  Unlike acorn squash or delicata squash, kabocha is really fibrous and starchy.  It reminds me more of a sweet potato than a squash.  I think it would work really well in a braise or a stew.  Once upon a time in China I had a stewed pumpkin dish at a banquet that was delicious.  I think the kabocha squash would work really well in that dish.  But it didn't roast so well.  No matter, I had this post on deck anyway from the meal we made last night, which I guess I should talk about rather than just babbling about my kabocha squash debacle.  Let's see...  What should I say about the fish?  I thought it was really light and tasty - the perfect dish for the warm spring weather that we have been having recently.  Of course now that I said that I just know the temperatures are going to drop and we'll get snow next week.  I thought the chimichurri worked really well with the meaty halibut, although I'm not sure how well it would work with a more delicate fish.  I wish that I could have grilled or broiled the fish for some extra smokey flavor and char, but we don't have a grill and our broiler is beyond super powered so it wouldn't so much have cooked the fish as incinerated it.  So I decided to go the safe route and bake/roast our halibut filets instead.  As for the broccolini, we got the idea to roast it from Ina Garten's Parmsesan-Roasted Broccoli, but I think that roasting broccoli works a little better than roasting broccolini.  The broccolini is already so tender to begin with that it gets a little extra crispy, but that's ok.

Recipes after the jump!

Halibut with Chimichurri

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tsp, separated
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp red onion, minced (you could also use shallots for a less assertive oniony flavor)
3/4 tsp crushed red-pepper flakes
3/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (or a combination of cilantro and parsley)
2 (8-10 oz) halibut fillets

Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, water, garlic, shallot, red-pepper flakes, and 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper until salt has dissolved. Stir in parsley. Let chimichurri stand 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Pat fish dry, then drizzle with 1 tsp evoo and sprinkle with s&p.  Place in a glass baking dish.  Roast, until just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes total.

Serve fish drizzled with chimichurri.


Roast Broccolini

INGREDIENTS:
2 bunches broccolini, trimmed (or broccoli, cut into florets)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tbsp red onion, minced
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
s&p
evoo
lemon juice

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Toss broccolini, garlic, onion, red pepper flakes with evoo.  Season with s&p.  Roast until brown in spots and cooked, about 18 minutes.

Drizzle with lemon juice and 1 tsp evoo.  Serve.