Halibut Fillets With Creamy Saffron Sauce

If your experience with saffron is that it fades into the background, you have not been cooking with real saffron. There is no easier way to remedy this than to stir it into an uncooked, yogurt-based sauce in which it plays a leading role. (A touch of mild Aleppo pepper is a fine addition, but a pinch of cayenne — just enough to give a suspicion of its presence — also does nicely.) I like this concoction, which takes just a couple of minutes to prepare, with halibut or other mild fish. The halibut can be lightly poached in butter (you don’t need much!) or, if you prefer, steamed or baked with no fat, until just tender.

Ingredients

• 1 cup yogurt, preferably full-fat
• Salt and pepper
• Large pinch Aleppo pepper or small pinch cayenne
• 1 shallot, peeled and minced
• ½ teaspoon saffron threads
• Juice of 1/2 lemon, or more to taste
• 2 pounds halibut fillet, in 2 or 4 pieces
• 2 tablespoons butter

• Nutritional Information

  • Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

    399 calories; 15 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 22 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 49 grams protein; 134 milligrams cholesterol; 1102 milligrams sodium

  Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
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4 servings

Preparation

1. In a small bowl, whisk yogurt together with salt, pepper, Aleppo pepper or cayenne, and shallot. Rub saffron between your fingers to crush it, then stir it into yogurt mixture. Let sit for about 20 minutes (or covered and refrigerated for up to 2 hours). Just before serving, add juice, taste, and adjust seasoning.
2. Sprinkle halibut with salt and Aleppo pepper or cayenne. Put butter in nonstick skillet large enough to hold halibut, and turn heat to medium. When the butter melts, add fish, and cook gently, turning once or twice, until a thin bladed knife meets little resistance when inserted into the thickest part, generally less than 10 minutes.
3. Serve fish hot, warm, or at room temperature, with the sauce spooned over it.

30 minutes