There are secrets to impressing people. Be born good looking. That's one way.
But this is a food blog. You can't actually see me in all my glory as you read this. So I have to impress you with good looking food! This Prosciutto-Wrapped Halibut with Summer Squash is good looking food.
The difference between good looking food and good looking people is as plain as the aquiline nose on my face. Good looking people usually require a lot of work to remain good looking. But good looking food doesn't usually last long enough to have to toil through the burden of middle age. And unlike the beautiful people I know, the beauty regime of most food is really quite simple. It can even be as easy as combining ingredients in new or at least uncommon ways. I figure this trend probably started with bacon. Bacon is a lot like good looking people. You can't help but look twice and lick your lips. So somewhere down the line someone got the idea to wrap unattractive food– like chicken livers and scallops, in bacon.
Whether its people or food– I like to think I am not all that swayed by a pretty face. When it comes to food I love the ugly stuff even more (sometimes) than the obvious beauties. But not everyone is evolved as I am. Take fish. Some people go all squeamish at the thought of fish, especially raw fish. That's because raw fish, like my aquiline nose, doesn't appeal to everyone. But that doesn't mean it can't be beautiful.
To prove this theory I decided to wrap a piece of fish in bacon. Well, prosciutto really. Because if bacon can make a chicken liver pretty... imagine what something as elegant as prosciutto could do for fish. Hmm, I wonder what it could do for my aquiline nose? GREG
Prosciutto-Wrapped Halibut with Summer Squash serves 2 CLICK here for a printable recipe

- 2 T olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
- 1 small yellow summer squash, cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 1 small green summer squash, cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 3 (3 x 1-inch) strips jarred, roasted red pepper cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 1 t fresh thyme leaves, divided
- 1 pn each kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, as needed
- 10 very thin slices prosciutto
- 1 halibut fillet about 7 x 3.5-inches, cut in half lengthwise
- 2 T crème fraîche
- 1 t finely grated lemon zest
Place the oven rack in the top position and heat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium saute pan set over medium heat. Add the diced squash and cook shaking the pan often until the vegetables soften some, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the diced red pepper and 1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Spread the 5 slices of prosciutto side by side and overlapping each other crosswise about half way. Lay a second row with the remaining slices at the bottom of the first, also overlapping about 1-inch. You should have solid rectangle of prosciutto slices about 6 x 11-inches.
Place one of the fillet pieces crosswise at the bottom of the prosciutto slices. Dollop the crème fraîche just above it directly on the prosciutto, then sprinkle about 3 tablespoons of the squash mixture onto the crème fraîche, followed by the lemon zest. Lay the remaining piece of fish just above the squash and crème fraîche, snuggling them together somewhat. You should have a sandwich of fish and filling laying on its side just at the bottom edge of the rectangle of overlapping prosciutto slices.
Then, working carefully to keep the prosciutto slices interconnected, roll the fish upwards until it is completely wrapped in the prosciutto. Tie the bundle closed in three places with kitchen twine.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in an oven proof or cast iron skillet. Add the prosciutto-wrapped fish and cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and black pepper. Move the skillet to the heated oven and roast until the fish is cooked through, about 7 minutes depending on thickness. Fillets are done when a thin-bladed knife will pass through their thickest point with little resistance
While the fish finishes cooking gently reheat the remaining vegetables, then divide them between 2 plates. When the fish has cooked, use a serrated knife to cut the prosciutto-wrapped halibut on a diagonal into 2 equally sized pieces. Lay them on top of the warm vegetables, drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.
Greg Henry writes the food blog Sippity Sup- Serious Fun Food, and contributes the Friday column on entertaining for The Back Burner at Key Ingredient. He’s active in the food blogging community, and a popular speaker at IFBC, Food Buzz Festival and Camp Blogaway. He’s led cooking demonstrations in Panama & Costa Rica, and has traveled as far and wide as Norway to promote culinary travel. He’s been featured in Food & Wine Magazine, Los Angeles Times, More Magazine, The Today Show Online and Saveur’s Best of the Web. Greg also co-hosts The Table Set podcast which can be downloaded on iTunes or at Homefries Podcast Network.
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- Look for Greg's book Savory Pies coming Nov 2012, from Ulysses Press







Comments
I'm with you, Greg...
the few extra moments taken to make your food look good really pays off by making everyone at your table feel a little extra special. I bet this fish tastes even better than it looks!
Once you get some bacon (or
Once you get some bacon (or proscuitto) on that nose, you let us know how it looks. Lovely no doubt. :)
creme fraiche
Love the addition of creme fraiche in your recipe, gives the dish another dimension.
Like that you tie it with twine too. Sweet presentation.
LL
Bacon facials
You should patent it. With bacon showing up everywhere nowadays, I imagine someone is going to come up with the idea to smear pork lard on people's faces as a beauty aid.
This looks delicious
This looks delicious. I have eyeing halibut in the store lately and wondering what I can do with it. All four of us would go for the prociutto wrapping. This is going in the fish queue. On the beauty topic...I am one of those people who wears the exact same make up, the exact same way, for years and years. I get bored with make up but am pale so I need to use it to highlight my eyes and lips. I'll buy plane ticket or dinner out any day but force me to buy expensive make up...ouch!!
Greg: you can weave an
Greg: you can weave an interesting tale on ANY topic... I love that of you! My husband often grills trout wrapped in bacon... such a good concept. This is like a papillotte (excpect that you can eat the wrapper)
Sigh.
As usual you have tread in a place i may have only given a minute or two of my thoughts. I am going to try this one on the gril as Chris has mentioned.
Fantastic Greg. How was the flavor...would like to hear those thoughts, here or otherwise. What would you have changed?
I still want to be you when I grow up :)
A good piece of fish is
A good piece of fish is inherently lovely, even more so wrapped in prosciutto. I am now busy planning my bacon dress
It has that star quality...
Halibut is perfect for the unveiling of this combination.
I just posted this to the
I just posted this to the Egghead forum where someone was asking about halibut. I bet this would come out great on the grill using a griddle plate.
Seeing as how I do actually
Seeing as how I do actually know what you look like, I can picture your super pretty face whenever I read your posts...and it's lovely. But so are the food pictures. It's not ALL about the aesthetics...but that's a pretty big part of any food blog.
You do make me smile! This
You do make me smile! This halibut is beautiful indeed and when I think of a Greg dish, this is exactly the kind of elegant (but unpretentious) fare that comes to mind. Nicely done!
Oh whata beautiful dish!
Oh whata beautiful dish!
Every thing looks better wrapped in meat
This is a gorgeous fish. And I do think some people's looks are maybe improved if wrapped with cured pork.
Hah! This is too funny. Maybe
Hah! This is too funny. Maybe I'll wrap my face in prosciutto when things start to go south.
Neatly presented. Lovely
Neatly presented. Lovely indeed! I am impressed, as always!
once again, I find myself
once again, I find myself laughing out loud as I read -- I LOVE this! And yes, the dish is absolutely stunning -- and I'm quite sure it's delicious, too! :-)
prosciutto wrapped fish?
prosciutto wrapped fish? genius idea!
You crack me up, Greg! This
You crack me up, Greg! This looks fabulous, by the way
Good looks
My favorite line: But good looking food doesn't usually last long enough to have to toil through the burden of middle age. Yep, it costs a lot more money now to polish up, but who knew I could give halibut the proscuitto treatment. Wow.
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