Seared Halibut With Carrot-Top Pesto

Directions

First, make the pesto and place it in the fridge. Pull six or eight carrots from your garden or buy them with their tops still on. Snip tops about an inch above the carrot and then trim the stems off the tops. Thoroughly clean your tops to remove dirt and grit. I use my salad spinner and send it through a couple rinses and spins.

Run the carrot tops through your food processor on medium speed until they are finely chopped. Next add the pecans or whatever nut you wish to substitute and run the food processor for another minute or so on medium. Add your garlic cloves and run it again for a minute. Now slowly drizzle the olive oil while you run the food processor on the slowest speed. Last, fold in the grated parmesan cheese with a spoon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place the pesto in the fridge while you prepare your side dishes. Once your sides are ready, you can sear the halibut as the final step.

Heat pan to high heat. Salt and pepper your halibut fillets that you patted dry with a paper towel. Turn the heat down slightly to medium-high, add avocado oil to the pan, and place each piece of halibut into the pan. Sear the halibut on each side for one minute to get that crispy outside.

Cooking Tips

Some people prefer to use an oven-safe pan like cast iron and transfer the fish to the oven to slow bake the remaining time. I prefer to cook it in the pan, the time depending on how thick the pieces are. Also, I err on the side of less cooked over more cooked because I do not like over cooked fish, especially halibut. I pull the fish from the pan and let it sit on the counter resting for a few minutes while I assemble the dish. The time resting allows it to complete cooking.

Plate the halibut and served topped with the carrot top pesto.