“It’s freezing!”
“Anise, what do you expect?! It’s fall!”
“NO! Fall doesn’t technically start until September 22! Summer is still here!”
I am determined to savour the last little bits of summer. I’m not only trying to grip onto the sunshine and the warmth, but the laissez faire attitude that comes along with longer days and running around the back yard barefoot. Its quite a confusing time in Calgary. One minute it feels as though Calgary has completely skipped fall and went straight to winter, and you would think so if you didn’t see the beautiful yellow and orange leaves on the trees. Other days it feels like we are right back in the thick of July, with pulsing heat that makes you want to lay around in your bathing suit with a glass of rose. The positive side to this crazy, volatile weather, is that there are still days when I can enjoy all my summer foods on the BBQ without looking like a beach bum in Alaska.
Summer sped by this year. Maybe it was because I was having too much fun with Knox to notice the leaves had already begun to change. Maybe I didn’t want to notice. Either way, I couldn’t let this season pass without sharing one of my favorite summer recipes: its quick, its easy and it highlights some of summer’s finest.
Halibut with miso charred corn, shiitakes, and swiss chard
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 cobs of corn, husks on
3 Tablespoons of coconut oil, divided, plus more for rubbing corn
1/2 Tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
5 green onions, sliced thin – green and white parts separated
24 oz of shiitakes mushrooms
1 Tablespoon tamari or low sodium soy sauce
3 Tablespoons white miso
1/3 cup pure water
2 large bunches of leafy greens like swiss chard, collards, rapini, kale, or collards (I used swiss chard), chopped
4, 4 oz pieces of wild halibut
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon of lemon juice
Directions
Preheat the grill to high. Once the grill is ready, place the corn, with the husks on, directly on the grill for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool. Remove the husks, rub with coconut oil, and place back on the grill until the corn is charred. Remove from the grill and slice off the corn kernels. Set aside.
While the corn is roasting, heat an iron skillet or non-stick skillet over medium-low. Add 1 Tablespoon of coconut oil, garlic, ginger and white parts of the green onion. Saute for 1 minute, stirring and ensuring it doesn’t burn, over medium-low until fragrant. Add mushrooms and another tablespoon of coconut oil, stir to combine, and sauté over medium-low heat until soft, 3-4 minutes. Add tamarin and toss to combine; sauté for another minute until the tamari has soaked into the mushrooms. Add the corn and turn heat to low.
Boil 1/3 cup of water and dissolve miso into the water. Add this to the corn and shiitake mixture and heat over (very) low until miso is dissolved and thoroughly combined. Do not bring to a boil as it will destroy the enzymes in the miso.
In the same pan as you made the mushrooms in, add the swiss chard and 1 Tablespoon of coconut oil, season with salt and pepper, and warm until wilted. Set aside.
Prepare the fish: season the fish generoulsy with salt and pepper. Heat a grill pan to high and place the halibut filets skin side down. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes, then add a bit of lemon juice to the top of the halibut. Cover again and continue cooking for 4-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of your halibut.
Divide the greens between each plate, top with the corn and shiitake mixture, and place a halibut filet over top.
