Steal This Recipe® Halibut with Sweet Potato Hash, Serrano Wrapped Figs & Buerre Rouge | Spanish River Grill

From chef and co-owner of Spanish River Grill in Florida, Henry Salgado, this unforgettable recipe will be a hit in your home

'Stolen with permission' from chef and co-owner of Spanish River Grill in Florida, Henry Salgado, this unforgettable recipe will be a hit in your home. Henry and his wife Michele take a modern approach to Latino cuisine at their New Smyrna Beach restaurant and their pride is evident in the impressive menu and ambiance of the joint venture.

The Salgados take a no boundaries approach to their cuisine – the menu is always in transition, satisfying Henry's desires to experiment and create new dishes, as well as to satiate the ever-changing palate of the guests. Nightly specials are created, some of which eventually are added to the menu. Henry’s specialty lies within the preparation of seafood, which he prefers to lightly season to bring out its natural flavors, rather than smothering it with overbearing sauces. The Pan-Roasted Halibut is a favorite of Henry's.

About the chef: Henry Salgado, chef and co-owner of Spanish River Grill, carefully infuses his passion for food into every dish. Passionate about both his culinary career and Spanish-Cuban heritage, Salgado's great respect for food and the art of cooking are apparent in the modern dishes he prepares at Spanish River Grill.

Chef Salgado began his career in food service at a young age when he took his first job as a busboy. By the age of 19, he had moved up the ranks to become a corporate trainer for a national restaurant chain. Realizing that he belonged in the restaurant industry, Salgado studied at the Florida Culinary Institute while simultaneously working various jobs at hotels and country clubs in the area. He continued his career at such places as Hotel La Valencia in San Diego, Max's Grill in Boca Raton and at the Horseradish Grill in Atlanta the last of which marked a few turning points in Salgado's life.

There he developed a philosophy that he follows to this day. "Cooking comes from the heart," he says. "Being a chef involves much more than simply following a recipe. I see food as a celebration and cooking as a passion." He also met the other love his life while at Horseradish Grill: his wife Michele. Salgado and his new wife relocated to New Smyrna Beach, Florida where they opened Spanish River Grill.

Spanish River Grill 
737 E. 3rd Avenue 
New Smyrna Beach, FL 32169 
386 424 6991

Pan-Roasted Halibut with Sweet Potato Hash, Serrano Wrapped Turkey Figs and Buerre Rouge is served at Spanish River Grill and Bistro Latino for $22 (the price fluctuates depending on market price).

This recipe makes 2 restaurant servings.

This is a 4-part recipe: 
Pan-Roasted Halibut 
*Serrano Wrapped Turkey Fig 
**Sweet Potato Hash 
***Buerre Rouge Sauce
Chef's note: the Serrano Wrapped Turkey Figs can be made ahead of time and kept at room temperature.

Halibut Ingredients:
1 lb halibut or other firm white fish (grouper, pompano)

*Serrano Wrapped Turkey Fig Ingredients: 
2 ripe turkey fig, stemmed and washed 
2 paper thin slices of Serrano ham 
5 Tbsp sherry wine vinegar 
4 tsp honey

**Sweet Potato Hash Ingredients: 
1 large sweet potato, diced small 
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil 
1 tsp jalapeño, seeded and minced 
1 tsp red pepper, seeded and minced 
1 tsp green pepper, seeded and minced 
2 slices of yellow onion, minced 
1 tsp garlic, minced 
1 tsp salt 
Dash of pepper 
Dash of nutmeg

***Buerre Rouge Ingredients: 
5 Tbsp red wine 
2 small sliced shallots 
2 bay leaf 
Dash of pepper corns 
3 Tbsp heavy cream 
4 oz cold butter, cubed

Halibut Steal This Recipe® step-by-step Instructions: 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
Brown in hot pan with extra virgin olive oil. 
Transfer to baking dish. 
For extra flavor, baste the fish with reserved sherry vinegar and honey mixture before baking. 
Bake in oven for 10 to 12 minutes.

*Serrano Wrapped Turkey Fig Steal This Recipe® step-by-step Instructions: 
Wrap a slice of Serrano ham around a fig and baste with sherry wine vinegar and honey. Repeat. 
Reserve basting liquid for fish. 
Heat in oven until ham is slightly crisp, approximately 10 minutes. 
Note: The Serrano Wrapped Turkey Figs can be made ahead of time and kept at room temperature.

**Sweet Potato Hash Steal This Recipe® step-by-step Instructions: 
Blanch sweet potato until just tender, do not overcook. 
Set aside. 
Sauté the jalapeño, red pepper, green pepper, yellow onion, garlic, salt, pepper and nutmeg in the extra virgin olive oil. 
Add the sweet potato and sauté until light brown.

***Buerre Rouge Steal This Recipe® step-by-step Instructions: 
Combine red wine, shallots, bay leaves and pepper corn in stainless steel pan and simmer over medium heat until reduced by three-quarters. 
Add the heavy cream and simmer until reduced by half. 
Whisk in cold butter. 
Strain and use immediately or hold in a bain marie.

Assembly Instructions: 
Place Sweet Potato Hash in center of plate. 
Place fish on top, creating height. 
Place one Serrano Wrapped Turkey Fig on plate. 
Carefully spoon Buerre Rouge around the fish, covering the bottom of the plate.