Poached Halibut in a Saffron Jus --- Can you believe it came out of a microwave?

Yes, this wonderful Halibut steak was poach in my microwave.  It is so easy to prepare and makes a very nice presentation at your dinner table. As I have previously mentioned, I have found that my microwave produces the nicest, moist, and succulent poached fish I've ever made. There are a few things to remember, however. First, make sure it's the solid species of fish, i.e. halibut, salmon, bass etc. Second, you really want your piece of fish to be a good inch in thickness. And last, always cook it with liquid and in a container that you can seal with a little opening for steam to escape, otherwise the lid will pop out and all bets will be off. If you use clear wrap, make sure it's tightly sealed and can't loosen up. Cut a couple of little slits to allow steam to escape.

As for the sauce that we will use in this recipe, you will need:

1 cup chicken or seafood stock (seafood stock is best)
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, cut in quarters
2 tablespoons large capers
2 pinches of saffron threads
2 tablespoons of cream
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon butter

In a sauce pan, melt your butter with the olive oil at medium heat. Once butter is well melted, add peppers, onion, garlic, and capers and sautee for about 5 minutes. Now add your stock and saffron. Continue to cook for a few more minutes while turning heat to medium low. Finally, add the cream and blend with other ingredients, salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat off.

In your microwave dish, lay your fish in the middle and slowly pour your sauce over it. Don't pour too much sauce into the dish because you don't want your fish to boil. The liquid should come up about 1/3 up the side of the fish. Save the rest of the sauce for plating (keep on stove at "warm" setting). Cover your microwave dish as I instructed and set in the center of your microwave. Since microwaves vary, start by microwaving your fish on high for 4 minutes. If you want a little more doneness, just microwave for 30 to 45 more seconds but no more. If you leave covered and sitting for another minute, the fish will cook a bit more.

Remove fish from container and set it in the center of a heated plate and carefully pour the sauce over the top until the base of the plate has been coated. Serve immediately with thin slices of toasted French bread. Enjoy!