Bobby Flay's white fish with caper-herb vinaigrette

Add sauteed vegetables for a delicious dish

Video: Afraid of making fish? Try Bobby Flay’s easy dish

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>> more.

>>> this morning in "today's kitchen," how to be a better home cook. serving fish can be daunting. but chef bobby flay has a go-to recipe for white fish . he's one of the mentors on food network stars. good to see you.

>> good to see you, al.

>> why are we so intimidated by fish?

>> the one thing i want to say off the top is if you're intimidated by fish, just watch this segment. i think that people want to eat fish but sometimes you're intimidated by cooking it at home. we're going to make it really simple. white fish like red snapper or striped bass , and actually today we're going to use halibut. obviously you can buy the whole fish at your fish store but most people are not going to do that. just by the fillets and make it really nice and easy. today i have a halibut. nice, pearly white fish . has a good density to it. season with a little salt and pepper . i'm going to show you how easy this really is. salt and pepper on both sides. put it in the pan with sam conhola oil.

>> why canola oil ?

>> i want a light oil . i don't cook with extra virgin olive oil . i use it for salads.

>> and just to tick off giada?

>> absolutely. but any kind of vegetable oil works. we're going to make a dressing and a sauce all at the same time.

>> wow.

>> we're going to make a lemon and caper vinaigrette. you want to help me out herein

>> sure.

>> a little dijon mustard , lemon juice and white wine vinegar, okay? a touch of honey, just to kind of -- the honey kind of chills out the acidity in the lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil . and then i have capers, and some parsley. okay. and that's going to be used as a dressing, and the sauce for the fish. you don't actually have to make a pan sauce .

>> wow, that's great.

>> so that's done. if you notice we have not touched the fish.

>> just left it alone.

>> this is not a nonstick pan. you can use a nonstick pan if you'd like, but i like a stainless steel pan because you can get a really nice sear on it.

>> a nice crust on that?

>> this is the first time i've touched this fish. nice and crusty. now a little bit of white wine , doesn't have to be an expensive wine. i'm going to put the wine right into the pan and we're going to steam the fish.

>> two kinds of cooking but it's so simple.

>> and it takes literally about 2 1/2 minutes after you put the wine in. because you cooked it on one side and now we're going to steam it through. you can see how incredibly moist and tender this is. okay? it's that simple. that's how easy it is to cook the fish. remember that vinaigrette that we made?

>> right.

>> you keep cooking. the vinaigrette that we made with the capers, we're going to use this as a sauce right on top of the fish and it's going to give it moisture and some flavor. and i'm going to take the same sauce and put it with some vegetables. some asparagus, some watercress, and a little bit of tomatoes and just a little bit of the same dressing and we're going to put that right on top of the fish. and you have a fish and a salad, and just a handful of ingredients. that sample. that's all it is. you want to give this a taste?

>> sure.

>> here you go. either one is fine. i'll take one, as well.

>> there you go.

>> the capers are nice and salty. and a nice way you have the dijon mustard . think about it. a lot of times you'll see cookbooks and they'll say make the sauce right in the pan. easy enough but this is even easier. to make the vinaigrette, use it for the salad. use it for chicken or for fish.

>> perfectly moist and flavorful. that's fantastic.

>> even al roker can make this.

>> hard to believe, but true. bobby flay , fantastic stuff. congratulations on the new season of food network star. all right. you can't talk now. coming up next a taste of americana when one small town

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TODAY recipes

updated 5/15/2012 5:37:57 PM ET

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Chef Bobby Flay shares a delicious, simple recipe that will debunk the myth that white fish is difficult to make in the kitchen.

Recipe: White fish and sauteed vegetables with caper-herb vinaigrette (on this page)

Recipe: White fish and sauteed vegetables with caper-herb vinaigrette

Bobby Flay

Ingredients

Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano
Touch of honey
White fish
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 (8 ounce) fillets of halibut, red snapper, wild striped bass or halibut
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup dry white wine
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, blanched in boiling salt water until crisp tender and shocked in cold water and drained
1 bunch watercress
Parsley leaves, for garnish

Preparation

To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in a medium bowl and whisk until combined. Slowly whisk in the oil until emulsified; whisk in the capers, parsley and oregano and season with a honey, if needed. Set aside.

For the white fish, heat the oil in a medium high sided sauté pan over high heat. Season the fillets on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the fish in the pan, skin-side down and cook until golden brown and a crust has formed, about 4 minutes. Flip the fillets over, add the wine, cover and continue cooking until just cooked through, about 4 minutes longer. Remove the fish to a plate, and immediately spoon some of the vinaigrette over each fillet. Combine the tomatoes, asparagus, watercress in a bowl and toss with some of the vinaigrette and serve on top of each fillet. Garnish with parsley leaves.