Halibut with Delicious Accompaniments for Christmas

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
Scrape the fish skin well, then rinse and dry it.
Make slits in the fish skin, and insert slices of lemon and garlic into the cuts.
Place the halibut, skin side up, in an ovenproof dish with olive oil at the bottom.
Brush the halibut generously with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
Insert a cooking thermometer into the thickest part of the halibut. Roast until the internal temperature reaches about 50°C, keeping it juicy. This takes approximately 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet.
Remember that the fish will carry over a bit of cooking after it comes out of the oven.

Chop fennel, sugar snap peas, and apple into small pieces. Bring lightly salted water to a boil.
Blanch the fennel for about 1 minute, then add the sugar snap peas. Continue boiling for another minute. Drain and rinse the vegetables in ice-cold water until they are cool.
Finely chop shallots and coarsely chop garlic, then sauté together with cardamom and star anise in olive oil until the onion is translucent.
Add apple juice and white wine. Reduce by half.
Stir in heavy cream and cook until reduced by half again. Mix in the butter.
Strain the sauce into a new saucepan and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
Mix some chopped dill with the apple cubes, fennel, and sugar snap peas, then stir this into the sauce just before serving.

Peel and cook the almond potatoes until tender.
Add butter and heavy cream to the saucepan with the potatoes and mash well. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 150 °C.
Spread the almond flakes on a baking sheet and drizzle with a little olive oil.
Bake the flakes in the oven until golden and crispy, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and chopped thyme.

Remove the skin from the halibut and serve topped with almond flakes, alongside butter sauce and almond potato purée.