Paul was in L.A. last week and returned on Friday evening. He was driving back, about a 6 hour drive, and I knew he would be tired and hungry. I was soooo looking forward to seeing him. It was a weekend without the kids so I decided to make us a romantic, reunion dinner. Since we both love fish I chose pan-seared halibut with black bean sauce. He loved it. Here’s the recipe for two. Super easy with a very gourmet flair.

PAN-SEARED HALIBUT WITH BLACK BEAN SAUCE

Ingredients

2 T black bean and garlic sauce (look in Asian food section of grocery store)

1 T rice wine vinegar

1 tsp. plus 1/4 corn starch

2 halibut fillets about 6 ounces each

1 T vegetable oil

1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger cut into strips (or about 1 tsp. of the crushed bottled kind)

4 scallions, white and green parts sliced thin

Whisk black bean and garlic sauce, vinegar, 1 tsp. cornstarch, and 1/2 cup water in bowl. Rinse and pat fish dry with paper towels. Place remaining cornstarch in shallow dish and coat fish with cornstarch, shaking off excess.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add fish and cook until browned and cooked through.  About 3-5 minutes per side depending on thickness of fish. Transfer to platter.

Add ginger and scallions to empty skillet and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add black bean mixture and simmer a minute or two until thickened.  Pour over fish and serve.