The Chef
Suvir Saran of Dévi
(Adapted from Indian Home Cooking, by Suvir Saran and Stephanie Lyness)

Servings
Serves 4

Ingredients
4 skinless halibut fillets, 6 to 8 ounces each (about 1 inch thick)
1 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Canola oil, for brushing

Chutney
2⁄3 cup grated, fresh coconut, or 2⁄3 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut mixed with 1⁄3 cup whole milk 1 shallot, peeled and quartered
3 fresh, hot green chilies
6 garlic cloves
2 cups mint leaves
1⁄3 cup cilantro leaves
1⁄4 cup curry leaves (optional)
2 small lemons, zested and juiced
3 tablespoons yogurt
1⁄4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Cooking Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sprinkle the fish all over with salt, and refrigerate 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine all the chutney ingredients in a food processor, and process until it forms a thick marinade, adding water 1 teaspoon at a time if necessary. Taste for salt, and set aside.

Rinse the fish, and pat dry. Cut a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper about 15 inches long, and lay it on a work surface, with the short side facing you. Brush the bottom half with a little oil. Spoon about one-eighth of the chutney on the bottom half, and spread it out to a rectangle about the size of a halibut fillet. Set one fillet on top of the chutney, and cover with another eighth of the chutney. Fold the top half of the foil over the halibut so that the top and bottom edges meet. Fold the bottom edge up about 1/4 inch, then fold it up twice more. Do the same on both sides to completely seal the halibut in the package. Repeat to make three more packages.

Put the packages in a single layer on a baking sheet, and bake until the foil just begins to puff, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cut the packages open and slide the fish and chutney out onto plates. Serve hot.

Recommended Wines
Aura Verdejo 2003, Rueda, Spain

2002 Grand Burge Thorn Riesling, Eden Valley, Australia

Seresin Sauvignon Blanc 2002, Marlborough, New Zealand

Laurent-Perrier Rosé Brut, current release

Manzanilla Papirusa Lustau Sherry, Spain

Best With
Sweet And Sour Butternut Squash
Raita

Photograph by Richard Pierce