Grilled Halibut with Fennel, Tomatoes, and Roasted Garlic Rouille

Grilled Halibut with Fennel, Tomatoes, and Roasted Garlic Rouille
 From Sunset Mag: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1916221

This was great and I think you can eat with many different kinds of fish / shellfish. I used tilpia and it was fabulous. Rouille's scare me sometimes due to my dislike of mayo, but I used Veganese and let's be honest: Roasted garlic could be served to me on the bottom of a shoe and I would love it, so addicting.

Time: About 1 1/4 hours. Make both red- and white-wine lovers happy. This meaty halibut dish goes both ways: We love it with a light-bodied, high-acid red, such as Sangiovese, and with two aromatic white Rhône grapes, Roussanne and Marsanne (traditionally blended with Viognier but now going solo more often).



Yield - Serves 4
Ingredients
About 3 tbsp. olive oil
5 cups thinly sliced sweet onions (about 1 1/2 lbs.)
3 cups thinly sliced fennel bulb (about 1/2 lb.; save green fronds for garnish if you like)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
2 cups coarsely chopped firm-ripe tomatoes (about 3/4 lb.)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 pieces boned, skinned halibut fillet (1 in. thick, 5 to 6 oz. each), rinsed and dried


Preparation
1. Pour 3 tbsp. oil into a large frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add onions, fennel, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 15 minutes. Add wine, orange peel, thyme, and saffron; boil over medium-high heat, stirring often, until liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste; reduce heat to low and cook, occasionally stirring gently, just until heated through, about 2 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, prepare a grill for direct medium-high heat (about 450°; you can hold your hand 5 in. above cooking grate only 4 to 6 seconds); oil grill well. Rub halibut all over with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Lay halibut on cooking grate; close lid if using a gas grill. Cook, gently turning once, just until fish is opaque but still moist-looking in center of thickest part (cut to test), 6 to 10 minutes total.
4. Spoon vegetables onto plates and top with halibut; garnish with fennel greens if you like. Serve rouille alongside.

Roasted Garlic Rouille
Yield - Makes 2 1/4 cups
Ingredients
1 garlic head
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup drained jarred roasted red peppers
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon hot sauce
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste


Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375°. Cut top off garlic head to expose tops of cloves. Wrap head in foil; bake until soft when pressed, 40 to 45 minutes.
2. When cool enough to handle, squeeze cloves into a food processor. Add mayonnaise, red peppers, bred crumbs, lemon juice, thyme leaves, kosher salt, hot sauce, and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Whirl until smooth.