Halibut with Jalapeño recipe by chef Benjamin Parth

Award-winning Austrian Benjamin Parth is the head chef at Stüva in Ischgl, Austria. His cuisine is modern, but with a strong basis in classic techniques. Here he shares a signature recipe for halibut with jalapeño. It’s a lively and interesting way to prepare halibut that exemplifies Parth’s culinary philosophy, of simplicity, rooted in classic technique.

“I’ve been lucky to have worked with some of the best chefs in the world and when I did I tried to learn and take what I could from them,” says Parth. “We really feel this responsibility to the guest to meet their expectations when they come to the restaurant.”

Parth’s cuisine is highly appreciated by a clientele that makes their way to Ischgl. He has a grounding in classic technique that he brings to terroirs that are very much Alpine.

“The classic techniques are probably the most important style of cuisine. We serve modern cuisine, but it’s still very classic. It’s important to me that there are no more than three components on a plate, to not overwhelm the guest. The guest should understand what’s on the plate. A perfect tomato is a perfect tomato.

“Our restaurant Stüva is in Ischgl, which is covered in snow in the winter. It’s very hard to move around. You can reach Monaco or Cote d’Azur in France more easily than you can reach the other side of Austria. So we have always learned to make the most of limited ingredients. Of course, these days you can get anything you want, but the idea of creative minimalism is still there.

“The sauces are the handwriting of my cuisine. If you have a perfect piece of meat or fish, then the sauce must be absolutely perfect. Together, the food is elevated. The classic sauces have been perfected over time, and that’s why they are classic. You can experiment, but you have to be careful because the classic is the basis of a good cuisine.”

_{Helge Kirchberger Photography/Red Bull Content Pool}

Halibut with jalapeño recipe

Ingredients

4 halibut fillets approx. 80g/2.8oz each
8 red peppers, peeled and seeded
4 jalapeño peppers
300ml fish stock
2 shallots, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves
8 basil leaves
1 lime
20g/0.7oz candied grapefruit
300ml/1¼ cups fish stock
A dash of paprika vinegar
To taste: seafood (North Sea crab, mussels, etc.)
To taste: favourite herbs to garnish
Olive oil
Butter
Salt and pepper

Method

Paprika chutney

Finely dice 2 peppers. Clean the jalapeño (set aside the core – you will need it for the sauce) and cut into fine cubes. Briefly sauté the cubes in a hot pan with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and lime zest. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Stock

Sweat shallots in olive oil, add remaining peppers, jalapeño casings and garlic. Sauté very slowly over a low heat until the vegetables have caramelised. Pour in fish stock, add basil leaves whole and reduce by half. Season to taste with salt, pepper, vinegar and lime juice, if necessary season with Tabasco if there is not yet enough spiciness.

Halibut

Fry the fish fillets in foaming butter over medium heat for about 1 minute per side, constantly basting with hot butter until the fish has reached a core temperature of 24°C/75°F. Then leave to rest for 4 minutes.