Seared Halibut with Charred Lemon Sauce

Mince the flat leaf parsley and place into a bowl.
Fine mince or grate the garlic and place into the bowl with the parsley.
Zest the lemon and add to the other ingredients.
Add black pepper to the bowl.
Mix well to combine.
Mix can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Charring the lemons can be done on a grill (recommended) or in a cast iron skillet with a touch of oil.
Preheat the grill or skillet. Brush a small amount of oil onto the lemons.
Place the lemon halves onto the grill grates (cast iron grill grates work great for this but you can use any style) or on to the heated cast iron.
Let the lemons sizzle away for a minute before checking the char on the lemons.
Total cooking time for the lemons is about 2-4 minutes depending on the heat of the cooking surface and how charred you desire.
Remove the lemons from the grill and hold aside to cool until ready to use.
Mince the shallot and garlic.
Heat a saute pan over medium high heat.
Add the olive oil and allow to come up to temperature.
Add the shallot and saute until translucent.
Add the garlic and red chili flakes, continue to saute over medium heat.
Allow the shallots, garlic and chili flakes to cook to infuse the olive oil. Avoid browning the shallots and garlic.
Increase the heat to high and add the white wine.
Reduce by half.
Squeeze the lemons through a strainer to avoid seeds from entering the sauce.
Use 3-4 halves of the charred lemons for the sauce depending on the size of the lemons.
Bring the sauce to a simmer then reduce the heat to low.
Add the two tablespoons of butter to the pot and swirl over the very. low heat to melt the butter and incorporate into the sauce.
Season with black pepper and kosher salt.

Pat dry the halibut fillet with paper towels. This will allow for a good sear to happen while cooking.
Season the fish with salt and black pepper.
Preheat your preferred cooking surface. A griddle, cast iron skillet, saute pan or grill. I used a soapstone on a grill to achieve the crust on the sear.
Add a tablespoon of two of cooking oil to the cooking surface and spread to coat the surface.
The cooking surface should be fairly hot. You want to develop a nice crust on the fish.
Place the halibut presentation side down first onto the cooking surface.
Depending on the thickness of the fish cooking time will vary.
The fish used in the video was a 1 lb portion and it was over 1" thick. The cooking time was approximately 12 minutes. I used a wireless thermometer to watch the internal temperature to avoid overcooking the fish. See notes below on using a thermometer.
Allow the fish to sit undisturbed on the cooking surface.
Once the fish develops a golden crust, turn the fish. Repeat on the second side.
The fish will begin to release from the pan when it has developed a crust. Be patient. If you are concerned that it is burning, turn down the heat.
Once the fish has finished cooking on the second side, remove from the pan.

Place the seared halibut presentation side up so the nice crust from the first side shows.
Spoon the Charred Lemon Sauce over the fish so the sauce covers the halibut and runs onto the plate.
Place a tablespoon or two of Gremolata on top of the Seared Halibut.
Enjoy!