Cured Halibut
Little Gem Lettuce, New Zealand Spinach, Celtuce, Fermented Garlic, Nasturtium Vinaigrette, Sourdough Foam, Foccaccia Croutons, Garlic Blossoms
Chef Genoa Pieron of Lazy Bear | San Francisco, CA
Adapted by StarChefs | September 2026 | Photo: Alexander Zeren
INGREDIENTS
Starter Flour:
500 grams bread flour
200 grams whole-grain flour blend
100 grams dark rye flour
Sourdough Starter:
12 grams sourdough starter
Sourdough Focaccia:
3.69 kilograms bread flour
113 grams granulated sugar
77 grams kosher salt
15 grams instant yeast
149 grams Corto Truly extra virgin olive oil
Nasturtium Capers:
Yield: 2 quarts
8 cups nasturtium buds
56 grams kosher salt
Lemon juice
Allium Stock:
Yield: 8 quarts
Neutral oil
4 cups thinly sliced white onions
¼ cup sliced garlic
Kosher salt
2 Walla Walla onions, halved and charred
Nasturtium Oil:
Yield: 1 pint
8 cups nasturtium leaves, stemmed
1 pint peanut oil
Fermented Green Garlic:
Yield: 2 quarts
8 cups green garlic tops
Kosher salt
Pickled Green Garlic:
Yield: 2 quarts
8 cups green garlic bottoms
1½ pints Banyuls vinegar
1½ pints red wine vinegar
2 cups granulated sugar
10 grams mustard seeds
5 grams red pepper flakes
5 grams whole black peppercorns
5 grams whole pink peppercorns
2 grams cloves
Nasturtium Vinaigrette:
Yield: 210 servings
2 grams ground black pepper
160 grams peanut oil
2 grams kosher salt
Compressed Celtuce:
Yield: 70 servings
1 kilogram celtuce, peeled and sliced
30 grams liquid shio koji
20 grams Corto Truly extra virgin olive oil
10 grams kosher salt
5 grams Meyer lemon peel
Sourdough Foam:
Yield: 70 servings
100 grams unsalted butter
30 grams liquid shio koji
15 grams Champagne vinegar
8 grams granulated sugar
5 grams soy lecithin
3.2 grams Versawhip
½ gram xanthan gum
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
Cured Halibut:
Yield: 70 portions
1 halibut, portioned into fillets
Kosher salt
Foccaccia Croutons:
Yield: 70 servings
100 grams Corto Truly extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
To Assemble and Serve:
Yield: 1 serving
Little Gem lettuce leaves, cut into small flags
New Zealand spinach leaves
Celtuce leaves, cut into strips
Garlic blossoms
METHOD
For the Starter Flour:
In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Transfer to an airtight container and reserve.
For the Sourdough Starter:
In a nonreactive container, combine starter, 100 grams Starter Flour, and 100 grams cool water. Mix until well combined. Seal and let ferment 12 hours at room temperature. The next day, in a nonreactive container, combine 225 grams fed starter, additional 225 grams Starter Flour, and additional 225 grams cool water. Mix until combined. Seal and let ferment 3 hours.
For the Sourdough Focaccia:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, combine bread flour, sugar, 666 grams Sourdough Starter. Mix 3 minutes on low speed. Let sit 30 minutes. Add salt and instant yeast. Mix 10 minutes on low speed. With the machine running, slowly stream in oil and additional 185 grams water. Mix 7 minutes on medium-low speed. Reduce and mix additional 1 minute. Transfer dough to a greased hotel pan. Let ferment 3 hours, folding every 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, transfer dough to a floured work surface and let come to room temperature. Divide into two 1.8 kilogram portions and transfer each to a greased, silicone-lined half sheet tray. Let sit 1½ hours, pulling corners every 30 minutes. Heat Vulcan combination oven to 400°F on full steam setting. Brush dough with additional oil and dock. Bake 22 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely. Reserve.
For the Nasturtium Capers:
In a vacuum bag, combine nasturtium buds, salt, and 2 quarts water. Weigh and add one-percent lemon juice by weight of mixture. Seal and let sit 2 weeks at room temperature. Transfer to a fresh vacuum bag. Seal and refrigerate.
For the Allium Stock:
In a large saucepan over medium flame, heat oil. Add white onions and garlic. Season with salt. Sauté until well caramelized. Add charred onions and 10 quarts water. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook until liquid is reduced by half. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a nonreactive container. Season with salt. Let cool over an ice bath. Cover and refrigerate.
For the Nasturtium Oil:
In a Vitamix Commercial blender, combine all ingredients until warmed through. Let cool over an ice bath overnight. The next day, strain through a coffee filter. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.
For the Fermented Green Garlic:
Weigh green garlic. In a vacuum bag, add green garlic and three-percent salt by weight of garlic. Seal and let sit 1 week at room temperature. Once fermented, transfer to a fresh vacuum bag. Seal and refrigerate
For the Pickled Green Garlic:
Place green garlic bottoms in a nonreactive container and set aside. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine remaining ingredients and 1 quart water. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve over green garlic. Let cool to room temperature. Let sit 24 hours at room temperature. The next day, transfer to a vacuum bag. Seal and refrigerate.
For the Nasturtium Vinaigrette:
In a Vitamix Commercial blender, combine black pepper, 120 grams Pickled Green Garlic pickling liquid, 25 grams Nasturtium Capers, 20 grams Nasturtium Capers pickling liquid, and 20 grams Fermented Green Garlic. Blend until smooth. With the machine running, slowly stream in peanut oil and 40 grams Nasturtium Oil. Blend until mixture is fully emulsified. Season with salt. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.
For the Compressed Celtuce:
Heat Vulcan combination oven to 200°F on full steam setting. Place celtuce in a vacuum bag and set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Add to vacuum bag and shake to evenly coat. Seal. Place on sheet tray and steam 6 minutes, or until softened. Set aside.
For the Sourdough Foam:
Heat oven to 300°F. Place Sourdough Focaccia on a clean work surface and cut into cubes, reserving trim and cubes separately. Transfer 300 grams trim to a parchment-lined sheet tray. Toast until dry and golden brown. Transfer to a nonreactive container and let cool. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring 250 grams Allium Stock to a simmer. Pour over toasted Sourdough Focaccia trim and let steep 30 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing all liquid from Sourdough Focaccia. Transfer strained stock to a Vitamix Commercial blender. Add butter, shio koji, vinegar, sugar, soy lecithin, Versawhip, and xanthan gum. Season with salt and pepper. Blend 1 minute on high speed. Strain into an airtight container and refrigerate.
For the Cured Halibut:
Place fish on a clean work surface. Generously season with salt. Transfer to cloth towels and let cure 1 hour. Once cured, rinse and pat dry. Transfer to a shallow baking dish and refrigerate.
For the Focaccia Croutons:
In a sauté pan over medium-low heat, warm oil. Add 210 grams reserved Sourdough Focaccia cubes and toast until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and let drain. Season with salt. Set aside.
To Assemble and Serve:
In a mixing bowl, combine little gem and spinach. Toss with small amount Nasturtium Vinaigrette. Set aside. Transfer desired amount Sourdough Foam into a mixing bowl. Using a Vitamix Commercial immersion blender, blend until mixtures reaches a foam-like consistency. Set aside. On a clean work surface, cut 1 fillet Cured Halibut into desired-sized slices. Arrange Cured Halibut slices in a single line, slightly overlapping. Line with celtuce leaves. Roll up to form a rose shape. Set aside. Spoon small amount Nasturtium Vinaigrette into a shallow serving bowl. Top with desired amount Compressed Celtuce followed by dressed lettuces, and Cured Halibut rose. Spoon 3 dollops Sourdough Foam around plate. Garnish with garlic blossoms and additional spinach. Finish with 3 Focaccia Croutons.
