Pan Roasted Line Caught Halibut with Soy-Lemon Sauce

I guess I'm into a bit of a Ming Tsai mood lately. Again, I saw a recipe that he prepared on Simply Ming which I needed to try. This time I was compelled by the browning then roasting of the fish and cherry tomatoes together. I like starting off in a pan and then finishing up in the oven.

However I has put off from making this because it called for preserved lemons. And of course Ming had a huge jar or preserved lemons with some jalapenos and lemongrass in there... but I was on my own. I couldn't find them at any of the three specialty stores I went to, but read how easy they were to make online. The problem is, they take about a month. It did seem that you could eat them after about a week so I decided to give them a try. I used Claudia Roden's recipe that I found online with Meyer lemons as a basis for mine:

Preserved Lemons
2 meyer lemons
1/3 cup sea salt
1/2 cup lemon juice

Scrub lemons very well and then cut up the long way into 8 wedges each (you eat the rind so make sure to clean them good). Cover them with 1/3 cup Coarse Sea Salt and 1/2 cup juice of a regular lemon. Stir well. Covered them up nice and air tight and let them sit out on the counter for a week. Stir them and re-cover every night for one week. On the 8th day add 1/2 cup of olive oil, stif and recover. Store in refrigerator for up to six months.

But after the first week I was ready to try this recipe. The rinds were soft so I figured they were ready. I was unsure about the lemons because they tasted so salty, but after a bit of research, I decided to give them a rinse and then trim that so that I was only using the peel. I used almost all of the lemons in this recipe, but the few that were left sat it the fridge for a few more weeks and I can confirm they get better with age. In fact, I'm getting ready to make another batch.

Pan Roasted Line Caught Halibut with Soy-Lemon Sauce
Serves 4

4 6-ounce center-cut halibut fillets, skin off
2 large minced shallots
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 Tablespoons white wine
2 Tablespoons low sodium organic soy sauce
1/3 cup chopped preserved lemons
1/4 cup chopped chives
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil

Pre-heat over to 400 degrees. In an large saute pan or cast iron skillet, coated lightly with olive oil, season the halibut with salt and pepper and sear until brown on top side, about 2 minutes. Flip halibut and add shallots and tomatoes in between the pieces of fish, drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top and place in oven. Roast for about 12-14 minutes until cooked through. Transfer fish to a plate and place pan on high heat. De glaze pan with win and add preserved lemons. Reduce by half and add soy sauce. Check for seasoning. Plate fish and encircle with sauce. Garnish with chives.