Hot DISH: The succulent pleasures of North Star’s halibut

Halibut is served over corn kernels and sweet potato cubes immersed in salsa verde.

Above, North Star Executive Chef Matt Riha puts the finishing touches on the seared halibut. Below, the Pound Ridge restaurant has served up fine-dining dishes amid its rustic, casual vibe for more than 20 years. AMY SOWDER PHOTOS

By AMY SOWDER

It’s all about the mouthfeel of that North Star halibut.

When you encounter one, your bite descends down on the crackle-crunch of the caramelized crust on that succulent, seared whitefish. Then the buttery, soft flesh underneath that whisper-thin crispiness surrenders to your tongue, one layer at a time.

Make no mistake. Executive Chef Matt Riha and his kitchen staff had every intention of creating this exact moment in your eating experience. The Pound Ridge restaurant has served up fine-dining dishes amid its rustic, casual vibe for more than 20 years.

“Halibut has a soft, sweet flavor, a creamy consistency, and a good mouthfeel,” Riha said. “Texture is really important.”

Your other senses aren’t left out either.

Consider the visual presentation of the Pacific flatfish atop a pile of roasted sweet potato hash and fresh corn over a pool of salsa verde. When the plate lands at your table, it first feeds your eyes with the pop of white over yellows, oranges and greens. Then the savory, buttery scent snakes its way to your nose. 

And the dish’s varied flavors are like a party where all your guests fulfill a different social role, creating a raucous good time. The slight smokiness of the sautéed sweet corn off the cob and diced, roasted sweet potato balances the bright, acidic, herbaceous salsa verde.

Chopped, sautéed tomatillos, poblanos, jalapeños and yellow onions are blended with vegetable stock for a sauce that lives up to its name. “It changes color as you cook it,” Riha said, as he stirred the sauce in a shallow pan. “See how it’s a bright, vibrant green in the middle? Now it’s an army green on the outside.”

Riha has been working with North Star’s owner, David Schlack, for 19 years,  a tenure of rare durability in the foodservice industry. “David is, quite honestly, a unicorn of restaurant owners.”

Schlack, who will dice potatoes himself while watching “Mash” reruns before the restaurant opens, said Riha is an exceptional chef who in his skill paired with humility. 

Low-key professionalism is a vibe felt in the dining room, too. “We’re just about people being comfortable here. We want them to feel at home,” Schlack said. “And that’s what a lot of our customers feel. We make food simple, so it tastes good.”

Diners will discover endive pear salads with gorgonzola, prosciutto, pistachios, and a Champagne vinaigrette, and decadent duck confit dumplings with apple-rosemary puree. You’ll also see chicken cutlet with mashed potatoes, and a turkey meatloaf with English peas and carrots in mustard-chicken jus.

Added to the menu last summer, the halibut has become a new customer favorite.

That 6 or 7 ounces of gleaming white fish comes from a line-caught Pacific halibut, the largest species of flatfish.

Fun fact: “barn door” halibut can grow to as large as 8-feet long by 5-feet wide. That’s because as halibut grow, the left eye migrates to the right side and the fish turns so it’s flat to the ocean floor and both eyes are looking up — the better to prey upon its dinner.

But back to your dinner.  Once the sauce is blended and potatoes roasted, 

the remaining preparation is actually quite simple.

After heating up his pan, Riha squirts his oil — a 90/10 blend of vegetable and extra virgin olive — before laying down a halibut filet, nudging the pan in tight circles to create the perfect sear. Then Riha places the pan in the oven and tackles the accompaniments, giving the corn kernels a light char in another pan, where they soon mingle with the sweet potato cubes. The salsa verde warms in a third pan. After a couple check-ins on the fish roasting in its pan and a flurry of kosher salt, Riha starts plating.

“We do everything we can to make it as simple as possible, using fresh, whole ingredients,” Riha said.

North Star is located at 85 Westchester Ave., Pound Ridge