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Special equipment:
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Hickory wood chips (about 2 handfuls), for smoking.
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To make the vinaigrette:
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Prepare a wok smoker by laying 2 layers of foil in the bottom of a wok. Add in 2 handfuls of the hickory wood chips, and set the smoker over high heat. Pour in the water. Wash, quarter, and seed the tomatoes. Pop them into a bamboo steamer.
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Arrange the tarragon and shallots around the tomatoes. Place the steamer onto your smoking wok and cover with lid or foil, and let the ingredients smoke for 20 minutes.
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Transfer the tomato-shallot mixture to a big pitcher, and blend with an immersion blender or use a regular blender. Gradually, add the olive oil in a thin stream, as you are blending to achieve a nice consistency. Season with a pinch of salt and some freshly cracked black pepper.
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To make the halibut:
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Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F. Liberally sprinkle your halibut fillets with coarse salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
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Add just enough oil to coat the bottom of a pan, and set it over fairly high heat.
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Add the halibut fillets to the hot pan, skin side down. Once the first side has browned nicely, about 3 to 4 minutes, flip them over and continue cooking for another 3 minutes. Then, slide the pan into the oven for about 5 minutes to finish cooking. The finished halibut should be firm to the touch and snowy white in color, but since it is a lean fish, it will dry out if overcooked.
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Ladle a pool of the vinaigrette into the bottom of a deep plate, top with a piece of halibut and a few baby greens, if using. Alternatively, you could use arugula tossed with sliced shallots, as a garnish.
