Pairing: Fish tostadas with sauvignon blanc

What a beauty our Wine of the Week, Whitehaven 2014 New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($20), is. Aromas are delicate, with hints of citrus zest and “petrichor,” that engaging scent of the first rain on thirsty land after warm dry weather. On the palate, there’s more citrus, especially white grapefruit, along with zucchini skin, fresh nettles and something resembling jalapeño.

The way the wine shows itself as it warms in the glass is particularly interesting. So often, a wine will seem sweeter and a bit flabby as it warms, but this engaging quaffer’s mineral qualities and green characteristics blossom, keeping it brightly refreshing in hot weather.

The wine will pair beautifully with summer salads dressed with delicate vinaigrette or citronette. I would avoid balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar and any sweetened vinegar, all of which will eclipse the wine. Most cream-based dressings should be avoided, too, though a dressing of feta cheese, lemon juice and olive oil will sync up beautifully. When it comes to herbs, chives, cilantro and Italian parsley are your best bets. Brined green peppercorns and capers heighten the match.

As good as vegetable salads are with this wine, seafood is its soulmate. Seafood salads with clams, mussels, calamari, bay scallops and bay shrimp, dressed simply with shallots, lemon juice and a peppery olive oil, make extraordinary companions. Skate wing, sand dabs and such classic preparations as Petrale Sole Meuniere welcome the wine alongside, too. You’ll enjoy this wine, as well, when Dungeness crab is in season and it is a natural with oysters on the half-shell.

For today’s recipe, I’m suggesting a Mexican-inspired grapefruit cole slaw with simple fried halibut on a crisp corn tortilla. If you don’t have halibut, you can use other white, flat fish or bay shrimp. I don’t recommend fatty fish, such as salmon, which will clash a bit with the wine.

Halibut Tostadas with Grapefruit Slaw

Makes 4

3 cups (from about ½ pound) finely shredded cabbage

5-6 small radishes, shaved into very thin slices

¼ cup very thinly sliced red onion

¾ cup white grapefruit segments

1 teaspoon seeded and minced serrano or jalapeño pepper

2 tablespoons fresh white grapefruit juice

- Kosher salt

- Black pepper in a mill

4 tablespoons mildly-flavored extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1¼ pound Pacific halibut fillet, skinned

- Juice of 1 lime

4 large or 8 small corn tortillas, fried until crisp

½ cup local cherry tomatoes, quartered

½ avocado, cut into thin, cross-wise slices

- Cilantro sprigs

1 lime, in wedges

Put the cabbage, radishes, red onion, grapefruit segments and serrano or jalapeño into a medium bowl and toss gently.

Add the grapefruit juice, season with salt and pepper and toss again. Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and half the cilantro and set aside.

Put the remaining tablespoon of olive oil into a heavy skillet set over medium-high heat.

Season the halibut all over with salt and pepper and, when the pan is hot, sauté it on one side for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden brown; turn carefully, cook for 3 to 4 minutes more.

Pour the lime juice over the fish, swirl the pan and transfer the fish to a plate.

Set the tortillas on individual plates and top with the fish, breaking it into chunks first. Top with the slaw, followed by tomatoes and avocado.

Season with salt and pepper, garnish with cilantro sprigs and lime wedges and enjoy right away.

Email Michele Anna Jordan at michele@saladdresser.com. You’ll find her blog, “Eat This Now,” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.