RECIPE: Baked fish is an easy antidote to holiday feasting
If you’re looking for a break from holiday feasting, fish is the perfect antidote. It doesn’t have to be boring or intimidating to prepare. Just choose the ingredients and cooking method wisely.
Baking fish is more forgiving than pan frying because you don’t need to worry about flipping tender fillets, or the skin sticking to the skillet. I like to bake a single halibut fillet to serve four, which is easy to check on as it bakes — halibut will flake in large pieces when it’s finished.
It’s also easy to embellish baked fish. Because halibut is mild in flavor, I like to bring in richness with olive oil and nuts and freshness with bright lemon and herby parsley. Olives, marinated in a flavorful oil-based dressing, complement the mild flavor of the fish and offer a pop of briny umami in each bite. I like to use whatever pitted olive mix is available in the antipasti bar at my grocery store; it’s fine if the mix also includes other ingredients like peppers or onions. I add the olives, a bit of their marinade, and thin lemon slices to the fish before baking so their flavors can have a chance to mingle.
Most halibut fillets you’ll find at the fish counter will be around 1 1/2 inches thick and will take around 20 minutes to bake. If you’ve got fish that’s significantly thinner, start checking at 15 minutes; if it’s thicker, plan for 25 minutes. This allows plenty of time to toast pine nuts, chop fresh parsley for finishing and make any side dishes (I like rice and salad).
Baked Halibut with Olives and Lemon
- 1 (1-pound) halibut fillet, about 1 1/2-inches thick
- Salt
- 1/2 cup mixed pitted olives marinated in oil, plus 1/4 cup of the marinade
- 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- On the side: Steamed rice and mixed green salad
- Heat the oven to 450 degrees with a rack in the middle position.
- While the oven is heating, place the fish, skin-side down, in a small baking dish, such as an 8-inch Pyrex. Season with salt. Drizzle the olive marinade over the fish and use your hands or a rubber spatula to coat it evenly. Slice half of the lemon into thin rounds. Place the rounds over the fish, then top with the olives. (Many of the olives will slide off into the baking dish; this is fine.) Slice the remaining half of the lemon into wedges and reserve for serving.
- Transfer to the oven and bake, uncovered, until the fish flakes with a fork, about 20 minutes.
- While the fish cooks, heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the pine nuts and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Immediately transfer to a bowl to stop cooking.
- When the fish is finished, top it with the toasted nuts, any oil remaining in the skillet and the parsley. Serve immediately with the lemon wedges and rice and salad on the side.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 268 calories (percent of calories from fat, 63), 22 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, trace total sugars, 1 gram fiber, 19 grams total fat (3 grams saturated), 56 milligrams cholesterol, 482 milligrams sodium.Note: For nutritional calculations, included salt is defined as 1/16 teaspoon.
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