Mediterranean Halibut with Lemon, Garlic & Olive Oil
One benefit of this pandemic is that my partner's not traveling for work. So he likes to take over the kitchen from time to time (and I happily oblige). His specialties are black bean chili, minestrone, salsa, omelets and French toast. And now…. this halibut dish!
After a Sunday morning trip to our fabulous farmer's market, we came home with some halibut and sugar snap peas, which he was in charge of turning into a meal. This was the result, and he nailed it on the first try. We've made it several times since because it's that good. It's got the best of the Mediterranean flavors with olives (if you've never had them warm before, you're in for a treat), oregano, tomatoes, garlic, lemon and olive oil.
This meal was inspired by, and transports us right back to, the meals we've had at fish huts nestled into Spanish, Italian and Greek beach coves, bare feet in sand and skin warmed by the sun. It's accessible elegance; a beautiful dish to serve for those weekend dinners with friends none of us are hosting right now, but practical enough to make on a Monday night. I just made it (for the fourth time) last night. I wouldn't have believed a fish dinner would be such an easy weeknight meal either. But it's true. Make it and see for yourself.
Hope you and yours enjoy this just as much!
Mediterranean Halibut with Lemon, Garlic & Olive Oil
Serves 4
Notes: This recipe can easily be scaled up or down. Recipe calls for olives. Use whatever you like or whatever you've got! It's fine to use olives with pits; they're often more flavorful. Just don't forget to warn those you're serving. Some of the amounts are more "eyeballs" than precise measurements. My hope is that it reflects the casual vibe of this recipe and encourages us all to trust our senses (!) and embrace cooking as an imperfect art form, rather than a stressful pass/fail test on precision. Finally, if you need more to fill it out, serve with rice or bread.
6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Juice from 2 juicy lemon
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. ground coriander
1.5 tsp. dried dill
1.5 tsp. salt and black pepper, to taste.
4 fat cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. (450 gr) sugar snap peas (ends and side vein peeled off, if you don't care for strings like me!)
2 handfuls (170 gr) cherry tomatoes
3 forkfuls sliced sundried tomatoes
1/2 medium onion, sliced
16 olives
4 (6 oz / 170 gr) halibut fillets (skinless)
Preheat oven to 450 F / 232 C
In the bottom of a large oval or rectangular, high-sided baking dish, use a fork to mix together olive oil, lemon, oregano, coriander, dill, salt, pepper, and garlic.
Add snap peas, both tomato varieties, onion, and olives. Toss with a silicone spoon or spatula to coat vegetables in dressing.
Add halibut and turn several times at bottom of dish to coat in dressing. Nestle each fillet into veggies just a little so fish isn't sitting on top but rather even with everything else. Make sure baking dish is large enough that fish can be evenly spaced out with vegetables between. Lightly season each fillet with a bit more salt and pepper.
Bake 10-12 minutes. Fillets should be opaque in the center, still moist and flake easily with a fork. Snap peas will be crisp tender and tomatoes will be just beginning to crack.
Serve halibut and vegetables in shallow bowls. Tilt pan to spoon out the very flavorful lemony liquid onto individual servings.