Foolproof method for oven halibut

Published 12:01 am Monday, February 7, 2011

No doubt about it, it’s a zippity-do-dah day for Forum fish fanciers, and even for the not-so-much fish-eating ones of us.

And it’s all thanks to Burlington cook Jim Gray, who tells us, “I note your call for great cook-indoors fish recipes.

“I would love to take credit for this recipe, but I won’t. I found it on an Alaskan wildlife news page several years ago.

“This recipe is foolproof, it is easy, it is quick, and beyond all of that, it is extremely good. It’s public domain, so spread it around.”

Jim adds, “It definitely is a standard in my recipe book.”

Let’s not, then, hesitate to make:

Lisa Stuby’s quick and easy recipe for baked halibut

For starters, you will need three small bowls, a baking sheet (no need to grease), and halibut that has been cut into approximately 1 1/2 inch squares (or whatever shapes and sizes you prefer).

In the first bowl, grate a mound of Parmesan cheese. I find that a good quality and freshly grated Parmesan cheese tastes better than than pre-grated variety you will find on your grocer’s shelf.

In the next bowl, chop or press a couple of cloves of garlic and pour in extra-virgin olive oil to cover. What you want to do is impart a very garlicky flavor to the olive oil. Pour bread crumbs into the third bowl. I prefer Italian bread crumbs to plain.

After you have your bowls set up, take each piece of halibut, dip in the olive oil mixture to coat, then dip in the bowl of grated cheese too coat, and lastly, roll your piece of halibut in the bread crumbs before placing on a baking sheet. After you have all of your halibut pieces prepared, grate some fresh pepper on top and put the pieces in a preheated oven and bake for about 10 to 20 minutes at about 450 degrees.

The duration of cooking time will depend on the size of the halibut pieces. When the coating starts to brown a little, take a fork and split a halibut square open. The piece should be cooked through, bright white with that typical halibut firmness and flakiness. Be careful not to overcook.

I like to serve my halibut pieces with tartar sauce and lemon, but they will be tasty as is, just fresh out of the oven. I have also used this recipe on other fish, too, including salmon and swordfish.

The next Forum willl appear in Wednesday’s Good Life section.