Breaded Halibut Dijonnaise

Halibut season started a few weeks ago and I couldn’t resist picking up two exquisite pieces from the seafood counter to celebrate. I recently vowed to cut down on seafood posts as this was starting to feel like the Plenty of Fish online dating website. The reality however is that the majority of my meals contain something from the sea and these fillets were too nice to pass up.

I wanted to coat the halibut with crushed almonds, similar to the pistachio crusted salmon that I made a few weeks ago, but unable to read my own chickenscratch on the crumpled Post-It note, I forgot the almonds, so we improvised with bread crumbs. If you have almonds, I suggest using them crushed, otherwise it was still delicious with the bread crumbs.

Preparation and cook time: 25 minutes

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

4 small halibut fillets (or 2 large)

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp lemon juice

Dash of paprika

Salt and pepper

1/3 cup bread crumbs mixed with some salt, pepper and 1/2 tsp of oregano (you can even use Shake n Bake if you don’t have bread crumbs)

or instead, 1/2 cup crushed almonds

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

2. In a small bowl prepare the dijonnaise by whisking together the mustard, mayo and lemon juice.

3. Wash and pat dry the halibut pieces, then drizzle with freshly squeezed lemon. Season with salt, pepper and paprika, then cover the top generously with the dijonnaise sauce prepared.

4. Coat each fillet with approximately 1-2 tbsp of the breadcrumbs, or crushed almonds if you have some, then place the fish uncovered in the oven for 20 minutes or until tops are browned and fish is fully cooked. When ready, it should flake nicely with a fork. Serve with finely chopped mint leaves as garnish, if desired.