Halibut with Lemony Yogurt Dill Stuff

In an effort to eat less red meat (and more fish), I tried cooking halibut. I've always been intimidated by fish in the kitchen for some reason, and rarely attempt to cook it. Okay, that just conjured up an image of a massive menacing mackerel with a mallet staring me down in front of the stove. (How's that for some alliteration!) I'm not being bullied, I'm really just worried that I'll really screw it up because I can never really tell when fish is done. And let's face it, fish is not cheap.

So, I've made this a couple of times now, and it's a hit. As Scoob says, "It's fancy fish."

Halibut with Lemony Yogurt Dill Topping

Halibut with Lemony Yogurt Dill Topping

Cooking time: 20 minutes
Prep time: 5 minutes
Servings: 3–4

Ingredients

2 6oz halibut steaks

zest and juice from 1 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

½ cup plain yogurt

1 Tbsp breadcrumbs, plus 1½ tsps for topping

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus 1 tsp for topping

2 tsps fresh dill, chopped (or ¾ tsp dried)

Directions

1. Place oven rack in top third of oven an d preheat to 425°.
2. Place the halibut steaks in a small baking dish lined with foil. Sprinkle with half of the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Bake for about 8 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, stir together yogurt, 1 Tbsp breadcrumbs, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, dill, and the remaining lemon juice. Spread over the tops of the steaks, sprinkle with remaining breadcrumbs and cheese. Bake for 10–12 minutes or until fish is cooked through. Finish by browning the tops under the broiler for about 2 minutes, and serve with lemon zest sprinkled over the tops.

The first time I made this I used fresh basil in place of the dill, not because I thought they would taste the same, but because I'm just more likely to have basil in the house than dill. But the dill is definitely a more noticeable flavor and the one I preferred (though Scoob liked the basil version better). My dill version was also more lemony because instead of using just half a lemon like the original recipe called for, I thought the breadcrumbs and Parmesan made the topping too stiff so I used the rest of the lemon juice to thin out the topping a bit and make it more spreadable.