Baked Halibut With Tomato Caper Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, three to five minutes, and add the garlic and the capers. Cook, stirring, for three to five minutes, until the onion has softened thoroughly and the mixture is fragrant. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. Stir in the thyme, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the sauce is thick and fragrant. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot or cold.
• Make the sauce as directed and keep warm.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Oil a baking dish large enough for the fish to lie flat. Season the fish with salt and pepper, and arrange in the baking dish. Drizzle the olive oil over the fillets, and place a round of lemon on each one. Cover the dish tightly with foil, and place in the oven. Bake 15 minutes. Check the fish; if you can cut into it with a fork, it is done. If it doesn't yield, (halibut fillets tend to be thick can take time to cook), cover and return to the oven for five minutes. Remove from the oven, and check again. Remove the lemon slices from the fish.
• Place a spoonful of sauce on each plate, and place a piece of fish partially on top. Spoon some of the liquid from the baking dish over the fish. If you wish, top the fish with another spoonful of sauce, garnish with basil leaves and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly oil an ovenproof pan large enough to accommodate all of the fillets in a single layer.
• Stir the lemon juice and salt together, then coat the halibut in the mixture and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Pat the fillets dry with paper towels and place them in the prepared pan. Brush each fillet with 1/4 teaspoon of the olive oil and top with 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the fish is opaque and flakes easily. To be certain the fish is done, push a two-pronged kitchen fork straight down into the flesh. If you feel no resistance, the fish is cooked; if not, return the fish to the oven for another minute or two.
• Top each fillet with 1 tablespoon of the relish before serving.
• variation
• For a totally different taste sensation, marinate the halibut in Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette (page 181) for 30 minutes. Pat the fillets dry with paper towels. Sprinkle each fillet with a pinch of salt and a pinch of cayenne, and bake as above. Top with a dollop of Mango and Avocado Salsa (page 185) before serving.
• storage
• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 days.
• nutrition information
• (per serving)
• Calories: 380
• Total Fat: 28g (4.7g saturated, 17.4g monounsaturated)
• Carbohydrates: 5g
• Protein: 26g
• Fiber: 1g
• Sodium: 450mg
• CULINARY RX
• Nutritionists tout fish as a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which studies suggest may be beneficial for people fighting breast and prostate cancer. But recent research suggests that not all fish are created equal, and what people really should be looking at is the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6, as omega-6s may promote cancer growth. This ratio could be at the heart of the benefits of the so-called Mediterranean diet, which some researchers believe is linked to lower cancer rates in Mediterranean countries. The magic ratio of omega-3s to omega-6s appears to be no less than 1 to 1 (and preferably a lot more omega 3s). For example, halibut's ratio is 2.5 to 1 (good), wild king salmon comes in at 5.6 to 1 (better), and fish roe weighs in at 11.1 to 1 (a slam dunk). By contrast, farm-raised catfish has fifty times more omega-6s than omega-3s. A good rule of thumb is to look for wild fish, as opposed to farm-raised, since the feed given to some cultivated fish can be high in omega-6s.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425.
• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add more oil if necessary.
• Sprinkle halibut lightly with salt and a good shaking of freshly ground pepper. (watch the salt as the capers can be on the salty side).
• Sear the halibut lightly on both sides. Remove the halibut to a large dish with sides.
• Deglaze the skillet with the white wine and lemon juice. Pour over the halibut.
• Cook the fish for 12 - 15 minutes or until it lightly flakes.
• Serve with some of the browned wine/caper sauce over the fish.

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the halibut steaks on all sides until nicely browned. Remove from pan, and set aside.
• Pour the wine into the pan, and use a spatula to scrape any browned bits from the bottom. Let the wine reduce to almost nothing, then stir in the garlic, butter and capers. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the sauce simmer for a minute to blend the flavors.
• Return the steaks to the pan, and coat them with sauce. Cook until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve fish immediately with the sauce from the pan poured over it.