We LOVE halibut and have had it at restaurants and fish and chip stands around the Northwest but I’d never bought it to prepare myself before because it’s usually so $$$ and I was afraid I’d ruin such a fancy fillet of fish. Hah you’d think I’d have more confidence in my cooking by now. But then I found fresh halibut for a relatively reasonable price at Costco and bought it. And then I found this recipe that promised heavenly halibut so I give it a shot…

I did reduce the amount of butter and mayo quite a bit because I knew it wasn’t necessary and I wanted to actually taste the fish! And the recipe was right, it was heavenly. And easy. And now we want to eat halibut every night (though can’t afford it.)

The second time around I made this recipe with tilapia (as pictured), which is much cheaper and I had some in the freezer. And guess what? Still absolutely delicious! Use high quality mayo and freshly grated Parmesan for the best flavor. A bit of lemon juice and green onion/chives balances out the richness. And a pinch of dill and cayenne to taste make it more interesting.

Broiled Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia (or Halibut)

INGREDIENTS

~1 lb. tilapia, halibut, or another flaky white fish
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp. chopped green onion or chives
pinch fresh or dried dill (or another herb such as parsley)
dash cayenne pepper, to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra lemon or herbs for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Line a large baking pan or dish with aluminum foil. Lightly coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Place the fish fillets on the foil (making sure to pat them dry if needed), and season the fish with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2. In a medium bowl, stir to combine the Parmesan, butter, mayonnaise, lemon juice, green onion/chives, dill (or herb of choice) and cayenne pepper. Add a dash of salt and pepper.
3. Spread the Parmesan mixture over the tops of the fillets, coating them evenly.
4. Adjust the oven rack depending on the thickness of your fish fillets: If they are very thin the rack can be close to the top. If they are thicker, move the rack lower down so the tops don’t burn before the fillets cook through.
5. Turn on the oven broiler to high.
6. Place the pan under the broiler and cook until the topping is golden brown and the fish is just done and flakes easily with a fork. It should take anywhere from about 4-10 minutes, depending on the size of the fillets. (My thin tilapia fillets only took 4 minutes. When I’ve made halibut it takes a few minutes longer.)

Serves 3-4.

(Adapted from Spend with Pennis and AllRecipes)