Simple Baked Halibut for a No-Brainer Friday Supper

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Jenny is in perpetual search for easy, weeknight recipes to attempt to feed her family. When they balk, she just eats more.

Today: Keep things simple with baked halibut.

Baked Halibut on Food52
Baked Halibut on Food52

I like to do all manner of fun things with fish, but I confess that baking is my favorite. High oven temperatures met with a watchful eye create the best texture for most fish, except maybe the crab cake, which I guess is not really fish.

Sometimes, the simplest, most old-fashioned preparation is in order. This halibut reminds me of something someone’s mother would make (not my mother, who largely contained herself to roast beef and rare steaks), or the sort of thing you order at lunch at an expense account fish restaurant in downtown Washington with a colleague because you guys are keeping it simple as you try to convince him, unsuccessfully, to take over the world. That’s one example.

More: If you do want to take over the world, start with these blondies.

All you are really doing here is adding old-fashioned salt and pepper and breadcrumbs, aided by butter, not oil. Watch your fish; mine was done in about 15 minutes, but this does depend on how thickly it is sliced.

Baked Halibut

Serves 4 to 6

1 1/2 pounds halibut or cod
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon chopped chives
Canola or olive oil

  1. Heat oven to 400° F.

  2. Remove the skin from the fish either now, or before serving.

  3. Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper to taste and place it in a baking dish that has been sprayed with a little oil.

  4. Melt butter in a medium-sized bowl in the microwave. Be sure to cover the top of the bowl with a paper towel to save yourself clean up time inside the microwave.

  5. Combine the bread crumbs with the butter until well coated, and spoon the crumb mixture over top of the fish. Cover the top of the fish evenly.

  6. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes if about 1 inch thick; 30 minutes if 1 1/2 inches thick. When done, the fish should flake with a fork. Sprinkle it with chopped fresh chives, and serve.

Save and print the recipe on Food52.

Photo by Mark Weinberg

This article originally appeared on Food52.com: Baked Halibut