Easy Summer Dinner: Roasted Halibut

I love easy summer dinners that are full of flavor but light on prep work.  Roasted Halibut is my go-to dish for entertaining friends or for quiet dinners with my husband after the kids are in bed.  This recipe is best with fresh, never-frozen halibut, for which I am lucky to have a convenient local source, but almost any halibut is better than none!  You can also substitute Chilean sea bass.  I love that roasting either of these fish doesn't make my kitchen smell bad!

Here's the recipe for two servings:

2 6-ounce skinless halibut fillets
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary*
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme*
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons of softened butter
2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese
Sea salt
Rosemary sprigs (for optional garnish)

(*In a pinch, when out of fresh herbs, I've substituted herbes de provence with good effect)

Coat a glass baking dish with cooking spray.  Place halibut fillets in dish and season liberally with sea salt and lime juice.

Combine the butter, lime zest, thyme, and chopped rosemary in a small dish, and then spread the mixture onto each fillet.

Roast at 450 for 15 minutes, or until fish flakes easily.  Sprinkle parmesan cheese on each fillet and garnish with rosemary sprigs.

If you aren't afraid of fat and want to add a ton of flavor, consider wrapping the fillets in either a strip of bacon or a thin slice of prosciutto.  Roast as otherwise directed above.

I serve the fish with a simple side of crisp, steamed green beans and accompany the meal with a buttery chardonnay. Yum!