I have a confession. Despite cooking most nights a week (and making leaps and bounds over the past year and a half as to what I am able to cook) I still struggle to pull an entire meal together at one time, i.e. a protein and two sides. Unless it is a one-pot kind of meal, I tend to just make the protein and be done with it, or I make a huge batch of the side and have that as my dinner. So with Cooking Lightt’s April issue including 40 Meals Under 40 Minutes, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to tackle making an entire meal. I used their Hazelnut-Crusted Halibut with Roasted Asparagus and Roasted Red Potatoes as a base for this meal – Pecan Crusted Halibut with Roasted Asparagus and Potatoes.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 (6-ounce) halibut fillets, skin still on
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 pound asparagus, trimmed
- Cooking spray
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- 2 lemon wedges
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 handfuls of small potatoes (I used red, fingerling, and purple) – Very scientific, I know
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Chop your pecans, trim the woody ends off of the asparagus, and slice your shallots. Combine the tablespoon olive oil, shallots, garlic, and small potatoes in an oven-safe pan. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly. Roast at 400 degrees until soft when tested with a fork, about 30 minutes.
While the potatoes are cooking, combine the 1 teaspoon olive oil, garlic, and asparagus in another oven-safe pan. Season with salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon thyme. When there is about 8-10 minutes left on the timer for the potatoes, add the asparagus mixture to the oven as well. Remove the asparagus and potatoes at the same time.
While waiting for the vegetables to finish cooking, heat the butter and 1 teaspoon olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Brush the tops of the fish fillets with egg white and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Coat the fish with the chopped pecans, pressing to make sure they stick.
Place the fish in the pan, nut side down. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Turn the fish over and cook for 4 minutes or until cooked through.
Serve with lemon wedges.
Look at that! A whole meal, sides and all, in 40 minutes! Everyone knows I am a huge fan of Cooking Light, but this might be the most brilliant issue to date. There is even a snazzy calendar to help lay out your meals for the month. Love it!
So, this was absolutely delicious, and halibut is a really yummy fish. However, I felt super guilty buying it. Not only is halibut really expensive (like $25+/lb), but they are severely overfished and edging closer to being added to the endangered list. Pacific halibut does adhere to sustainable fishing practices, but Atlantic halibut should be avoided. You can also substitute flounder, cod, tilapia, sole, or haddock.
Back to the recipe. The flavors of this dish are wonderful! I loved the crunchy nuts with the tenderness of the fish. Asparagus is now in season so I was happy to use it in a recipe. I love how easy and quick asparagus is to make as well.
And who doesn’t love potatoes? Smaller potatoes allow you to cook them to perfection in a smaller amount of time. You don’t have to remove the skin either so you get all the nutrition from the skins. I also love how colorful they are!
Pecan-Crusted Halibut with Roasted Asparagus and Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 (6-ounce) halibut fillets, skin still on
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 pound asparagus, trimmed
- Cooking spray
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- 2 lemon wedges
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 handfuls of small potatoes (I used red, fingerling, and purple) – Very scientific, I know
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Chop your pecans, trim the woody ends off of the asparagus, and slice your shallots. Combine the tablespoon olive oil, shallots, garlic, and small potatoes in an oven-safe pan. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly. Roast at 400 degrees until soft when tested with a fork, about 30 minutes.
- While the potatoes are cooking, combine the 1 teaspoon olive oil, garlic, and asparagus in another oven-safe pan. Season with salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon thyme. When there is about 8-10 minutes left on the timer for the potatoes, add the asparagus mixture to the oven as well. Remove the asparagus and potatoes at the same time.
- While waiting for the vegetables to finish cooking, heat the butter and 1 teaspoon olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Brush the tops of the fish fillets with egg white and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Coat the fish with the chopped pecans, pressing to make sure they stick.
- Place the fish in the pan, nut side down. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Turn the fish over and cook for 4 minutes or until cooked through.
- Serve with lemon wedges.
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Yummmm, that looks really good! I’ve never cooked halibut.
This looks super delicious. Just the perfect way to eat those fresh asparagus!
Mmmm, I adore pecan-crusted fish. Well done, and perfect sides to go with it, too!
I love halibut, this recipe is great. Well done!
Yummm. Sounds delicious!
yumm! I just brought home some halibut from Whole Foods last night, have to give this a try! I love crusted halibut, plus it makes me feel like sum me really is almost here 🙂
What a delicious meal!!! I love the crust on your halibut…wow!
Halibut is one of those ahhh dishes that I leave for the restaurants to prepare. I love it. Too scared to try it on my own. This looks delicious!
Don’t let it scare you, it was so easy to cook!
What a great combo! I love all three of these.
Healthy and yummy! Love the flavor combinations. I need to cook more food like this than spending more time baking desserts LOL.
I feel you on worrying about sustainability. I sometimes get weird looks when I ask the local market where they fish came from and how they were fished (long-line, etc).
I also saw that in Cooking Light – you version looks absolutely fantastic. The pecans must have been great as the crust.
I enjoy halibut, love asparagus and who doesn’t adore potatoes? I’d say this dish is a home run! Thanks for sharing, lovely photos! =]
Made this for my wife, her comment was “best fish dish ever” used halibut shipped from Alaska that was just caught, vacuum packed and shipped.
Great sides, just added cole slaw.
Thank you.
I have halibut without the skin on. Will this still work?
Hi Mary, yes, it should. It will probably require 1-2 minutes less cooking time though. – Kaitlin