Author Notes
This is slight adaptation of "Halibut Baked with Olives, Lemon, and Fresh Basil," from Summer on a Plate by Anna Pump and Gen LeRoy. My finicky teenager liked this when I made it for the first time a couple nights ago. —Sadassa_Ulna
Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
-
3 pounds
cod fillets, cut into six pieces
-
3/4 cup
olive oil
-
2
small lemons
-
1 teaspoon
salt
-
1 teaspoon
ground black pepper
-
5
cloves garlic, sliced very thinly
-
2
medium - large tomatoes, sliced thin
-
15
pitted black olives, cut in half
-
1-1/2 teaspoons
fresh thyme leaves
-
2/3 cup
chopped basil leaves
Directions
-
Preheat oven to 400° F. Coat bottom of a large baking dish* with 3 Tbsp. of the olive oil. * Dish should large enough that all fillets can fit without overlapping - I had to use two.
-
Zest lemons then juice them; mix zest and juice with remaining olive oil in a small bowl. Add salt, and pepper.
-
Place fillets in dish(es). Scatter the garlic evenly. Arrange olives and tomato slices on fish, then scatter the herbs over all. Pour the lemon-oil mixture evenly over all.
-
Bake for 25 minutes. Garnish with remaining basil and lemon wedges on the side. [For an easy supper I served this with rice pilaf and a simple green salad.]
Growing up I was the world's pickiest eater, that is, until my children were born. Karma. Neither of my parents were much into cooking; it was the height of eating fat-free or anything with oat bran added. I taught myself some basics, mostly baking, following the guidelines of a well-worn copy of Joy of Cooking. I was a ballet dancer and a teacher suggested I lose weight. As I began reading about diet and nutrition I became interested in natural foods, which led to a job at a macrobiotic natural foods market in Center City Philadelphia; this was way before Whole Foods came to the area. I learned a lot about food in general. I ate strictly vegan for a while, although I don't now, but I still like it when a recipe can taste great without butter or bacon! In short, my approach to cooking is idiosyncratic, and I don't know very much about cooking meat or proper technique. I love to bake and I am still working on expanding my palate and my repertoire. The hardest part is getting the whole family to try new things!
So aside from my food status, I am an architect who likes to garden and play music. I'm married with two kids, and I hope to get a dog someday.
See what other Food52ers are saying.