Roasted Halibut with Lemon and Rosemary

This dinner was inspired by Melissa Clark who writes frequently for the food section of the NY Times.

Menu

Roasted Halibut
Rice
Lima Bean Purée
Wine: Babich Sauvignon Blanc
Dessert: Fresh Pineapple
Pain d’Epices

Recipe

10-ounces halibut fillet, about 1-inch thick
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and white pepper
Fresh or dried rosemary leaves
1 lemon, sliced very thin

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Place fish in a baking dish, brush fillet with olive oil and season with salt and white pepper. Sprinkle fillet with rosemary leaves and cover with lemon slices. Drizzle remaining oil over the lemon slices. Bake in preheated oven till opaque, about ten minutes.

The halibut was utterly delicious. At $26. a pound, it was also incredibly expensive. Fortunately I had bought a whole roasted chicken, rice and beans for $12.50 from Sandy’s two days before. So, it evenened itself out.

Pain d’Epices are aromatic, spiced cookies in the shape of breadsticks that we had discovered in a bakery in Marseille. We had become so addicted to them, we bought a full box and took it back to New York. I had forgotten all about the cookies and rediscovered them, hidden under a box of biscotti, and a tin with home-made croutons. The pain d’Epices were not the worse for waiting. They had kept their crunchy texture, perfumed aroma, and mysteriously spicy taste that had delighted us three years ago.