A Fish Dish

I haven't made halibut for a LONG time because, frankly, it's really expensive and my kids balk every time I cook fish (except Dylan, who loves it).  But since I was able to get some for an EXCELLENT price, I broke out one of my oldest recipes.  I saw someone make this on T.V. a long, long time ago (way before the days of the Food Network) and it was the first recipe I wrote down after seeing it on T.V. and actually tried.  Needless to say, I loved it.  It disappeared before I got any pictures, so I'll have to add them next time!  Trust me...it looks, smells, and tastes delicious! Plus, it's very easy to make.

HALIBUT AU GRATIN

4 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup diced onions

3 Tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4-6 serving sized pieces of halibut

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 sleeve Ritz crackers

1 cube butter, melted

Over medium heat, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter.  Add onions and saute until translucent.  Add the flour and whisk for one minute, then continue to whisk while adding the milk slowly.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thick.  Reduce heat and add parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and cook until cheese is melted.

Wash and pat dry fish pieces and place in a casserole dish.  Pour sauce over fish. Crush Ritz crackers and mix with melted butter.  Sprinkle over fish; cover and bake at 400F for 20 minutes (see note below) or until fish flakes and sauce is bubbling.

NOTE:  The amount of time needed to cook the fish depends on the thickness of the pieces.  Check it at 20 minutes, but this last time I made it, my fish was more than an inch thick and it required another 20 minutes to finish.  If the fish is too thick, you could butterfly it to help it cook faster.

 

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

I am not a fish person.  About the only kind of fish I eat or cook has always been halibut and orange roughy, both of which tend to be pricey.  Then I found a recipe for tilapia, a fish I had never heard of, and decided to give it a try.  Not only was it delicious, but the fish was pretty cheap (as fish goes) and now I can usually find it for around $1.99 a pound, making it actually reasonable enough for my family to include more fish in our diet.  I have played around with this recipe, and finally got it exactly the way I like it...and the best thing is, it's complete and ready to eat in under 10 minutes! 

BROILED TILAPIA PARMESAN

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (or a parmesan/romano blend)

1/4 cup butter, softened

3 Tbsp. light sour cream

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/8 tsp. onion powder

1/8 tsp. celery salt

2 lbs. tilapia fillets

Preheat the oven's broiler and spray a baking sheet or line it with foil.  Lay out the fillets in a single layer on the pan.  Mix together all the other ingredients and set aside.  Broil fillets on the top rack for approximately 2-3 minutes.  Flip them over and broil again for another 2 minutes.  Tilapia fillets are very thin and cook quickly, so be careful not to overcook them (you may even be able to skip the flipping step until you add the topping if the fish looks like it's just about done).  Remove from the oven and cover liberally with the cheese spread.  Broil for about 2 minutes more, until the cheese topping is browned and the fish is flaky.