Healthy eating does not necessarily imply a mere spiritless consumption of micronutrient rich food. There has to be joy attached to it, and flavor makes eating a joyful experience. Tomatoes, herbs and balsamic vinegar add so much flavor to this healthy and simple roasted halibut that you would want to make and eat it again and again. The halibut cooks directly atop the tomatoes making it an easy one pan dish. I chose Pacific halibut because that’s what I had in my freezer, but you can substitute it with any firm white fish such as cod, mahi-mahi or striped bass. If you don’t have balsamic vinegar, use any vinegar you have on hand. My only request to you is use fresh herbs only, because I feel the herbs add punch to this otherwise unassuming dish. Cooking the fish on high heat and less amount of time lends it a moist and buttery texture.
| Ingredients | |
|---|---|
 | 4 eight ounce halibut fillets, each about one inch thick |
| 1 ½ pound plum tomatoes(4 or 5), seeded and chopped |
| 1 cup cherry tomatoes , halved |
| ¼ cup olive oil |
| 1 ½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar |
| 1 green onion, chopped |
| 2 tablespoon chopped Italian basil |
| 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro |
| 1 teaspoon sea salt |
| 1 teaspoon pepper |
| Directions | |
|---|---|
| Preheat oven to 450 degree F |
| Place all the tomatoes in a 13 by 9 by 2 inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Sprinkle with ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. Toss to combine |
| Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper and place atop the tomatoes |
| Whisk oil, vinegar, green onions, basil, and cilantro in a small bowl to blend. Season dressing with salt and pepper and pour over the fish |
| Let stand for 10 minutes |
| Bake fish until just opaque in center, about 11 minutes |
To serve
Rinse and cook one cup quinoa in two cups of salted water. I recommend you refer to Cookie and Kate’s recipe of how to make perfect Quinoa.
Make a bed of quinoa on four serving plates, place 1 fillet on each plate. Top fish with tomato mixture, dividing equally. Garnish with some sliced green onions and serve warm. This makes a perfect meal for people on a gluten-free diet.