halibut baked in a bag
via Jamie Oliver’s The Naked Chef Takes Off
serves 4-6
1 1.5-lb. filet of halibut (the book used whole sea bass instead of a filet)
1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced
1 bulb of fennel, finely sliced
1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
sea salt, and ground black pepper
1 tbsp of fennel seeds
2 handfuls of fresh herbs (I used rosemary and (too much) dill)
2 lemons
olive oil
Preheat the oven to 425. Tear off a piece of aluminum foil at least 3 times as long as the fish. (Note: book advises foil be 5 times as long and folding it in half to double thickness but I somehow had extra strength foil). In the middle of the foil, mix red onion, fennel, and garlic. Place fish on veg and season with salt, pepper, and fennel seeds, then top with herbs. (If using whole fish, stuff herbs in the fish.) Make sure there’s enough salt for the veg too! Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the fish, slice the second and distribute the slices over the filet, and pour over with olive oil.
Fold the foil over the fish and seal the three edges tightly, without piercing the foil. Tip: align the foil lengthwise first and fold the edges create a seal. Before rolling down the long edge, pat the veg from the bottom-up and outside-in to make the shape more cylindrical than rectangular (think burrito-makers when you order too much salsa/guacamole/sides/everything delicious). Then fold the three edges in, creating a tight fish-foil burrito.
Set on a baking sheet and cook in the preheated oven for 10 minutes per lb. Please keep note if your filet is thicker in some areas than others - my 1.5 lb fish needed an extra 10 minutes in the oven and I removed the thinner tail end of the filet after 20 minute to prevent overcooking. Once removed from the oven, let the fish rest for 5 minutes before serving.
