Friends brought us some macadamia nuts from Hawaii, so I made macadamia crusted halibut with mango salsa and served it with roasted asparagus with lemon, garlic and parmesan and coconut lime rice with toasted coconut.

It was delicious.  My husband cleaned his plate, and he is fussy about fish.  Halibut is such a wonderful fish to cook at home or have out. It’s definitely one of my favorites. I altered to our tastes both the fish and salsa recipes that I found on the web.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 2)

2-6-8 oz halibut filets, skin and any bones removed

1/2 c panko

3/4 c macadamia nuts

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1 egg, beaten with a fork

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 350º.
  • Place the panko and the macadamia nuts on a baking sheet keeping them separated (I used parchment paper).
  • Toast both the panko and nuts for 5-10 minutes or until just starting to brown.
  • Transfer the toasted panko to a shallow bowl.
  • Using a food processor, or by hand, chop the macadamia nuts. (Don’t overdo it in the processor, as they can get mushy)
  • Add the chopped nuts to the toasted panko and mix.
  • In another shallow bowl, beat the egg.
  • Turn the oven up to 375º.
  • Trim any skin or bone from the halibut filets and salt and pepper to taste. Dip the fish in the egg, coating on all sides. Next, dip the fish in the panko and nut mixture making sure to cover as much of the fish as possible (even the sides) and set aside.
  • Heat the olive oil over medium high-heat in a large oven-safe skillet.  Make sure it is hot before you add the fish.
  • Cook until golden brown on the bottom (about 3 minutes) and then flip to cook the other side.
  • Once both sides have turned a golden brown place the skillet in the oven to finish cooking, about 7–8 minutes depending on the thickness of the filets. (If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet use a baking dish).
  • Top with the mango salsa (see recipe below) and serve. (I made coconut lime rice and asparagus with lemon, garlic and parmesan as the side dishes).

Mango Salsa

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 ripe mango, diced (make sure you don’t get any bits of skin)
  • 1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/3 cup chopped red onion
  • ¼ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped or full leaf (if you don’t like cilantro, use flat leaf parsley)
  • 1 small jalapeño or half large, seeded and minced (can leave out if you don’t like the heat)
  • Zest of one lime
  • 1 large lime, juiced (about ¼ cup lime juice)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a serving bowl, combine the prepared mango, bell pepper, onion, cilantro (or parsley) and jalapeño. Drizzle with the juice and zest of one lime and mix well. Season to taste with salt. Let the flavors set for at least 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.