Get Ready for Fish Fridays

This year I’m trying to be better about my observance of Lent (Day 14 people!), so that means abstaining from meat on Fridays until Easter. Now, it’s not a strict vegetarian diet because we’re still allowed to eat fish, which I often do. (Sushi is a top choice if I can afford it.) Still, it takes some planning on my part because I eat chicken and pork so often that meat often creeps into my recipes somehow or another.

It’s also a challenge because Friday is still a work day, so again, as the Single Guy, I’m too tired after going to the gym after work to really do a lot of cooking. That’s why I keep it very simple and easy on the weeknights.

One of the simplest things to do, especially during citrus season, is to serve a nice piece of fish by itself seasoned with only salt and pepper and then served with a refreshing citrus-type salad. The trick to really make your fish look fancy is creating that nice sear on the top. Like I keep hearing Tyler Florence say on his show, “color equals flavor.” I hear you Tyler.

For this recipe below, I bought a nice piece of farm-raised halibut from Whole Foods. It’s a nice, meaty fish that flakes perfectly when cooked just right. And the citrus of choice? A ruby grapefruit. I love grapefruits because they’re so healthy for you. I just served it with some mixed greens and used the juice as the basis for the dressing that I poured on both the salad and the halibut to create a glaze.

To top it off, I roasted some fingerling potatoes as a side. I chose fingerlings because they’re small, so you know what that means, right? Shorter cooking time. They took only 30 minutes to roast in a 350-degree oven. I started with my potatoes and timed the cooking of the fish to finish just as the potatoes got done. So I made everything in 30 minutes. Please don’t call me Rachel. Enjoy!