Declared “the best fish dinner ever” by my boys; this baked Halibut with a Pine Nut Crust is one of my favorite meals too. The first time I made this recipe, one of my boys happily ate the crust first and then wondered aloud if we could have a meal of nothing but the topping because it was so delicious.
Serve this Pine Nut Crusted Halibut with Rice Pilaf , Crispy Brussels Sprouts, Hasselback Potatoes, Zucchini Ribbons, or any of your favorite salads and side dishes. The fish is certain to impress both family and friends.
Halibut with a Pine Nut Crust
Recipe barely adapted from and with thanks to Kayln's Kitchen
Servings: 4 -5 servings
Ingredients
- 4 white fish filets about 6 ounces each
- 6 tablespoons pine nuts finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese finely grated
- 2 large garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons pesto I've used both parsley and basil pestos
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Let the fish fillets warm on the counter for at least half an hour prior to cooking them. You want them to be almost room temperature before placing them in the oven, this will help them cook through before the topping is too brown.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the fish in a large shallow baking pan. Mix together the pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic, pesto and mayonnaise. Divide this mixture in half and then use a rubber scraper to spread the crust mixture over the top surface of each fillet. Pile it on so that all of the topping is used.
- Bake the fish 10-20 minutes, until the fish is firm to the touch and the crust begins to very lightly brown. The thickness of your fish will determine the cooking time. Serve hot with lemon wedges. Enjoy!
Notes
Halibut, tilapia, cod, grouper, or any other mild white fish will work well with this recipe. Watch your cooking times closely! Depending on the thickness of the fish, the cooking time will vary from 10-20 minutes.
Tried this recipe?Mention @WPRecipeMaker or tag #wprecipemaker!
{originally posted 8-15-12 – recipe notes and photos updated 5-10-15}
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Joanne says
I have to agree with your son. I do kind of want to lick that crust off!! But I bet the whole package tastes pretty darn good as well!
Jenn says
Looks absolutely delicious, Mary! I can see why it was declared the best fish dinner ever!!
[email protected] says
This looks great! And any recipe that is declared the best is definitely a keeper!
Athena @ Lifes Abundant Adventures says
This looks incredible! Next time I have halibut in my kitchen, I'm trying this! 🙂
Tricia @ saving room for dessert says
There you go again – talking about all this great fish in the freezer. Ha-ha – so completely jealous. Really jealous because this looks so much better than my dinner last night. I can't imagine how wonderful those flavors are together. Another great post Mary!
Sue/the view from great island says
This is my kind of dinner, and I think I may have noticed recently that the price of pine nuts is coming down just a bit…yay! Did your husband catch halibut, too?
Mary says
Yes, he did. So, I have a shelf full of halibut as well. I've been cooking at least 3 fish dishes a week and loving it. I have a new one planned for tomorrow. I can't wait!
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
This really sounds like a lovely way to cook halibut. I have plenty of fresh parsley in the garden for the pesto as well.
Jed Gray (sportsglutton) says
Sounds like a perfect topping for halibut. 🙂
Geni says
The crust does look delish but you also cooked the fish to perfection. I can just see how juicy it is.What a great new fish dish for me to add to my collection.
Chris says
I HAVE to keep this in mind next week, our older son brought a ton of fish back from Florida and it's hiding out in the freezer waiting for an awesome recipe like this.
The Café Sucré Farine says
This looks absolutely amazing and your photos are wonderful and so enticing – I'm ready to run out and buy some halibut!
Carrie says
What a lovely and simple dish. Looks wonderful!
Lea Ann (Cooking on the Ranch) says
Beautiful meal and beautiful job on that fish.
Dee D. says
That looks beautiful and delicious! I think I might do the same thing as your son, because the topping just sounds amazing.
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Good morning, I featured this recipe on my blog today for my weekly seafood round-up. It looks great, thanks for allowing me to share! Here is the link: http://carriesexperimentalkitchen.blogspot.com/2012/08/week-30-seafood-frenzy-friday.html
Silver Salmon Fishing says
Love, love your blog! More power to you!
Kalyn Denny says
Not sure why I am just seeing this now, but so glad it was a hit!
Tanya Walker says
I made this and man oh man was it delicious!!!!!!!