Cook This: 20 Minute Dinner – Prosciutto Wrapped Halibut, Quinoa, and Garlic Spinach
This halibut main is one of our old staple dishes that I haven’t made in forever. For some reason I thought of it this week so thought I would go ahead and re-share it with you all (with edits of course.) A perfectly balanced meal (although now I would serve double the fish for more protein, less quinoa, more spinach, and probably another veggie on the side. 🙂
In addition to the fact that this meal is legit delicious, it cooks up in a jiffy. The trick is cooking the main dish at the same time as the sides (and possible your snacks for tomorrow—see tip below.) Even those of us who love to cook can use some quick and easy prep meals.
This is an adapted recipe from a fabulous cookbook my sister gave me a zillion years ago called Fast Fish.
PS wow, my photography skills have improved, uh, a bit over the last 8 years!
THE FISH
INGREDIENTS:Â
- 1-1.5 lbs halibut
- Jar of olive tapenade- I’ve tried this recipe with both green and black tapenade. I liked the black better.
- 1 package of Italian prosciutto
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut halibut into 3 x 3 inch squares (or as close as you can get to this.) When our kid was little, we used smaller pieces so he could just pick them up and take bites.
3. Place a piece of prosciutto on a cutting board, put the fish about 1 inch from the end, and then put 1 TBSP of the tapenade on top of the fish and wrap the meat around the top of the fish, tucking in any extra. Repeat with new pieces until fish is all wrapped up.
4. Place the wrapped pieces of fish in a baking dish and place dish in a preheated oven while you prep the rest of the meal. Cook until fish is to your liking- we like it on the rare side, but of course, that is an individual preference. For 3×3 it typically takes about 20 minutes. I also like to broil for the last 5 minutes to crisp up the ham. Crispy ham is sooooo delish.
QUINOA
Quinoa is a grain that is a little bit higher in protein than many other grains. I love the texture, and also the fact that it is a whole grain but cooks in 15 minutes as opposed to 45 minutes for brown rice. It is common in Peruvian cuisine and can be used in any way that rice is used. It has a bit of a nutty texture.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
Instructions:Â
- Rinse quinoa under the faucet in a sieve or strainer.
- Put water and quinoa in a medium sized saucepan.
- Bring to a boil.
- Turn to simmer and cook until water is absorbed — about 15 minutes. Toss lightly with a fork. The grain should be fluffy and the little ‘tail’ should show on the grains.
SPINACH
We love fresh spinach but also always have several bags of frozen spinach for those times that we need to get dinner on the table quickly. We prefer fresh spinach but when our son was little he significantly preferred frozen. Experiment.
Ingredients:
- 1 large box or 2 lbs of loose spinach leaves. Baby spinach is particularly yummy.
- 3-4 small or 2 large cloves of minced or pressed garlic.
- 2 TBSP olive oil (or ghee or coconut oil if you prefer to avoid olive oil.)
Instructions:
- Preheat oil in pan over medium heat. Do not allow it to get so hot it smokes.
- Add garlic and stir until it is bubbling and juuuuust begins to get a little golden. If you cook it too much it will taste bitter.
- Add the bag of spinach, stir, cover, cook until hot, about 5-7 minutes depending upon your stove.
(For Later!) Tip:
If you have extra prosciutto, tear into small strips and wrap around pitted dates. Maybe even put an almond in the middle for a tiny bit of crunch. Put them in the oven on a baking sheet until ham is crispy. I place a few of these on the plate as well but we also send them with our son to school for his snack.
The actual halibut leftovers work well heated up in the toaster oven as long as you don’t overcook the fish in the first place. I haven’t tried warming them in the microwave but my instinct is that this might not be ideal. I’ll try it when we make this dish soooon and report back.
Yours In Health,
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