Fish and Greens

Last night I whipped up a tasty new marinade thanks to some help from some foodie friends on Twitter.  I sent out a tweet asking what fresh herb I should use with halibut and I had a handful of people suggest...cilantro!

Jessica actually went so far as to say Cilantro Pesto...and while I didn't really want to go quite that heavy handed with the herb...I took the idea and created a Cilantro Marinade instead.

• bigass handful of fresh cilantro (1/3 cup?)
• 1 small garlic clove
• coarse salt
• juice of half a lime
• 1/4 tsp minced green chili (jalapeno)
• 1/8 cup canola oil (maybe a drizzle more to get things moving)

Whirl it all up in food processor, taste and re-season if necessary.  Consistency should be thinner than a paste but thicker than a liquid.  Should be viscous enough to hold onto the fish.

Scoop out of the processor into a large bowl and press fish into the marinade flesh side first.  Schmear around until the filet is totally covered.  (This batch could have covered two filets but I only did one...so went a little heavy handed with the marinade.)

Let sit to marinade if you have time.  I didn't, so into the foil packet my fishie went.

Poke the foil once with a fork, then pop into the oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. 

Fish is cooked when it feels slightly spring to the touch.  Let stand for a couple of minutes before serving. 

I opted to serve my fish with some of that fabulous rainbow chard I picked up last week.  This time I pan-steamed it with diced onion, minced garlic and a bit of butter.  Covered with a lid to get the wilting going.  

Served the fish atop those tasty wilted greens (make sure to drizzle over any tasty juice left in the foil!) and topped with that Mango Salsa that keeps showing up around here.

    I probably never would have thought to use cilantro as the main herb for this dish and I'm so grateful for the suggestions.  I turned out pretty fabulous!  If I do say so myself. :)