Lemon & Thyme Halibut Baked in Parchment Paper with Polenta and Zucchini

This is the perfect dinner for one. It's quick and easy with little to no clean-up. Plus it's an absolutely delicious way to cook fish. Baking fish in parchment paper keeps it moist and tender and all the flavors of your ingredients infuse together. In this recipe, I use a simple pat of butter, a slice of lemon and fresh thyme to infuse my halibut fillet with heavenly goodness. The polenta soaks up the butter sauce while the zucchini keeps it's crunch due to the quick cooking time. But the real beauty of this culinary creation is you hardly have any clean-up. Everything is baked and served right in the parchment paper. How easy is that! And of course this recipe can easily be adjusted for more servings and prepared ahead of time. Make up your halibut packets, refrigerate (up to 4 hours) and pop them in the oven when you're ready to serve an amazing dinner. ~Audrey 

Ingredients:

6-8oz halibut fillet

4 slices pre-cooked polenta

6 slices zucchini

1 small garlic clove, diced

1 lemon slice

1 pat of butter

fresh thyme

salt & pepper to taste

diced green onion & red pepper for garnish

Serves 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In this recipe I used Food Merchants Brand Basil Garlic pre-cooked polenta.  

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 4 slices of polenta in the center and top with zucchini slices.   

Place halibut fillet on top, sprinkle with garlic and thyme. Add a lemon slice and a pat of butter. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.

Wrap everything up. Make sure you fold all the edges tight. What you are essentially doing is steaming the halibut till it's done while all the flavors infuse together.

Place your packet of goodness (on a baking sheet) in a 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of your fish. I like to use a thermometer to check for doneness. I just insert my thermometer into the fish right thru the parchment so I don't have to open the packet and mess everything up. Fish should reach and internal temperature of 130 degrees.

Place your delicious halibut packet on a plate and dinner is served. Be careful when unfolding the parchment paper-the steam is hot! 

Here I am with my "chicken" halibut I caught in Homer, Alaska on a friend's skiff. We call them chickens because they are small, only about 20 pounds. We threw a bunch back but near the end of the day I really wanted to take some halibut home so I kept these little guys.