I made the most amazing Fish last night. I was inspired by a less than exciting “Halibut au Gratin” dish that I had at one of our local restaurants. To me the “-au gratin” brings up thoughts of cheesy potatoes so perhaps my expectations were incorrect in hoping for cheesy baked halibut. What I got was a drenched in butter and not so much flavor halibut.
I decided at the first bite that I would make the best cheesy baked fish I could. I accomplished my goal last night. I used two enameled cast iron ramekins that my mother had passed down to me in an effort to de-clutter some of her life. I also think I used Haddock not Halibut, it was a white fish and over an inch thick but of the flounder consistency (light and flaky) not the swordfish consistency (more dense and meaty).
I split 3/4lb of the fish into two equal amounts and tried to make a relatively even layer of fish on the bottom of each greased ramekin. The below amounts are per serving and are in the order that I layered.
½ tsp lemon juice
1 ½ tsp mayo
1/8 tsp of garlic powder
¼ tsp of onion flakes
1/8 tsp of parsley
1 pat of cream cheese broken up into pea sized pieces and spread evenly
1/8 cup of shredded sharp cheddar
1/8 to ¼ cup of breadcrumbs depending on how thick a crust you want
Light drizzle of olive oil or help the breadcrumbs brown.
I put a dash of cayenne pepper on top because I think heat and creaminess go well together.
I cooked them in my toaster oven which is not the most accurate of temperature keepers but at least it runs hot. So on average it was probably 425 or 450 for 30 to 45 minutes. I waited until the temperature was 145 and happily counting as I never have enough patience to wait until the thermometer slows to a stop.
I knew it was a hit because my husband turned to me and said “Honey, write this one down- it is so good”
I hope you all enjoy!
