Considering how healthy it is, I don’t make fish enough at home. It’s just not a protein that crosses my mind for some reason. I pass by the fish counter, and I don’t think twice.

Part of it could be the cost. Chicago is located on Lake Michigan, but most fish is flown in from ocean locations, which means high prices.

The other reason I avoid fish in my kitchen is the lingering smell it can leave behind after the meal is finished. I have figured out that cooking fish in the oven avoids any lasting odor.

Also, I find that baking fish is a more foolproof method than pan-frying. Cooking fish in a skillet on the stove top goes so quickly that it’s easy to over cook it.

With the garden on our back deck flourishing in the summer sun, we had oven-roasted halibut with cherry tomatoes for dinner the other night. We also have a couple lady basil plants.

I made a special trip to the fish shop to find a mild white fish and left with halibut. You could also use tilapia or cod in this recipe.

I gave the tomatoes a head start in the oven after I tossed them with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Then I added the halibut filets and covered the dish with aluminum foil. 

It didn’t take long for the fish to be cooked through and the tomatoes to have burst creating a kind of light sauce with the olive oil and vinegar. 

This dinner was a reminder of how incredible a reliable on-pan meal can be. 

For a more filling meal, I served the fish and tomatoes with quinoa. To flavor the grains, I folded in pesto from a jar that I had stashed in the back of my refrigerator. 

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