Halibut with Hazelnut Crust

Well, Mother Nature can't make up her mind, and neither can I. We had a beautiful warm Spring weekend which put me in the mood for grilled fish with citrus. I bought all the ingredients, and then the weather changed...again! Cold and rainy?! Oh well! We must adapt, so tonight's dinner changed from grilled to baked; outdoors to indoors. It was still very tasty and satisfying, and carried with it a promise of beautiful spring days to come! Halibut is one on my most favorite fish. You really can't go wrong when you cook it! I usually pan fry it, was anxious to grill it, but it was great baked! So nutty, delicious, and paleo... Enjoy! :-)

Recipe:

1-1/2 lb. Halibut filet (about 4-4oz portions, about 1 inch thick)

1 C toasted and finely chopped hazelnuts (I used my mini-food processor)

2 T fresh parsley, chopped (dried parsley leaves are okay, too)

1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. grey sea salt (optional)

Grated orange zest (from about 1/2 orange)

1 tsp. olive oil

2 T almond milk, unsweetened

2 egg whites

orange slices, garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease baking dish with olive oil. In a medium shallow bowl, beat egg whites with almond mild. Blend toasted hazelnuts in a food processor and add parsley, salt, pepper, and orange zest. Mix well. Place halibut filets in egg mixture, one at a time, and then press into hazelnut mixture. Really press the nuts all over the halibut filets, and then place in baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes. Halibut will be slightly opaque in center. Garnish with orange slices. We served this with a side of steamed asparagus and a green salad. Give it a try...It's a recipe keeper! :-)