1. Preheat the oven to 400F.

2. Marinade the halibut for at least 15 minutes.

In a large Ziplock back, mix:

• 1 tbsp crushed or minced garlic (from 2-3 cloves of garlic)
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• couple grinds freshly ground pepper

Before adding the halibut, I recommend cutting off the skin. It’s annoying, but it ensures the marinade gets through to as much fish as possible. That said, you could just leave the skin on the fish and not eat it (the way we are cooking the fish – skin down – will not make the skin tasty.

To do this (and minimize grossness), I get 1 rubber glove and put it on my left (non-dominant) hand.  I prepare a cutting board by placing several paper towels on top. Put it near the sink. Get a couple extra paper towels and place them within easy reach of the cutting board.  Get a paring knife. Take a deep breath. Better times are ahead. Now let’s do this.

Remove the halibut from its packaging with the gloved hand. Rinse it off under cold water. Then place it onto your padded cutting board. Use the extra paper towels to pat it dry. Grab your knife in your non-gloved (dominant) hand. If the 1 lb of halibut is not already cut into 2 fillets, do this first. It will make removing the skin a bit easier.

Then, turn the halibut on its side and use your gloved hand to pull the skin away from the flesh, and your non-gloved hand to cut away the skin, staying as close to the skin as possible.

Once you’re finished, toss the skin (or fry it up for your dogs/cats and make the kitchen very pungent). Put the halibut into the bag, throw out your glove, and seal it up. Let it marinade for at least 15 minutes – ideally closer to 30-40 minutes.

3. Prepare the olive tapenade.

While the halibut marinades, you can prep your olive tapenade – or you can do this while the fish is roasting.

Combine well in a small bowl:

• 1 1/2 cups kalamata olives, chopped finely;
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed;
• 3 tbsp lemon juice;
• 2 tbsp olive oil; and
• 3 tbsp cilantro, parsley, and/or chives (any alone or mix will do).

4. Roast the halibut in a glass or ceramic pan at 400F.

Take the halibut fillets out of the Ziplock back and place them (ex-skin-side down) in a glass or ceramic baking dish.

Roast in the oven until the thickets part of the fish reaches 125F. This should take about 15-20 minutes, depending on how thick the fillet is. Good rule of thumb is about 10 minutes per inch of thickness.

Let it sit for about 5 minutes before eating so that the internal temperature comes up a tad before you eat.

5. Enjoy!

After they rest for 5 minutes, they’re ready to eat. Top with the olive tapenade and enjoy.