improv: halibut over spinach

I don't particularly enjoy cooking for people that don't always have my food. If I mess up, there's really no way to redeem myself. 

At Whole Foods this afternoon, my dad informed me I was to whisk together dinner tonight for him, my uncle, my brother, my grandmother, and myself. My grandmother and my brother follow a white-food diet, so fish it was. I remembered a simple recipe on doitdelicious.com with halibut, a fish I'd actually never cooked before. Of course problems arise: the fish is much thicker than the recipe calls for, so it took fifteen minutes longer, which, in turn, caused the bed of spinach to practically burn (however, my consumers were polite to tell me otherwise). Here's the basic recipe. But, as lessons teach, expect to improvise and compromise with... isn't that what cooking is?

Perfect Halibut over Spinach

Doitdelicious.com (www.doitdelicious.com/recipes/make_it/perfect_halibut_over_spinach)

4 servings

Ingredients

1 clove garlic, smashed and cut in half

10 ounces baby spinach

1 tablespoon olive oil plus more for rubbing

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

4 4-ounce halibut filets, skin removed

1 lemon cut into 8 slices 

Time to Whisk

Heat the oven to 450° F. Rub a sheet pan with the cut side of the garlic then discard. In a large bowl, toss the spinach with 1 tablespoon of the oil and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and spread evenly on the sheet pan. Season the halibut with the remaining teaspoon of salt and rub with a thin coat of olive oil. Place on top of the spinach and top each fillet with 2 lemon slices. Bake until the halibut flakes easily, 7-8 minutes.

When baking, follow directions.  When cooking, go by your own taste.  ~Laiko Bahrs