Brie Risotto with Crispy Panko Baked Halibut

I decided to make this dish for a little dinner party I threw celebrating our good friend Carina! She is heading back to Peru and I wanted to make her a delicious meal that was also easy to make for a crowd. I stumbled across Tieghan Gerard’s (creator of Half Baked Harvest!) No Stir Brie Risotto with Lemon Butter Asparagus and had to try it! I wanted to add a little more to the dish so I topped with a piece of baked halibut and it turned out amazing! The risotto recipe says it serves six people, but the portion sizes are very generous. I ended up doing one full recipe and it served eight people perfectly. If you are looking to make this recipe for a smaller group I would cut it in half! 

Note: This recipe can get to be a little complicated with all of the steps. If you are not on a time crunch I recommend doing the risotto first, then once it is pretty much done start the asparagus, and then keep both the risotto and asparagus warm over low heat while you cook the fish. The method of doing each component individually will ensure the recipe turns out great! 

*photo by Liza Cox

Serves 8 

Risotto Ingredients from Half Baked Harvest: 

6 cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth plus additional as needed

3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

5 tablespoons Salted Butter

3 cloves Garlic, minced or grated

2 cups Japanese Sushi Rice or Arborio Rice

1 cup Dry White Wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc

1 tablespoon Lemon Zest, plus 3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

8 ounces Brie, rind removed and cubed

1 bunch Asparagus, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh Thyme Leaves

Salt and Pepper to taste

Halibut Ingredients: 

2 lbs of Halibut (4 to 6 oz filets per person) 

½ cup of Panko breadcrumbs

3 tbsp of Olive Oil 

1 tbsp of Garlic Salt ( I use the Trader Joe’s brand that has sea salt, roasted garlic, onion and parsley)

Sunflower Microgreens to garnish! 

1. Follow the Half Baked Harvest recipe to make the Brie Risotto and Asparagus. I opted to keep my asparagus whole versus chopping it for the presentation but either way will work! 

2. Once you have finished the risotto and asparagus you can leave them over low heat to keep them warm while the fish cooks. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. You may need two baking sheets depending on the size if you have 8 fish filets. 

3. Take the skin off the halibut. Most halibut you buy (I get mine from Whole Foods) will have the skin on. For this recipe, I took the skin off the halibut because it would not crisp in the oven and is sitting on top of the risotto. 

4. In a small bowl combine panko, olive oil and garlic salt. 

5. Place fish filets on baking sheets and top with the panko. You will want the top of each filet to be covered with a thin layer of panko. 

6. Bake the halibut in the oven for 12 minutes at 400. After 12 minutes you will want to turn on the broiler to help the panko turn golden brown. This will only take 1 to 2 minutes so be sure to watch very closely or else the panko will burn! 

7. Remove fish from the oven. Plate the dish starting with risotto, then asparagus and top with the halibut. Garnish with microgreens and a crack of fresh ground pepper. Enjoy! 

*photo by Vaughan Syer