Pesto & Parmesan Crusted Halibut

Salmon is generally our fish of choice, but we also eat a little halibut from time to time. As I was planning dinner recently, I thought of using pesto sauce for seasoning and found this recipe, which I used as inspiration. I adapted the recipe a bit for what we had on hand and I now have a new favorite (and incredibly easy) way to enjoy halibut! Even though life is really busy these days, I just had to blog about it, mostly so I wouldn't forget what I did next time I want to make this recipe!

 photo: Pink Parsley 

Pesto & Parmesan Crusted Halibut

4 halibut fillets, about 1 to 2 inches thick
~2 T pesto sauce*
1/2 cup Italian flavored Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese** 
Cooking spray

*We buy pesto in bulk and keep the jar in the freezer.
**We were out of the good stuff, so I substituted with the green can and it was fine.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Line baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. 
3. Pat excess moisture from halibut and place on tray. 
4. Combine Panko bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a bowl.
5. Spread 1-2 tsp pesto on each fillet, then spoon a thick layer of the parmesan-panko mixture over the pesto, pressing lightly to help it stick.
6. Spray with cooking spray, and bake 10-12 min until topping is golden brown and the fish flakes easily with a fork.

My picture didn't turn out very well because I was rushing to pull the rest of dinner together and just quickly snapped a shot with my phone, but I think these look delicious, bad photo and all!