Herb and Garlic Crusted Haddock with Oven Baked Ratatouille

Today we have a very special treat for you. Special guest chef J fancied up a beautiful Valentine's Day dinner for moi the other night. Though my horrible pictures do NOT do justice to the beauty and elegance that greeted my eyes that night, rest assured it was one meal I won't soon forget. I believe I'll have her make it as her specialty from now on.

So what ungodly bit of grub did she prepare? Herb and Garlic Crusted Haddock with Oven Baked Ratatouille. Simply amazing. For one there's this plump, juicy piece of white fish, lightly covered with just the right seasoning, texture, and mmm-ness. Then there's this behemoth of a dish - layers upon layers of vegetables (which I love) flavored like there's no tomorrow.

I cannot stress how tempting it was to consume the two other fillets and the rest of the rest of the ratatouille, but I had to save room for the dessert she also made. More on that another day.

Thank you for such an outstanding day. It was definitely worth all the trudging I did in the afternoon.

Simply put: try it. You'll love it. Enjoy!

Herb and Garlic Crusted Haddock

Ingredients

2 tablespoons chopped chives
2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
4 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
4 (6-ounce) halibut fillets
Salt and lemon pepper

Directions

Brush each fillet with olive oil and season with salt and lemon pepper, dredge, skin side down in the herb/bread mixture. Coat both sides. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large saute pan until almost smoking. Add the fillets, skin-side down and saute until lightly golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, turn the fillets over and continue cooking until the fish is just cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes more.

Ratatouille

Ingredients

2 large red onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic, finely sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons each, finely chopped, fresh thyme, rosemary, parsley, combined in a bowl
1 large eggplant, sliced 1/2-inch thick
2 zucchini, sliced 1/2-inch thick
2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into eighths
2 yellow bell peppers, seeded and cut into eighths
5 plum tomatoes, cored and cut into 1-inch thick slices
Fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium casserole, make a layer of onions, drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with some of the herbs. Repeat with the remaining vegetables. Cover and bake in the oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, pressing down on the vegetables occasionally, until the vegetables are completely tender. Garnish with fresh parsley.

 Inspiration for this dish comes to us from Food Network. There you can see the other tips and tricks readers posted in the comments.