Prosciutto-Wrapped Halibut with Sage Butter Sauce

This recipe is from Fine Cooking issue 75. It's super easy and looks great on plate. The herbed fillets are wrapped in a belt of prosciutto and baked. A sage butter sauce with a spike of lemon is prepared and dabbled over the cooked fillets at the end. I think this dish would be nice for a dinner party becauce once the halibut is prepped, it just goes in the oven and comes out looking spectacular with the colors of the pink prosciutto, the green sage and the snowy white halibut. I served mine with Spinach Catalania or spinach sauteed with raisins. The sweet raisins played off the salty prosciutto. And it was italian-y love.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Halibut with Sage Butter Sauce

From Fine Cooking issue 75
Serves 6

2 large lemons
6 1-inch thick halibut skinless fillets (about 6oz each)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
A bunch of fresh sage leaves
6 thin slices imported prosciutto
6 TBS unsalted butter

Position a rach in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400F.

Slicing crosswise, cut six ¼ inch rounds from the center of one of the lemons
Repeat with remaining lemon. Squeeze the juice from the ends into a small bowl (you’ll need 4 tsp,) and set aside. Arrange the lemon rounds in slightly overlapping pairs on a heavy-duty baking sheet covered with a piece of parchment.

Season the fish with salt and pepper. Set two sage leaves on top of each fillet and then wrap each fillet with a slice of prosciutto. The prosciutto should form a belt, enclosing the leaves but leaving the fish exposed at either end. Lay one wrapped fillet on top of each pair of lemon slices. Bake until the fish is cooked through (it should flake and be opaque in the thickest part), 15 to 20 minutes depending of the thickness of the fillets.

While the fish is cooking, melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet over med. heat. Add the remaining sage leaves and cook, turning once until the leaves are crisp and the butter begins to brown, about 7 minutes. Add the 4 tsp. lemon juice and season with ¼ tsp. salt or to taste.

Arrange each fillet on its lemon slices on each dinner plate. Pour any juices from the fish into the butter sauce in the skillet. Spoon some of the sauce and a few sage leaves over each fillet and serve.