This dish is simple enough for busy weeknights, yet elegant enough to serve for any special occasion.

Prep Time: 5 minutes, cook time: 12-13 minutes, servings: 4

Ingredients
2 tablespoons pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 (6-ounce) halibut fillets
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups dry white wine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
11/2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup halved grape tomatoes
1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves, plus a handful of small leaves for garnish 
Directions
1. In a small, dry skillet over medium-low heat, toast pepitas until fragrant. Remove pan from heat and transfer pepitas to a large plate. Set aside. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Using 1 teaspoon of the salt and all of the pepper, sprinkle halibut on both sides. In a large skillet with an ovenproof handle, heat oil over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer but is not smoking. Add fish, skin side up, and cook until it begins to turn color, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets and add lemon juice, wine and butter to the pan. As soon as the butter melts and becomes foamy, add capers and tomatoes and simmer until tomatoes release some juices, about 1 minute.
3. Place pan in oven and bake until fish is cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. Baste fish with some of the juices and transfer to serving plates. Add torn basil, pepitas and the remaining teaspoon of salt to the pan juices and stir until basil is slightly wilted. Spoon the mixture over the fish, garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 (6-ounce) halibut fillets

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 cups dry white wine

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

11/2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup halved grape tomatoes

1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves, plus a handful of small leaves for garnish 

Directions

1. In a small, dry skillet over medium-low heat, toast pepitas until fragrant. Remove pan from heat and transfer pepitas to a large plate. Set aside. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Using 1 teaspoon of the salt and all of the pepper, sprinkle halibut on both sides. In a large skillet with an ovenproof handle, heat oil over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer but is not smoking. Add fish, skin side up, and cook until it begins to turn color, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets and add lemon juice, wine and butter to the pan. As soon as the butter melts and becomes foamy, add capers and tomatoes and simmer until tomatoes release some juices, about 1 minute.

3. Place pan in oven and bake until fish is cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. Baste fish with some of the juices and transfer to serving plates. Add torn basil, pepitas and the remaining teaspoon of salt to the pan juices and stir until basil is slightly wilted. Spoon the mixture over the fish, garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve.

Adapted from Cat Cora’s Classics with a Twist, by Cat Cora with Ann Krueger Spivack. Copyright© 2010, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.