Pile It High: Grilled Fish Salad

At the market the other day, I was drawn to glistening, pearly white filets of Alaskan halibut filling two rows of the fish case. I bought a little more than 2 pounds of fish, plenty for dinner and leftovers.

Halibut on the grill is quick and easy. For big flavor, make a Mediterranean paste to smear on top of the fish before grilling. Combine 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of minced parsley, the zest of 1 lemon and some ground pepper. Grill some veggies along with the halibut. Include a few red bell peppers, and you’ll have everything you need to make this salad the next day.

Diane Morgan is co-author of “Dressed to Grill: Savvy Recipes for Girls Who Play With Fire” (Chronicle Books, $16.95).

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Grilled Halibut Salad Sandwiches

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Look for tapenade at specialty markets and well-stocked supermarkets.

3/4 pound grilled halibut

1 grilled or roasted red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/3 cup chopped Italian parsley

2 large stalks celery, thinly sliced

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive tapenade

Dash dried red pepper flakes

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

4 sandwich rolls

4 leaves romaine lettuce

Use a fork to flake the halibut into bite-size pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the diced bell pepper, green onions, parsley and celery. Toss to combine.

In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, tapenade and pepper flakes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Gently toss the salad with the dressing.

Split the sandwich rolls in half and toast them. Place a lettuce leaf on the bottom half of each roll. Divide and mound the halibut salad on top. Cover with the top half of the roll, arrange on dinner plates and serve immediately.

4 servings. Each serving: 416 calories; 602 mg sodium; 42 mg cholesterol; 21 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 27 grams protein; 2.59 grams fiber.