11 Dollar Dinner...

On Saturday we had planned on trying to get out of the house, but when it came right down to it, we didn't feel like going anywhere, so I ran over to the store to get a few things and was trying to think of a nice dinner that would be reasonably priced.  I remembered that I had a recipe I had torn out of my mom's Good Housekeeping magazine that she left when my parents stopped on their way to Florida.  It was a recipe for couscous encrusted salmon.  I felt like trying it out on halibut instead, since we have had salmon a few times recently.

I grabbed 2 nice fillets of halibut for $4.80, 2 small packs of portabella mushrooms for $5, and a nice big fresh baked roll for 60 cents.  I already had the couscous and the pesto.  

I fried up the 'shrooms in a little olive oil, parsley, seasoned salt and garlic powder.  I wrapped the roll in aluminum foil and put it in the oven while the fish cooked.

And with the fish:
Preheat oven to 450
Heat 1 cup water in 1-qt saucepan to boiling on high.  Remove from heat, stir in 3/4 c. couscous, 1/4 c. refrigerated pesto, 1/4 tsp red wine vinegar and 1/8 tsp pepper.  Cover, let stand 5 min.
Place 4 fillets (it called for 4, I only had 2, so I just had leftover couscous) ~6 oz each on foil-lined cookie sheet.  Season with 1/4 tsp salt.  
Mound 1/2 c. couscous mixture on top of each fillet, pressing into even layer.
Bake in upper third of oven 12 to 15 min. or until fish is flaky.
Serves 4.

*As I was watching it cook, I was concerned it might be a little dry, so in the last maybe 8 minutes, I added 1/2 can of diced tomatoes and it was a nice bit of juiciness in the end.

It was scrumptous!!