Lemon, garlic add intense flavors to low-fat halibut steaks

Halibut is low-fat, firm and full of flavor. That makes the white-fleshed fish a good base for dishes helpful to people watching their fat intake – and this recipe using halibut comes into that desirable category.

It’s also one that has total simplicity to add to its appeal for the cook. Its seasoning is focused on two intense, complementary classic flavors, lemon and garlic. Bonus point: The dish can be on the table in about half an hour.

The recipe is from “Betty Crocker Low-Carb Lifestyle Cookbook” (Wiley, 2005, $19.95 paperback). Also from the cookbook is the following low-fat side dish you may wish to serve with the fish: Sesame Pea Pods, which will take about 15 minutes to make.

Lemon-Garlic Halibut Steaks

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 halibut or tuna steaks, about 1 inch thick (about 2 pounds)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

Brush grill rack with vegetable oil. Heat coals or gas grill for direct heat. In shallow glass or plastic dish or resealable plastic food-storage bag, mix lemon juice, oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Add fish; turn several times to coat. Cover dish or seal bag and refrigerate 10 minutes.

Remove fish from marinade; reserve marinade. Cover and grill fish over medium heat 10 to 15 minutes, turning once and brushing with marinade, until fish flakes easily with a fork. Discard any remaining marinade.

Sprinkle fish with parsley and lemon peel.

Yield: 4 servings

Nutrition information per serving: 240 calories, 6 grams fat (1 gram saturated, 23 percent fat calories), 43 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrate, 120 milligrams cholesterol, no dietary fiber, 340 milligrams sodium.

Sesame Pea Pods

1 tablespoon sesame oil

8 ounces snow (Chinese) pea pods (2 cups)

1 tablespoon sesame seed

1 medium red or yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips

In a 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add pea pods and sesame seed. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until pea pods are crisp-tender. Stir in bell pepper. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until bell pepper is crisp-tender.

Yield: 6 servings

Nutrition information per serving: 45 calories, 3 grams fat (no saturated fat, 60 percent fat calories), 2 grams protein, 4 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 2 grams dietary fiber, no sodium.