This baked almond-crusted halibut is crusted with almonds and nestled over a silky and spiced pumpkin sweet potato puree. An easy fish dinner that's pure decadence!
Preheat oven to 425 °F (218 °C) and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Lightly grease the bottom. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the sweet potatoes to the pot. Cook until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender, drain, and add into the jar of a blender. Add the pumpkin puree, butter, and cinnamon. Remove the center plastic cover of the blender lid and place a kitchen towel over it to let steam escape. While holding the lid and kitchen towel down, puree the mixture until completely smooth. If the mixture gets stuck, you can add a bit of water to it; starting with 1 tbsp. Set aside.
In the bowl of a food processor, add the Marcona almonds (or Diamond sliced almonds) and lightly pulse until they're crushed into smaller pieces. Pour all the almonds into a shallow dish and add the Mediterranean sea salt and whisk to distribute and incorporate together.
In another shallow dish, whisk together buttermilk and egg. Place the top of the halibut or cod filets in buttermilk mixture and let it sit for 15 seconds. Gently transfer the buttermilk-coated side of the filet to the almond-sea salt mixture. Gently press down on the filet to adhere the almonds and sea salt.
Gently transfer the filet to the prepared baking sheet, almond-crusted side up. Repeat with the other filet.
Bake fish for 20 minutes (this will heavily depend on how thick your filets are), or until the top of the crust is golden brown. You might need to put it under the broiler for 3 minutes to deepen the color, if desired.
To plate, add a large spoonful of pumpkin sweet potato puree to the bottom of a plate then place the halibut on top.
Serve immediately.
The pumpkin sweet potato puree can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three weeks. You may find a variety of other uses for this puree, such as using it with steak or using this as a substitute for mayo on a sandwich.