Seared Halibut with Warm Chickpea-Spinach Ragù

This weeknight-friendly dinner brings together everything the Mediterranean table does best: simply cooked fish, humble legumes, and a bright finishing oil that ties it all together. Flaky, golden-seared halibut fillets rest atop a warm ragù of chickpeas and wilted spinach, gently spiced with cumin and smoked paprika and deepened with garlic and tomato. A quick drizzle of lemon-za'atar olive oil at the end wakes everything up with citrus, herbal tang, and a good glug of extra virgin olive oil. Built around fish, legumes, leafy greens, and heart-healthy fat, this dish checks every Mediterranean Diet box while feeling like a genuine restaurant-style plate you can pull off in under 40 minutes. The chickpea-spinach ragù is hearty enough to stand on its own, but the seared halibut turns it into a satisfying, protein-forward main that's equally at home on a busy Tuesday or a casual dinner party. Serve it with crusty whole grain bread to mop up the ragù, or spoon it over a bed of warm farro or brown rice for an even more filling meal. Leftover ragù also makes a fantastic lunch on its own, topped with a fried egg or extra crumbled feta.

Ingredients

• 4 6-oz filletsHalibut fillets, skin removed, patted dry
• 1.5 tspkosher salt, divided
• 0.75 tspblack pepper, divided, freshly ground
• 6 tbspextra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 mediumyellow onion, finely chopped
• 4 clovesgarlic, minced, divided
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspsmoked paprika
• 0.25 tspcrushed red pepper flakes, optional
• 1 14.5-oz candiced tomatoes, with juices
• 2 15-oz canschickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 0.5 cupvegetable broth, or water
• 5 ozbaby spinach, roughly chopped
• 1 wholelemon, zested and juiced, divided
• 1 tbspZa'atar
• 0.33 cupfeta cheese, crumbled, for garnish, optional
• 2 tbspfresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Method

No instructions listed.