Grilled Halibut with Zucchini Cilantro Salad

So cooking the kind of vegetarian food I did the past few weeks backfired on me a little. I'm really pleased that I was able to cook vegetarian for 5 weeks straight, and reduce my carbon footprint by a lot. But what I didn't realize was, there was a drastic increase in my carb consumption resulting in a mild uneven blood sugar level issue as well as losing gains I made in sculpting muscles/shredding. So I've decided to shelve the traditional Hyderabadi/Indian food cooking for a while and focus on eating more protein+veggie meals that has helped me in the past. With that in mind, I made this gorgeous fish with a very simple salad that tastes more than the sum of its parts.

The zucchini gets gently grilled and then sliced into ribbons and tossed with a nice tart lime-y dressing. The crunch from pumpkin seeds and citrus-y brightness from cilantro completes this salad and makes this a fabulous dish that is both quick to make and presents beautifully. I hope you try it!

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
4 tbsp olive oil, divided use
1 lb zucchinis (3 medium zucchini)
1 lb halibut filet, cut into 4 pieces
1 lime, zest and juice
1 tsp sea salt, divided use
4 tbsp pumpkin seeds, toasted
1/2 bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems picked

Procedure:
Rub your grill well with oiled paper towels and heat the grill to medium. Drizzle 1 tbsp oil over the zucchini in a salad bowl and set aside. Once the grill is pre-heated, grill the zucchini on medium heat for 5-6 minutes turning a couple times. We just want some grill marks and a tiny amount of tenderness but we don't want to cook it fully. Let zucchini cool in the same salad bowl while you prep and grill the fish.
Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil over the halibut along with the lime zest and 1/2 tsp sea salt. Rub it all over really well and grill for 4 minutes, turning over in the middle. Remove to a serving plate and keep warm. Using a mandolin, thinly slice the zucchini into ribbons on the smallest setting on your mandolin. Add 1/2 tsp sea salt, 2 tbsp oil and juice from the lime. Mix well. To make a plate, lay down a quarter of the zucchini ribbons and then a pice of halibut on top. Scatter a quarter of the cilantro sprigs and 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds. Drizzle some of the dressing from the zucchini salad all over the fish and serve.