Choosing the best meal to serve as the main course for a dinner party is often a dilemma. Hosts and hostesses want to make sure that they do not serve foods to which the guests may have an allergic reaction and when dealing with different cultures, they want to make sure the food is not offensive. For example, you would not serve pork at a meal where some of your guests practiced the Muslim religion. You would not serve roast beef or chicken if you know that some of your guests are vegetarian.

Fish is a dish that always goes over well at dinner parties. Try a fish dish that is not common, such as halibut. The dinner party that earned me the best compliments was one at which I served a recipe called Snappy Halibut Skillet. Along with being easy to prepare, it is quite tasty. There are many variations of this recipe, but the one that my family and guests prefer is as follows. You will have to increase the recipe for the required number of guests. This one is based on a dinner party for 10 people.

Ingredients

1 1/2 tsp. Thyme
2 1/2 lb halibut (allowing 1/2 lb. per serving)
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion chopped in small pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 can stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup green onions

Sprinkle thyme on both sides of each halibut fillet and cook over medium heat in hot oil. Test the fish to see if it flakes easily with a fork. This will tell you that it is fried. Remove the fish to a warming plate.

Using the same skillet, cook the garlic and onion until they are tender. Stir the cornstarch into the stewed tomatoes and then pour the mixture into the skillet. Cook until thickened. Return the fish to the skillet and let it heat through with the sauce.