How to Cook Halibut
The best ways to grill, sear and bake this tasty fish.
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By Alice K. Thompson for Food Network Kitchen
Alice is a contributing writer and editor at Food Network.
Halibut is in a category all its own. It has the sweet mildness of other flat fish like sole and flounder, but its thick, firm fillets are even meatier than cod and seabass. Any home cook who sticks to salmon or tuna should consider branching out. Halibut is exceptionally flavorful for a white fish, easy to cook and likely to get raves for even the simplest preparations. Read on for everything you need to know to get the most out of this fish.
What is Halibut?
Halibut is the largest flatfish in the ocean, growing up to a staggering 500 pounds, although most weigh in at 10 to 30 pounds when harvested. They are closely related to flounder; they’re wide, flat bottom-dwellers with both eyes located on the same side of their bodies. Halibut is fished in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and is also now farm-raised. The fish is prized for the firmness and thickness of its fillets and steaks and for a particularly sweet, mild, unfishy flavor.
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How to Cook Halibut
While we can’t think of a really wrong way to cook halibut, high-heat methods like grilling and cooking in a pan or oven play to the fish's mild flavor and firm texture.
Halibut can be expensive, so make the most of it by grilling, pan-searing and roasting. Halibut is thick and firm, so it’s naturally suited to these high-heat methods. It's one of the easier white fish to flip, too. Brief, intense heat also caramelizes the exterior of the fish for flavor, an excellent bonus for mild halibut.
How to Grill Halibut
Step 1: Pat dry and season. Carefully pat the pieces of fish dry all over before grilling. This helps to develop the all-important browning that gives halibut deeper flavor and an appetizing appearance. Season the fish with salt and pepper and drizzle it with oil if you like.
Step 2: Prepare the grill. Medium-high heat is the standard grilling temperature for halibut and most other fish. Clean and oil your grill grates right before grilling; start the halibut skin-side down if your fillets have skin.
Step 3: Grill. Grill until nicely marked and opaque throughout (an instant-read thermometer should read 135 to 140 degrees F), about 4 minutes per side for fillets, longer for large steaks. Or, make kebabs. Cut skinless fillets into 1-inch or larger cubes, skewer and grill, turning frequently, until just browned on the outside and opaque but moist in the center.
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How to Cook Halibut in a Pan
Step 1: Pat dry and season. Pat the fish dry, season it with salt and pepper and then dredge it lightly in flour if you want to give it a more pronounced crust.
Step 2: Prepare the pan. Choose a nonstick or cast-iron skillet that will hold your fish with at least an inch around each piece. Place over medium-high heat and add enough oil or a combination of oil and butter to thoroughly cover the bottom of the skillet.
Step 3: Cook both sides. When the pan is very hot, add the fish and cook until the bottom is browned and the fish naturally releases when you go to flip it with a spatula, 4 to 5 minutes. Gently flip the fish and cook the other side until opaque throughout (an instant-read thermometer should read 135 to 140 degrees F), about 4 minutes.
How to Cook Halibut in the Oven
Baking halibut is about the easiest way to cook it, but remember that you won’t get the caramelized, seared exterior grilling or pan-searing gives you.
Step 1: Prepare the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Step 2: Season the fish. Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper and lay it in a greased baking pan with about an inch between each piece. Drizzle it with olive oil and add any other ingredients you like: a few glugs of white wine, some diced tomatoes, a shower of fresh herbs or a sprinkling of spices are easy favorites.
Step 3: Bake. Bake until the fish is just opaque in the center (an instant-read thermometer should read 135 to 140 degrees F), 10 to 20 minutes.
Other Ways With Halibut: Poach, Ceviche and Frying
You can poach or steam halibut and it will hold together well, but remember that this fish has a pale color and mild, sweet taste; unlike rosy and flavorful salmon, you’ll probably want to serve it with a sauce. You can also make ceviche out of halibut, but look at the relative price point of common ceviche fish like snapper and grouper; halibut will be pretty indistinguishable from these once it’s saturated with citrus juice and is usually much more expensive.
Halibut is a great option if you’re looking to deep-fry for fish-and-chips. Its thick, generous fillets can be cut into impressive portions, and it will fry up with more flavor than just about any other white fish.
How to Buy Halibut
Halibut is so large it's almost never sold whole to consumers. Instead, you’ll see fillets or large steaks. The flesh should be moist, sparkly and white to pinkish or ivory. Dull or yellowish flesh is a sign of age, and like all fish it should have minimal fishy odor. Halibut steaks are sold with the gray skin on, but it’s usually removed from fillets.
This sturdy fish freezes well, so buying frozen or thawed-frozen halibut is a good bet. In-season, never-frozen halibut is sometimes available March though November.
Recipes for Halibut
Ryan Dausch
Pan-seared halibut is delicious over a super-flavorful hash of potatoes, apples and Brussels sprouts. While these flavors might seem especially appropriate for fall, Brussels sprouts are available almost year-round, so take advantage of them.
Yunhee Kim, 2011, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.
Halibut on a bed of greens is a classic combination, and this recipe cooks both in the same skillet. A crunchy layer of toasted panko tops the fillets and creates an excellent textural contrast.
It’s hard to beat halibut dusted with spices, lightly fried and then loaded into tortillas with crunchy slaw and avocado. And it’s also a great way to stretch pricy halibut: Just 1 1/4 pounds will make a generous batch of 12 tacos.
Halibut steaks are excellent roasted with lots of herbs and vermouth. An optional homemade tapenade of kalamata olives and thyme is a delicious topping, but you could also use a store-bought pesto or caponata as a shortcut.
Renee Comet
Halibut’s firm, meaty texture makes it perfect in seafood soup like cioppino. In this recipe halibut is suggested as a stand-in for scallops, but you could also triple the amount of halibut and use it as a substitute for the shrimp and squid as well.
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