19 Halibut Recipes for Flaky White Fish That Wows
If you always cook halibut the same way, it’s time to get some new halibut recipes into your rotation. This flaky white fish has range—it takes well to grilling, poaching, or roasting (maybe with a crispy panko topping?). Let halibut gently simmer in a bath of olive oil or a luxurious chowder, or give the fillets a char and pile them into fish tacos with plenty of salsa. Our favorite halibut recipes, below, include quick meals for the family and impressive main courses for your next dinner party.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell2/19Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Baked Halibut
This simple, family-friendly baked halibut recipe renders the fish as moist and flavorful as possible (a blanket of mayo and Parmesan may be involved). Add some blanched green beans to the plate, and dinner is ready. You’ll end up with a few extra sticky-soft roasted garlic cloves, which is good news. Make garlic butter for bread, or smear it right onto some sourdough.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell5/19Roasted Niçoise Salad With Halibut
This composed platter showcases one of our easiest recipes for halibut, which is destined to become a weeknight favorite in your kitchen. Jarred, marinated artichoke hearts get super-crispy when roasted—they’re the secret star of this simple sheet-pan dinner. Total time required? 45 minutes.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food styling by Mira Evnine6/19Fish Cakes With Caper-Parsley Sauce
These fish cakes, served with parsley–caper sauce, come from the February 2002 issue of Gourmet. Canned sardines, green onions, parsley, fresh lemon zest, and garlic add depth of flavor to the halibut mixture.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell7/19Spring Pea Fish Chowder
This chowder is creamy, but not too heavy, and boasts tasty teeny potatoes, sweet peas, and pea tendrils. The key to tender fish is to slip the halibut into the pot for a very brief cook time just before serving. And the key to the broth is to use the best clam juice you can find.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton8/19Nashville Hot Halibut Sandwich
In chef Matty Matheson’s riff on the Nashville hot fish sandwich, crispy fish fillets get covered in chile butter with a touch of smoked paprika, then layered with onions, pickles, and cheese. This showstopping sandwich is absolutely worth the prep time.
Photo by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova9/19Bouillabaisse
This flexible recipe will help you bring the iconic seafood stew of Marseille to your table, whether the freshest fish you can find is halibut filets, turbot, grouper, or haddock. Wrap up the evening with a French dessert to keep the theme going.
Photo by Romulo Yanes11/19Grilled Halibut With Chimichurri
An herby chimichurri with lots of lemon juice and olive oil makes these simple grilled halibut steaks taste like a special occasion meal. Make sure to save enough time to preheat the grill for direct-heat cooking. You may want to double the sauce so you’ll have it on hand for drizzling on grain bowls or roasted veggies later in the week.
12/19Oil-Poached Halibut With Tomatoes and Fennel
Fennel and tomatoes go silky when poached in olive oil, and when a skinless halibut fillet follows suit, it picks up hints of the vegetables’ flavor. Garnish with feathery fennel fronds and serve with hunks of bread for dunking.
Photo by Nigel Parry13/19Poached Halibut With Warm Herb Vinaigrette
This recipe, from chef Eric Ripert’s book Seafood Simple, demonstrates how succulent halibut can be when it’s very gently cooked. An herby vinaigrette is all it needs—though you can round out the meal with blanched or roasted asparagus.
Peden + Munk14/19Pan-Roasted Halibut With Herbed Corona Beans
A brief soak in salt water seasons this halibut all the way through. Be sure to blot your fish with a paper towel before searing it in the hot pan. Now the only question is: Are your beans big enough?
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell15/19Italian Fish and Vegetable Stew
Need to use up a bunch of vegetables lingering in your fridge? In this 30-minute meal, halibut meets up with yellow bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, and oregano and basil on a mountain of polenta. Don’t skimp on the fresh herbs and ground black pepper here.
Photo by Juliana Sohn16/19Golden Pan-Fried Fish Sticks
These panko-crusted fish sticks are dredged in beer before they get their soon-to-be-golden coating. Tartar sauce is a must for crispy fried fish recipes like this.
Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Heather Greene, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou17/19Butter-Roasted Halibut With Asparagus and Olives
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Judy Mancini18/19Fish Tacos al Pastor
Pork tacos al pastor may get all the attention—if this is the first time you make fish al pastor, you might vow to switch forevermore. You’ll soak the fillets in a chile-and-orange marinade for punchy flavor before grilling them over medium-high heat. Dress each taco with pineapple-habanero salsa.
