I love fish, but halibut can be a little bland. Like other mild ingredients though, it makes a perfect canvas upon which to ”paint” stronger flavors. For this recipe, I used a spicy and tangy yogurt marinade to perk up the halibut. In this case the marinade does double duty, as it not only flavors but imparts a lovely color to the fish.
The preparation of the halibut is similar to how I cook many other fish so they’re covered in a thick, paste-like marinade. A brief pan sear followed by a short stint in the oven is all it takes to transform the uncooked halibut into a main course you’ll be proud to serve.
1. Info for Pan Roasted Halibut Recipe
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: 8
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Pan Roasted Halibut Recipe
- 4 (12-ounce) halibut fillets
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled, crushed and finely minced
- 2 cups Greek-style full fat plain yogurt
- 1 lime
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons sea salt (or regular salt)
- white pepper, freshly ground
- 6 tablespoons canola oil (or any neutral oil)
3. Directions:
- The day before… Ask your fishmonger to prepare 4 halibut fillets. Wash and pat dry using paper towels. It’s okay if the skin is still on. Place the fish fillets, skin side down, in a small, shallow baking dish.
- Squeeze the lime and reserve the juice.
- Pour off the excess whey of the yogurt by letting it drain through a cheese cloth for about 15 minutes.
- In a bowl, combine the yogurt, lime juice, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, cayenne pepper, paprika, ground coriander, tomato paste and 2 tablespoons of oil. Mix well.
- Spread the red yogurt mixture over the fish fillets. Make sure all the marinade penetrates and coats the fish. Rub evenly. Plastic wrap the dish and refrigerate overnight.
- The next day… Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Remove the fish from the refrigerator 15 minutes before cooking to bring it back to room temperature. Remove and reserve the excess yogurt marinade from the fillets. Pat dry the fish one more time and season both sides of the fillets with sea salt and white pepper.
- In a non-stick pan that can be used in the oven, heat the oil and cook the remaining garlic until it is slightly golden. Add the fish; sear it, skin side down. Cook for about 6-8 minutes. Flip the fish using a fish spatula. Cook for another 2 minutes. Baste the fish with the rest of the yogurt marinade using a silicone brush. Finish with a sprinkle of salt.
- Immediately transfer to the oven. Bake for 12 minutes until golden. The marinade should totally be absorbed. Baste the fish one more time with the reserved yogurt marinade. Broil for 2-3 more minutes.
- To check the ”doneness”, cut one fish fillet from the center. The color of the meat should be white and opaque. If it’s still clear to translucent, put it back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes.
- You can serve with mashed potatoes or any other basic accompaniment you’d like. I garnished the halibut with cilantro sprigs, chopped pickled peppadew peppers and rose-shaped peeled carrots (just use a vegetable peeler and create long strips of carrot and roll the carrot to form the petals of the flower).
- Serve immediately.
- Bon appétit!
- After the halibut is cooked, I removed the skin and created 2 fish fillets.
