Like this pasta, or these cookies, this easy pan seared halibut recipe is a great one to have in your back pocket. You can make it with almost any kind of white fish. You probably have most of the ingredients in your well-stocked pantry. The pan sauce–with lemon, butter, capers, and white wine–begs to be mopped up with some crusty bread (you know, from those quarantine sourdough experiments). And the impressive presentation means nobody but you will know this took less than 30 minutes to pull together.
It also offers a few good cooking lessons. The first is the importance of not overcooking your fish. How to tell when your fish is done? Cut partway into the fish with a small, sharp knife; you want the fish to be *just* opaque (as opposed to translucent, as it was when you started cooking). The fish will continue to cook for 1-2 minutes after you take it out of the pan, so don’t be afraid to remove it when it’s slightly underdone.
The second lesson is how different your food tastes when you add the fat at the end of cooking, rather than at the beginning. Adding fat to your pan at the beginning of cooking helps build body– it carries the other flavors. But adding fat at the end makes whatever you’re cooking taste richer. In this seared halibut recipe, we add the butter at the end, which makes the shallot, white wine, and lemon sauce rich and velvety, providing a nice contrast to the zingy, acidic capers and tomatoes.
The last lesson: cooking at home doesn’t have to take hours on end and land you with a sinkful of dirty dishes. This seared halibut recipe is proof.
Previously:
One year ago: French Lentil Salad with Walnuts and Goat Cheese
Two years ago: Mexico City Food Guide (remember when we used to travel places?)
Three years ago: How to Reduce the Bite of Red Onions
Four years ago: Muesli with Nuts, Dried Fruit, and Coconut
And for my Australians:
Six months ago: How to Pick and Store the Best Tomatoes
One and a half years ago: Pork Tenderloin with Plum Barbecue Sauce
Two and a half years ago: Ratatouille
Three and a half years ago: Gravlax Salmon with Dill-Mustard Dressing and Homemade Pickles
Seared Halibut with Green Beans and White Wine Sauce
4
servingsSeared halibut bathes in a sauce of white wine, shallot, lemon, butter, and capers in this easy yet company-worthy recipe.
Ingredients
1 pound (454g) green beans (substitute asparagus if you wish– just steam or grill)
2 14-ounce (396g) pieces of halibut (or other meaty white fish; see sustainable options here)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 large shallots, sliced
3/4 cup (177mL) dry white wine
2 tablespoons (or more) fresh lemon juice
3-4 tablespoons (43-57g) butter
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
Directions
- In a pot of boiling salted water set over high heat, cook the green beans for 3 to 4 minutes, until tender but still crunchy. Drain. If you care more about eating your green beans warm, do not rinse; if you care more about bright green beans, rinse with cold water. Transfer beans to a large serving platter, cover, and keep warm.
- Pat the halibut dry, then season on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat most of the oil in a large, non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Touch the very edge of the pan– is it hot? If so, place the fish in the pan (it should sizzle!). Cook for about 3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Turn, reduce the heat to medium, and cook about 4 minutes longer, until the fish is just barely opaque in the center. Put the fish on the platter atop the beans and cover.
- If the pan is dry, add the remaining bit of oil. Then add shallots to pan and sauté until translucent (2-4 minutes). Add the wine and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add most of the lemon juice. Cook until the sauce reduces by half. Reduce the heat to low and add the butter. Stir. Finally, add the capers, tomatoes, and salt to taste. Stick your finger in and adjust the seasoning as you see fit.
- Pour the sauce over the halibut and green beans. Serve immediately.
I love the combination of halibut, tomato, and white wine, and this combines them all into one convenient dish! This is delicious and so easy to make. My only struggle was sourcing halibut, but I ended up buying online (https://qualityseafooddelivery.com/halibut/market/), which made it a little easier — I live in the upper Midwest, and we don’t get much fresh fish in our grocery stores. This will definitely be a repeat recipe for me.
I’m so glad you liked it! It’s a go-to around here when I need something that is easy but feels special. If you can’t find halibut, cod, bass, or flounder would also work. Bon appétit!