Light, flakey, and moist, you are going to love this Garlic Butter Halibut Recipe. It’s so easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. This easy halibut recipe cooks up quickly, making it the perfect weeknight meal!
I love pan-searing halibut for weeknight dinners. It comes together so quickly and easily that it makes busy nights feel stress-free. If you’ve tried my Pan Seared Salmon Recipe, Cod Recipe, Baked Tilapia, Garlic Butter Trout Recipe, Brazilian Fish Stew or Baked Salmon Recipe, then you’re going to love this halibut recipe. It cooks quickly in the pan and is packed with garlic butter flavours.
Ingredients to Make Halibut Recipe
Olive oil — I like to use olive oil but you can use another oil such as avocado oil if you prefer.
Halibut — Try to find a high-quality halibut. If buying fresh, check for white, glossy flesh. Fresh halibut should also not smell fishy. For frozen halibut fillets, check to make sure that there aren’t any dried-out edges.
Seasoning: I use garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper to season my halibut. For extra heat, add red pepper.
Butter — Make sure to use unsalted butter as we are already seasoning with salt.
Garlic — Minced the garlic finely.
Fresh rosemary — Chop some fresh rosemary for garnish. If you don’t have fresh rosemary, you can use other fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro or dill.
Lemon juice – it’s optional but I love to squeeze a little bit of fresh lemon juice on top of my fish. It adds more flavour. If you prefer, you can also add lime juice instead.
How to Cook Halibut
Prepare the Halibut Recipe
In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
Pat halibut dry with a paper towel and season both sides of the fish with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and salt and pepper.
Tip: If your halibut was in the fridge, let your fish comes to room temperature for about 15 minutes before cooking.
Sear the Halibut Fish
Place the halibut fillets in a large cast-iron skillet and turn the heat to medium heat.
Sear the halibut for 3-4 minutes. Using a turner, flip your halibut fillets over to cook the other side. Set aside once the halibut is cooked.
Make the Garlic Butter Sauce
Reduce the heat to low and add butter to the skillet.
When it melts, add garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds or 1 minute.
Add the halibut back to the pan and spoon the sauce over the fillets. You might have to tilt the pan a bit. Garnish with fresh rosemary or fresh parsley. You can also garnish it with lemon zest.
Olivia’s Tips
- I always make sure the halibut fish are dry before seasoning and cooking. This helps the seasoning stick better and it also helps the fish sear better. If there is moisture, the halibut fish will steam more than it’ll sear.
- For the best results, try to pick halibut fish fillets that are similar in size. This way, you don’t have to worry about your small fillet overcooking as you check on your larger ones.
- Halibut can dry out very quickly so make sure to not overcook!
- Make sure to take the halibut out of the pan immediately once it’s finished cooking. You don’t want the residual heat from the pan to continue to cook the fish as you grab the ingredients to make the garlic butter sauce. Overcooked halibut will taste rubbery.
- If you’re not sure that your halibut recipe is cooked through, check the internal temperature. Cooked halibut should be 118F.
- If you don’t have halibut fish or don’t like it, you can replace it for cod fish.
How To Store Leftovers
Storage – When the halibut is cooked and cool, I like to transfer leftover my halibut fish to an airtight glass container and keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Or, portion them out into meal prep containers to have for lunches throughout the week.
Reheating – For best results, heat in a pan on the stove so the halibut doesn’t dry out. You can also heat in the microwave along with some sides for a full meal at once.
Frequently Asked Questions
There’s no need to remove the skin before you cook it! The skin gets so crispy and is so tasty! However, if you’re not a fan of the skin, you can buy halibut without skin or remove it yourself by running a knife under the skin.
Absolutely! Before cooking, I like to wash halibut under cold water and then, pat dry with a paper towel.
My favorite way to know if my halibut fish is done is by using a fork. I poke the fish with a fork at the thickest part of the halibut and gently twist. When my halibut recipe is done, it will flake very easy and it will change the translucent appearance to a white appearance. You can also use a thermometer to check the internal temperature of the fish, which should be about 145F degrees.
Halibut is a white fish that has a sweet, mild taste to it. It doesn’t taste fishy and takes on flavours really well. As we are cooking it with garlic butter, this halibut recipe will be light, fork tender, flakey, and moist, and taste like the sauce! You can eat it on its own, or break it apart and serve it like my Grilled Fish Tacos Recipe.
What Do You Eat with Halibut Recipe
Here are some ideas of what to serve with your pan-seared halibut recipe:
Halibut pair well with an array of delicious sides. Try Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower Rice or Mushroom Cauliflower “Rice” Skillet for savory flavors that complement the fish.
For variety, consider Roasted Vegetables, Roasted Green Beans, or Parmesan Lemon Asparagus Skillet, each adding unique tastes and textures to enhance your halibut recipe.
Ways To Use This Cooked Halibut Recipe
If you have leftover halibut recipe and want to change things up, here are some ways to enjoy the halibut:
Halibut pasta: roughly chop up the halibut and add it to a pasta.
Halibut salad: break up the halibut and toss it in a leafy salad or greek salad or salmon salad.
Halibut fried rice: break up the trout and toss it in some fried cauliflower rice.
More Garlic Butter Sauce Recipes:
- Garlic Butter Scallops Recipe
- Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs
- Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Breast
- Garlic Butter Baked Pork Chops
- Garlic Butter Sea Bass
Garlic Butter Halibut Recipe
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- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 halibut fish fillets I get my organic halibut fish at Organic Ocean.
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp garlic clove – minced
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary for garnish
- In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium high heat. Pat halibut fish dry with paper towel and season all over with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and salt and pepper.
- Place the halibut filets in a large (10-inch) cast iron skillet and turn the heat to medium. Sear fish for 3-4 minutes. Flip your fish fillets over to cook the other side. Set aside once the fish is cooked.
- Reduce the heat to low and add butter in the skillet. When it melts, add garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds or 1 minute. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
- Gently bring back the fish to the pan. Using a spoon, pour some of the butter sauce left in the skillet onto the halibut fillets before serving. Garnish with fresh rosemary.
- I recommend rinsing the halibut and patting dry before using.
- Do not leave the fish in the pan when it is done. The residual heat from the cast iron will continue to cook the fish.
- Try to buy fillets that are similar in size so they cook evenly.
- To store: Leftover fish keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
- To reheat: I like to reheat the fish in the skillet gently so it does not overcook and become dry.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
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Watch the Halibut Recipe Web Story.
faye says
JUST SIMPLE AND EASY TO MAKE THAK FOR SHARING
Olivia says
You’re very welcome.
NMRawker says
Quick and delicious perhaps a bit more seasoning.
Olivia says
Indeed it’s quick, easy and delicious! Adjust seasoning according to your taste 😉
Natasha says
Thanks for sharing! Easy to prepare & delicious!
Olivia says
You’re so welcome!
Yuki Kitora says
It was lacking flavor and it took way longer to cook than just 3-4 min on each side.
Olivia says
I’m sorry to hear it didn’t turn out as expected! Did you follow the recipe exactly? It’s usually quite flavorful, so I’d love to help troubleshoot and make sure it comes out perfect for you next time!
Maria Daniels says
I usually don’t write reviews but this recipe deserves my time. I followed the recipe to the ”I” and it came fabulous. If you want a healthy, quick and full flavor dinner or if you want to impress a guest, this is it.
I served it with a green salad and cooked little potatoes that I heated them in the remaining butter garlic in the skillet. The thickness of the fillets is very important, mine were about 3/4” and it took around 2 to 3 minutes to cook to perfection.
Finally I found out how expensive restaurants fix halibut.
Thank you very much!!
Olivia says
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience! 😊 I’m thrilled to hear that the recipe turned out so fabulous for you. It sounds like you nailed the cooking time with the fillets, and serving it with a green salad and butter-garlic potatoes sounds absolutely delicious! I love how you made it your own. So glad I could help bring a bit of that restaurant-quality touch to your kitchen! 🍽️
Kathy says
So simple and amazing
Olivia says
Indeed it is 😉
Tiffany says
We loved this! Did it in our cast iron and let it rest in the pan for 5 minutes off the heat while my side dish finished cooking. Perfect! I did not have rosemary and used garlic powder to make it quicker. We loved it.
Olivia says
I’m so glad you loved it! Using the cast iron and letting it rest sounds like a great idea. Garlic powder is a perfect quick substitute for rosemary. Thanks for sharing your tips! 😊