Halibut anyone???? This is Baby Lady’s favorite fish and the preparation was remarkably simple but very tasty, tasty, tasty. It’s a perfect weeknight meal.
Baby Lady turned me loose in the market and look what I found. The halibut had been flown in fresh that morning. It was absolutely stunning, glistening whitish, opaque flesh with the slightest hint of pink running the length of the side from tip to tail of the filet and the skin still on the backside. It gave me goose bumps when I saw it. OK. I’m weird but I get really excited when I see unbelievably fresh fish. If I lived in Hawaii or on the coast I probably wouldn’t get so excited but I doubt it. I just love seafood. Of course, I love almost any fabulously fresh food I see. It just excites my soul but I now digress…. Knowing Baby Lady’s penchant for halibut I bought it and returned home with my prize. I also brought back with me some fresh little red tomatoes that were nice and sweet (You have to taste them before you buy them, right?). I really had no idea what I was going to do with the fish but I knew it was going to be a simple preparation. This was one of those meals that you didn’t want anything to get in the way with the freshness of the delicate fish. I wanted it fresh (like the fish) and light because we’re on a diet. I hate diets. 😦 Regardless, even on a diet there are really wonderful foods you can prepare that make dieting somewhat bearable. So, without any more verbosity, this is what we did. Give this a try. You will like it.
Ingredients
- 3 fresh Halibut filets, 6 – 8 oz each
- 4 Tbsp butter (split)
- 1 pt sweet 100 tomatoes, halved
- 1/3 cup red onion, small dice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp wet (as opposed to dry) white wine (preferably a Viogner)
- 2 Tbsp capers
- 1/4 cup parsley, rough chop
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instruction
Season the halibut with salt
and pepper
Melt 2 Tbsp butter in the sauté pan over medium high heat and add the halibut filets
Cook filets for 3 – 4 minutes per side depending upon the thickness of the filets. Turn.
Continue to cook for another 3 – 4 minutes until just done. When done, Halibut should still be firm to the touch and opaque in the center. It will flake somewhat in large flakes but don’t cock until the halibut “flakes” because you will have overcooked it. Remember residual heat continues to cook your food after you remove it from the heat. You want the halibut to be moist and tender, not dry and flakey.
Put the halibut on a foil lined small sheet pan and place in a 150 F oven to keep warm until ready to serve.
Now add 2 Tbsp butter to the skillet.
Add the diced onions
and the garlic and sauté another 1 minute.
Add the white wine
Cook until the wine has almost evaporated, another minute. Now add the tomatoes
the lemon juice
capers
Cook for another minute or so. Then add the parsley and adjust seasoning to taste.
Remove the filets from the oven and plate.
Top with the lemon, tomatoes and capers.
Serve with a side of Israeli Couscous with Sugar Snap Peas & Asparagus.
Enjoy!
REMCooks 
Wow! Yummy goodness!
Thanks. It was very tasty, indeed.
Diet or not, this is definitely my kind of meal! Gorgeous!
Thanks, Mimi. I have a hard time walking past beautifully fresh halibut knowing it’s Baby Lady’s favorite fish. It was wonderful and very colorful, too. 🙂
Quite nice Richard!
Thanks, Rosemary. We very much enjoyed it.
We have the availability for so much fresh fish here in New England but I’m like you…a nice piece of halibut is wonderful. I know Baby Lady must have loved the meal you cooked for her.
Thanks Karen. I will be up near your neck of the woods tomorrow for the evening. Daniel’s last day as a US Coastie is today. I am flying up and helping drive him back home. It will be a 10 day trip with stops at 8 MLB ballparks along the way and my sister-in-law from Honolulu will be in DC while we are there. It should be a fun trip.
There’s a really great new coffee shop in DC called Wydown! They are in a pop up location as they wait for their place to be completed. Sophie, their baker has some mad skills! Lavender scones, amazing treats…Google for location and give it a try…they use coffee presses and other amazing coffee things that I know nothing about since I don’t indulge in the stuff, but I can vouch for the McCracken brothers who own the place and their many years of research before opening The Wydown, including a stint in Guatemala, motorcycle expeditions across US to visit numerous coffee shops,…and so on! Excellence!
Ahh, so nice to see your lovely dishes again Richard! I simply adore halibut. You’ve made a fine meal of this.
Hi, Kathryn. Thanks for the nice compliment. It’s nice to post things again. Time has very much been at a premium without a whole lot of relief in sight.
Back with a bang (or Boom!) as our youngest would say. Really great to see you return with your literary and culinary styles intact. I also get some glee from your forgetting half the ingredients in the photo. That is my speciality.
Best,
Conor
Thanks, Conor. It was fun to post again but it will be a while before I post another. I am picking up the youngest son in New England and driving him back to Texas. I should be posting lots of photos of the trip on Facebook. There just won’t be any cooking. Eating but no cooking. Hopefully, I won’t gain 10 lbs on the trip. 😉
Travel safely my friend.
Welcome back, Richard! Can’t tell you how glad I am you’re blogging again. And with such a nice recipe. I love how you get so excited about fresh seafood. Me too, but can’t remember any goosebumps ever occuring 😉 Halibut is great, but hard to get fresh around here. Or if it is, only by a whole one which is often HUGE.
Thanks, Stefan. You are always very kind. I’ve missed everyone but we are staying very busy which is not conducive to posting. Nevertheless, we are still cooking and there dimly is no reason not to eat good food. 🙂 Hope everything is well with you and Kees. We throughly enjoyed your visit, talk about you both and wonder how you are doing.
It’s great to see you cooking again. I was afraid you’d stopped all together. The halibut with lemon looks delicious and the presentation is fantastic. The kind of platter you’d see in a high end restaurant. Thanks so much for sharing. My best wishes to Baby lady. She has a great taste and I hope she enjoyed her favourite dish!
Hi, Liz. Thanks for your concern and nice compliment. We haven’t stopped cooking but the blog has had to take a lower priority in matters. At some point the smoke will clear and things will get back somewhat to normal.
I totally agree. It’s always important to prioritize things in life. I hope eventually, the smoke will clear. I wish you a pleasant weekend!
I love this recipe! The technique, flavors, colors and textures are lovely. I think this Italian-syle dish would work with any delicious white fish. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thanks, Shanna. We actually love fish dishes made in this fashion. The halibut is nice because it is so moist with a little more meatiness to it for a delicate fish.
Is the diet the culprit of your sabbatical from blogging? I join the rest of those commenting with a big YEAH, he’s back with his amazing cuisine, lively writing and overall fun dishes that inspire all of us to stay in the kitchen! Welcome back!
Thanks, Linda. I appreciate the very nice comments. The diet isn’t the reason for the absence but an unexcited, ongoing matter that has taken Baby Lady’s and my collective time, talents and resources. We think we have the bulk of it tamed but inevitably something else pops up. Things are, however, smoothing out and with a little luck I will have some time to post some recipes when I get back with Daniel.
Absolutely lovely to see you back and with such an appetizing yet easy-to-make fish dish! Hmm – actually I first looked at the Israeli couscous and greens – what a super side which will be ideal for a lunch with a few friends in a day or two! All the best to Baby Lady and yourself!!!
Thanks, Eha. The couscous dish is a killer side that goes with so many with so many things. I think you will like it a lot. We do. 🙂
Nice to see you here again Richard, really yummy dish !
Hi, Lea. It’s nice to post again. 🙂 Glad you liked the dish.
Don’t worry, you’re not the only one with a fixation on really fresh fish! I love it, but find it tricky to come by outside of the 9-5 working week. Lovely dish.
Thanks, Phil. Seafood/fish really is my favorite food, especially when fresh. There is such an abundance of variety. It’s healthy food and the taste is so superb. I never can get enough. 🙂
What a delicious sauce. Love these types of flavours.
Thanks, Virginia. Hope all is well in New England.
It is though we’re ready for warmer weather! 🙂
It’s cool in Texas, too. We haven’t had triple digits yet and only a couple of days above 90. Of course, we still aren’t getting rain. We’re down 10 inches for the year. 😦
We should send some to you! We’ve had plenty for awhile. Rain barrel is full and I need sunny days to finish the veg planting.
I dread the D word too, but I have a mind to commit to one myself after 2 & 1/2 years of testing recipes and cooking for culinary school/graduation! Glad to see that this dish is still light, fresh and tasty nonetheless, with the addition of white wine and butter.
Truth be told, one of the head chef’s/tutor’s used to constantly shout that my dishes needed more salt & butter. It turns out that the only crime in that commercial kitchen, is failing to douse my food in rich, buttery, salty goodness… : )
Hi, Alice. This is a great dish. When are you graduating by the way? Are you now finished? What does the future hold for an up and coming chef?
Hi Richard, well spotted! I’m in my final semester & 3 weeks from finishing. Assignments are piling up, I try to stay on top of it! My sweetheart & I are planning a big sea change (next year!) I’m finishing up at my job this year & will begin working in food from then! 🙂
Are you staying down under?
Indeed! We’re both switching up our careers for a bit and moving interstate for a little while, whilst we renovate. Then it’ll be time for the real fun to start & DIY kitchen makeovers!
very nice! halibut is such a great fish…very tasty and versatile 😉
Hi, Andreea. Hope all is well with you. Thanks for the compliment. We love halibut for the very reasons you stated. 🙂
We love a well prepared and fresh halibut. Love what you did with the sauce, will have to give it a try. As far as diets, they don’t work you need to make changes that you can do the rest of your life. I have made those changes and lost 16 pounds in the last 6 weeks. It can be done. Have a great trip.
Thanks, Dennis. Weight control is definitely more than controlling food intake and is very much a lifestyle change. Right now, I’m just not willing to give up the wine. 😉
Love it!! Especially with the couscous on the side, really a nice touch!
Thanks, Serena. This is very tasty, indeed.
Yum, I am a major fish lover, and I love the combination of ingredients in this recipe. This is going on the list of dishes i must cook! Nice photo too!
Hi, Sheryl. Hope all is well. Forgive me for not responding sooner but I fell behind on the blog. Thanks for the nice compliments. We really enjoyed this dish.