Garlic Butter Halibut Fish Recipe

Light, flakey, and moist, you are going to love this Garlic Butter Halibut Fish Recipe. It’s so easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. Low-carb, gluten-free, and keto-friendly, this easy fish recipe cooks up quickly, making it the perfect weeknight meal!

I love pan-searing fish 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 or Simple Garlic Butter Salmon Recipe, then you’re going to love this garlic butter halibut fish recipe. It cooks quickly in the pan and is packed with garlic butter flavours.

How Does Halibut Taste?

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 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 Easy Grilled Fish Tacos Recipe.

How to Make Garlic Butter Halibut Fish

Ingredients

• Olive oil — I like to use olive oil but you can use another oil such as avocado oil if you prefer.
• Halibut fish fillets — Try to find a high-quality halibut. If buying fresh, check for white, glossy flesh. Fresh halibut should also not smell fishy. For frozen 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.
• Butter — Make sure to use unsalted butter as we are already seasoning with salt.
• Garlic cloves — Minced the garlic finely.
• Fresh rosemary — Chop some fresh rosemary for garnish. If you don’t have fresh rosemary, you can use fresh parsley.
• 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.

Instructions

Prepare the Halibut Recipe

• In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
• Pat halibut fish 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 fish was in the fridge, let your fish comes to room temperature for about 15 minutes  before cooking.

Sear the Halibut

• Place the halibut fillets in a large cast-iron skillet and turn the heat to medium.
• Sear the fish for 3-4 minutes.
• Flip your fish fillets over to cook the other side.
• Set aside once the fish 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. Keep a close eye on the garlic as you don’t want it to burn.
• 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.

Should I Remove the Skin from the Halibut Before Cooking?

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.

Do you rinse halibut before cooking?

Absolutely! Before cooking, be sure to wash the fish under cold water and then, pat dry with a paper towel.

How do you know when halibut is done?

My favorite way to know if my fish is done is by using a fork. I poke the fish with a fork at the thickest part of the halibut fillet and gently twist. When your fish 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.

Tips For Making This Garlic Butter Halibut Fish Recipe

• Always make sure the fillets 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 fish will steam more than it’ll sear.
• For the best results, try to pick 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 is cooked through, check the internal temperature. Cooked halibut should be 118F.
• If you don’t have halibut or don’t like it, you can replace it for cod fish.

How to Meal Prep Halibut

• Storage – Transfer leftover garlic butter 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.

What Do You Eat with Halibut?

Here are some ideas of what to serve with your pan-seared halibut:

• Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower Rice
• Mushroom Cauliflower “Rice” Skillet
• Roasted Vegetables
• Crispy Roasted Green Beans
• Parmesan Lemon Asparagus Skillet

Ways To Use This Cooked Halibut

If you have leftover halibut 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/trout 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 Cod Fish Recipe
• Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Breast
• Garlic Butter Baked Pork Chops

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