Heavenly Halibut, a broiled halibut fillet recipe. (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep halibut moist when cooking? ›

It's more versatile and forgiving when cooking. When searing halibut in cast iron, use plenty of oil or butter (or both, like in the recipe above) to prevent your fish from drying out.

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate. Stir butter, lemon juice, onion powder, parsley, dill, sugar, salt, and pepper together in a bowl; spread evenly over halibut steaks. Cook on the preheated grill until fish flakes easily with a fork, 5 to 6 minutes per side.

Some recipes for sous vide halibut recommend soaking the fish in a saltwater brine before cooking, in order to season it more deeply and to give it a denser, firmer texture.

Halibut can be expensive, so make the most of it by grilling, pan-searing and roasting. Halibut is thick and firm, so it's naturally suited to these high-heat methods. It's one of the easier white fish to flip, too.

The recommended cooking temperature for halibut by the USDA is 375°F (190°C) for approximately 10-15 minutes per inch of thickness. Internal temperature should reach 145°F (63°C) for safe consumption, ensuring the fish is cooked thoroughly while remaining tender and moist.

For example, salmon goes from deep red to light pink; halibut and cod will go from glossy to solidly white. In addition to color, look closely at the flakiness. If a fish resists flaking when you gently brush a fork along the side, it needs more time cooking.

The recommended internal temperature for fish is 145°F. That will make it “well done”. To keep it from overcooking, I'd shoot for 135°F. Keep in mind that your halibut will still continue to cook once removed from the pan.

It is completely unnecessary to rinse any type of protein — fish included — unless you feel it's starting to smell off, in which case rinsing is sort of a last-ditch effort to get one more day out of it.

We've found an easy way to eliminate the smell: Soak the fish or the shellfish meat in milk for 20 minutes and then drain and pat dry. The casein in milk binds to the TMA, and when drained away, it takes the culprit that causes fishy odor with it. The result is seafood that's sweet smelling and clean-flavored.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not fat, rather a simple protein that is most evident on salmon and some white fish like halibut. It's called albumin and regardless of how your fish is prepared – broiled, baked or barbecued, this harmless, curd-like substance can appear at any time.

How do you cook halibut Martha Stewart? ›

Brush grates with oil, add vegetables, and grill, turning a few times, 6 minutes. Add fish to grill and top with oregano. Cook fish and vegetables, turning fish once halfway through, until fish is just cooked and vegetables are charred in places and tender, 8 to 10 minutes more.

When you overcook fish, it can become dry, tough, and lack flavor. Overcooked fish loses its natural moisture, which can result in a dry and chewy texture. The proteins in the fish also begin to tighten, which can make the fish tough and rubbery.

Halibut has a reputation for drying-out quickly if it's cooked for too long, so most traditional methods require the fish to be briefly fried, grilled or roasted. If you want to embrace a slower method then turn to techniques like smoking or curing.

Fish and shellfish lend themselves well to moist-heat cooking methods, especially steaming, poaching and simmering. Steaming best preserves the food's natural flavors and cooks without adding fat. Poaching is also popular, especially for fish.

Pat seafood dry before cooking.

You can prevent your fish fillets from having an unpleasant mushy texture by using a paper towel to pat each one dry before cooking. Removing this moisture from the outside of the fish won't make the meat dry out. Instead, it will ensure that it has the right flaky texture when it cooks.