Mediterranean Poached Halibut

Hello and welcome, friends! I hope you’re adjusting well to the beginning of daylight savings time (if they do that where you live…). It usually takes me a couple days to get in the swing of it. To ease the loss of time, how about an easy, healthy Mediterranean Poached Halibut? This is a perfect, one-pan weeknight meal. Today is the first time I am using my new Always Pan, which made this dinner even easier because the clean-up is a cinch! Let’s get to the recipe!

Seasoning the Halibut

The poaching broth for this halibut is so flavorful; thanks to the lemon, fresh herbs and white wine; it’s bright and fresh. Let’s start by seasoning the halibut so it can sit for a bit while we get the poaching broth going.

This recipe is based on a recipe by The Mediterranean Dish. I have two wild caught halibut fillets, about 8 ounces, each. Pat the fillets dry; we will give them a dry rub of herbs and spices. We have paprika, ground coriander, dried oregano, Kosher salt and ground pepper. Mix the spices together in a dish and coat all sides of the halibut fillets with the spice rub and set them aside.

The Poaching Broth

We can get the poaching broth going by sautéing the diced red onions in olive oil over medium heat. Once they get translucent, add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the chicken stock, or veggie stock if you prefer. Add the dry white wine and the fresh lemon juice.

Give that a good stir and bring the temp back up to medium. Then add the lemon zest, the chiffonade fresh basil, and about half of the chopped fresh parsley.

Add the capers and give it a good stir, and bring the broth up to a simmer.

Add the Halibut

Once simmering, carefully add the halibut fillets to the broth. When laying anything into hot oil or broth, be sure to always start with the side closest to you, so that when you let go of it, the side that hits the hot liquid when you let go will be the farthest part from you, to avoid getting spattered by scalding liquid. Turn the heat low to maintain a low simmer.

Then, loosely cover the pan with a lid or foil, so that steam is able to escape. We want the halibut to cook in the liquid, and not overcook by also being steamed. A feature I really like about the Always pan is that the lid has a built in vent. All you need to do is position the lid as if the wooden spatula is in place, but just set aside the spatula; a perfect steam escape is created by the absence of the spatula.

After about 5 minutes, check the doneness of the fish: with your finger, simply press the thickest part of the fillet, if it’s firm, it’s done. Turn off the heat and let’s plate it up!

Mediterranean Poached Halibut

I happened to have some leftover brown rice, so I microwaved about half a cup of my leftover rice for each serving. You can serve this fish on its own, or with your favorite starch. In a shallow bowl, make a little mound of rice, and lay a fillet on top.

Top the fillet with the grated carrots, sliced scallions, more capers, and the remaining chopped parsley.

Now, you can stop right here and this is going to be amazing. Or you can ladle in some of the poaching broth. I recommend you do this! The poaching broth is so bright and warm, it really adds a nice element to the finished, plated dish. Especially if you do end up pairing this fillet with a starch. The poaching liquid; with the onions, the lemon zest, basil and garlic, will soak into the starch and make a lovely mixture of textures.

As much as I hate to lose that hour of sleep when daylight savings starts, I must admit that all it really means to me is that spring is just about here, and that’s quite alright with me! Thank you all so much for stopping by today, I hope you make this Mediterranean Poached Halibut! If you’re looking for another Mediterranean dish, try my Chicken with Artichokes and Olives, or Greek Avgolemono Soup. Be sure to follow me over on Instagram for more Djalali Cooks!

Print Recipe

Mediterranean Poached Halibut

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Dinner, Main Course – Mediterranean

By Original Recipe by The Mediterranean Dish – Serves: 2-4

Prep Time: 20 minutes – Cooking Time: 7-10 Minutes – Total Time: Under 30 Minutes

Rich, buttery halibut is poached in chicken (or veggie) stock with lemon, fresh herbs and white wine. This one-pan dish is bright and fresh.

Ingredients

• Halibut Spice Rub
• 1 tsp. Dried Oregano
• 1 tsp. Ground Coriander
• ½ tsp. Ground Paprika
• ½ tsp. Kosher Salt
• ½ tsp. Pepper
• Poached Halibut
• 2-4 7-8-oz. Halibut fillets
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ½ cup Red Onion, finely chopped
• 7 to 8 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 2 ½ cup Chicken Broth, or Veggie Broth
• ½ cup Dry White Wine
• 2 Large Lemons, zested and juiced
• ½ cup Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
• 10 Large basil leaves, rolled together like a cigar and thinly sliced (chiffonade)
• 1 tbsp. Capers
• 3 Scallions, both white and green parts, chopped
• ¼ cup Grated Carrots

Instructions

Halibut Spice Rub

1

In a small bowl, mix all the spices, salt and pepper.

2

Pat halibut fillet dry, and pat all sides of the fillets with the spice rub. Set aside at room temperature for a few minutes.

Poached Halibut

3

In a large skillet, add 1-2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil to coat the bottom of the skillet. Heat over medium heat until shimmering.

4

Add chopped onions, and cook over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly until translucent.

5

Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds.

6

Add the broth, wine, lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh herbs, and capers. (Reserve some of the chopped parsley for topping.)

7

Bring liquid to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and carefully lay the fish in.

8

Cover the skillet loosely with foil or a lid and cook on low for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the fish is opaque and flaky, firm but not dry.

9

Remove the skillet from heat.

10

Plate with rice, or potatoes if desired then top each fillet with grated carrots, chopped scallions, capers and parsley.

11

Ladle in some of the poaching broth, if desired.

Notes

If cooking more than two fillets, cook time may need to increase to 8-10 minutes. Just begin checking doneness on the fillets at minute 5, and every minute or two after until the halibut is firm.