Pan Seared Halibut with Lemon Dill Butter

This pan seared halibut is golden brown on the outside, flaky and tender inside, and finished with a lemon dill butter sauce made right in the same pan. It is ready in just 20 minutes and tastes like a meal from a fine dining restaurant.

Halibut is one of my all time favorite fish. I used to serve it as a special every other week at a restaurant I worked years ago, and it would sell out every single time. That is how much people love this fish. If you want to try halibut prepared differently, my halibut with chimichurri sauce is a fresh, herby take, and my halibut with honey soy glaze with ginger and sesame is just amazing.

Halibut

Halibut is a cold water flatfish found primarily in the North Pacific and North Atlantic. It is the largest of the flatfish family, with some specimens weighing over 400 pounds, though market size fillets are typically cut from fish between 10 and 50 pounds. The word halibut comes from the Middle English “haly” (holy) and “butte” (flatfish) because it was traditionally eaten on holy days.

The technique for pan searing halibut is the same one I have used in professional kitchens for 15 years. I season the fillets simply with sat and pepper, get a pan ripping hot with oil until it just begins to smoke, lay the fish in, and immediately turn the heat down. I add butter to help brown the surface and release the fish from the pan. Three to three and a half minutes per side gives you a perfectly golden crust with a flaky moist center.

Once the halibut is done, I build the sauce in the same pan using shallots, garlic, white wine, cold butter, fresh dill, and lemon juice. The sauce comes together in minutes, which is why all of your mise en place has to be ready before you start cooking. If you stop to chop something, the sauce is ruined. Now, let me show you how to make a delicious dinner ready in just 20 minutes.

Ingredients and Substitutions

This recipe is built on technique, not a long ingredient list. Every ingredient plays a specific role in either the sear or the sauce.

• Halibut – I use fresh, skinless halibut fillets. The skin is inedible and very rubbery, so I always remove it before cooking. If you can get halibut on sale for less than $25 a pound, absolutely pull the trigger. Frozen halibut works if it is completely thawed and patted dry. You can substitute cod, sea bass, or mahi mahi, but halibut has a firmer texture that holds up better to the high heat sear.
• Oil – Any neutral flavored oil with a high smoke point works. I use avocado oil or vegetable oil.
• Butter – I use unsalted butter in two stages. A teaspoon goes in the pan with the fish to help brown it and release it from the surface. The rest goes into the sauce at the end as cold butter, which is what creates the emulsified lemon dill butter.
• Shallots – I small dice half a shallot. Shallots are milder and sweeter than onion, which is why they are the standard in French pan sauces.
• Garlic – One clove, finely minced.
• White Wine – I use chardonnay, pinot grigio, or sauvignon blanc. The wine deglazes the pan and picks up all the browned bits from searing the halibut. Any drinking white wine works.
• Fresh Dill – Dill goes with fish like peanut butter and jelly. I use a tablespoon, finely minced. Dried dill works too at half the amount, but fresh is better.
• Lemon – The juice of half a lemon adds acid and brightness to the butter sauce.
• Salt and Pepper – I season the fish on both sides before searing and season the sauce again at the end.

How to Make Pan Seared Halibut

Prep your mise en place: I dice the shallot, mince the garlic, chop the dill, and squeeze the lemon before I turn on the stove. This sauce moves fast and there is no time to prep once cooking starts.

Season the halibut: I pat the fillets dry with paper towels and season both sides generously with salt and pepper.

Heat the pan: I add oil to a large frying pan and heat over high heat until it just begins to lightly smoke.

Sear the halibut: I place the fillets in the pan and immediately turn the heat down to medium-high. I add a teaspoon of butter, which helps brown the surface and adds flavor. I cook for 3 to 3 1/2 minutes on the first side without moving the fish, making sure every part of the surface makes contact with the pan for an even golden crust.

Flip and finish: I flip the fillets and cook for another three and a half minutes until golden brown on the second side and cooked through. The fish should be opaque and flaky throughout. I remove the halibut and set it aside on a plate.

Build the sauce base: I pour out most of the oil from the pan, add a tablespoon of butter, and return the pan to medium heat. I add the diced shallots and minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute until they just start to soften.

Deglaze with wine: I pour in the white wine and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. I cook until the wine reduces down to about 1 to 2 tablespoons of liquid.

Finish the butter sauce: I turn the heat completely off and let the pan sit for 1 to 2 minutes to cool slightly. Then I add the cold butter and swirl the pan, stirring with tongs or a whisk until the butter melts into a smooth, creamy, emulsified sauce.

Add the dill and lemon: I stir in the fresh dill and lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper. I give it one more swirl to combine.

Plate and serve: I place the halibut on plates and spoon the lemon dill butter sauce directly over the top. I garnish with extra dill and lemon slices.

Serving Suggestions

I like serving the halibut over a bed of perfectly cooked rice with sauteed green beans on the side, and the lemon dill butter sauce pools into the rice in a way that makes you want to scrape the plate clean. For a more composed plate, I set the halibut next to roasted baby potatoes and my glazed carrots, which turns it into a proper restaurant quality dinner at home.

When I want to keep it simple, I plate the halibut on a bed of greens with my lemon vinaigrette drizzled over a simple Italian salad and let the butter sauce handle the fish.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: This recipe is meant to be eaten immediately after cooking. The halibut and the sauce are both at their best right out of the pan. I can keep it warm, covered loosely in the pan, for up to 15 minutes if dinner is not quite ready, but beyond that the fish starts to overcook from residual heat.

How to Store: I cover and refrigerate leftover halibut with the sauce for up to 3 days. It freezes covered for up to 3 months. I thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.

How to Reheat: I place the halibut with sauce in an oven-safe dish and heat at 350°F for 5 to 6 minutes until warmed through. I avoid the microwave because it dries the fish out quickly and can break the butter sauce.

More Fish Recipes

• Broiled Salmon
• Blackened Salmon
• Salmon Patties
• Halibut Fish Chowder
• Honey Garlic Salmon