Grilled Cilantro Lime Halibut is so easy to make and doesn’t taste fishy at all. Just fresh, flaky, and fantastic! You will love the fresh flavor combinations!
Grilled Halibut
All I can say is… BEST. HALIBUT. EVER. I can take credit for the picture, but not for the recipe. I got this Cilantro Lime Halibut recipe from Gastronomy Inc. They have the best seafood recipes! This recipe, with fresh lime and zesty cilantro, brings out the flavor of the halibut. It is really easy to make and doesn’t taste fishy AT ALL. It is just fresh, flaky, and fantastic! Plus, it is low fat and healthy too!
Fresh is Best
I always recommend using the freshest fish you can find. We were lucky because we made this recipe with SUPER fresh halibut straight from Alaska. But if you’re not a coastal resident, I like to use frozen halibut fillets that you can find at the grocery store. Fish counters at the grocery store have delicious options too, so just do a little looking and you’ll soon have your hands on some fresh fish to toss on the grill.
Tips for Grilling Halibut
- Our biggest tip to grilling halibut is to sear the fillets in a non-stick pan (oiled of course) over high heat on the stove top before you even fire up the grill. Searing the fillets will give them a nice crust that will help prevent the halibut from sticking and falling through the grates of your barbecue grill.
- Prep your grill too by oiling the cooking grate or grill before you transfer the fish from the stove top to the grill. The whole trick is to keep that delicate flaky fish from sticking.
- Steaks that have been cut across the grain have a lesser chance of sticking to the grill, so you can choose halibut steaks instead of fillets if you wish.
Seasoning Grilled Halibut
Flaky halibut is such a mild fish that you can season it up pretty much however you like. I love the citrus flavor of lime and zesty herbal flavor of cilantro. It just brings out the freshness of the fish. Start with salt and pepper, then use simple seasonings like garlic, lime zest and fresh lime juice. This fish is so delicious, light, healthy and flavorful.
What to Serve with Grilled Halibut
Serve this seasoned halibut over rice or add it to a tortilla for Halibut Tacos. To keep calories down, we love to serve it alongside grilled veggies. This recipe is so versatile you can make it work with so many recipes. Try a few of our other fish favorites:
- Baked Cod in Cream Sauce
- Thick and Hearty Seafood Chowder
- Fish and Chips
- Parmesan Herb Baked Mahi Mahi
- Poor Man’s Lobster
- Thai Fish Tacos
- Fiesta Fish Taco Bowls
How to Make Grilled Halibut
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh halibut filets
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- ½ cup white wine or chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Season halibut with salt and pepper one hour before cooking. Place in refrigerator.
- Lightly oil a non-stick pan with canola or vegetable oil. Over high heat, sear each side of the halibut filets for five seconds each.
- Searing the filets will cook a fine layer on the outside of the fish so that it will not stick to the barbecue. Because of the moistness and flakiness of halibut, this will prevent the halibut from sticking and falling through the grates of your barbecue grill. This is a great tip when barbecuing all types of fish, but works especially well with halibut.
- Remove halibut from pan and turn heat down to medium. Add olive oil and garlic to pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add wine or chicken stock, cilantro, lime juice , lime zest and olive oil to the sauté pan and heat until hot but not boiling.
- Remove sauce from heat and baste fish on both sides. Cook on barbecue grill for 3 minutes per side, basting constantly while cooking. Serve immediately.
Keiauni says
Hey there! I found your blog on my cousin’s blog links… I am so glad I did! I am LOVING your recipes… Thanks for sharing them:)
Tara says
Wow…this looks awesome too! I'll have to make this next week and share on my blog!! Be on the look-out ;o)
Amanda says
I just did this recipe and the timing was way off….especially for a thicker fish such as halibut. After following the instructions I think searing for about 20-30 secs on each side would be better than just 5 secs each side, and cook on grill for maybe 6 mins on each side, b/c after grilling for 3 mins each side the fish was still raw in the center. I think maybe i’ll try this recipe with a different type of fish and cook on a skillet!
Kelsey Crist says
I’m sorry you had that experience with this recipe! Cooking times can vary so much depending on your grill, the thickness of the cuts of fish, and even altitude. I’m glad you were able to figure out a solution!
Kristin says
Can you do this without grilling and if so how long in the over or on stove top? Thanks!
Emily says
Try grilling in a fry pan over medium heat until it is cooked through. It will brake and flake off easily when fully cooked.
Sara says
This looks great! Do you have any suggestions for sides??
Erica says
You could do a rice pilaf, steamed veggies or these Parmesan Potato Halves (that is my go-to side)
MonicaP says
Made the Cilantro-Lime Halibut last night and it was GOOD! Skewered some veggies for the BBQ and a slice of garlic toast and we had an excellent dinner 🙂
The tip about searing the fish first – really worked well!
Monica
Erica says
Great! Glad to hear it turned out well for you! One of my favs… love the idea of skewered veggies!
Makana Hall says
Aloha! Do you think pacific cod can be substituted in this recipe?
Erica says
Hey Makana! 😀 How are you? Yes, you can use Cod or any type of white fish. Hope you like it! – Erica
Farrel says
I made one change in the cooking method that I think was an improvement. I used a couple of pieces of fresh caught halibut I just got this weekend on a fishing trip in my home state of Alaska. The only difference I did was to cook the fish in a grill pan rather than on a barbecue. The marinade was collected in the bottom of the pan and when the fish was done it had reduced down to a nice sauce to finish the fish off with. Great recipe, using fresh ingredients that I had on hand.
Erica Walker says
That sounds DELICIOUS!!!! Very good to know! Sometimes fish is hard to grill because it sticks and flakes too easily. This is the perfect solution– plus you get a yummy sauce so double-win! Thanks for your great comment and for the 5-stars!