Pan-Seared Halibut with Cherry Tomatoes & Basil
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A simple, summery pan-seared halibut with a sweet cherry tomato and basil sauce—ready in about 30 minutes.
Fresh Pacific halibut is a seasonal splurge. It needs very little to enhance its flavor—in fact, it’s almost a sin to fuss too much with it. I like to prepare it simply: pan-seared until golden and crisp with a quick sauté of sweet, garlicky cherry tomatoes on the side. Depending on how long you cook the tomatoes, they can be firm and fresh or soft and jammy. I usually aim for somewhere right in between, but they’re delicious either way.
Pair this easy halibut recipe with focaccia or garlic bread for soaking up the sauce, or serve it with spaghetti aglio e olio or couscous for a more substantial meal.
“I made this for dinner guests last night. Seriously, they thought they were eating at a 5-star restaurant. It was FANTASTIC!”
What You’ll Need To Make Pan-Seared Halibut with Cherry Tomatoes & Basil
To make this simple halibut recipe, you’ll need halibut fillets, olive oil, cherry tomatoes, fresh garlic, red wine vinegar, and fresh basil.
Pacific halibut is a lean, firm, flaky white fish with a mild, slightly sweet flavor. It’s available fresh from about March through November and is well worth seeking out—avoid frozen halibut fillets, which tend to be dry.
If fresh halibut isn’t available, substitute another firm white fish, such as cod, haddock, mahi-mahi, sea bass, or tilapia.
Step-by-Step INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1: Prep the tomatoes. In a medium bowl, toss the tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Pro Tip: Letting the tomato mixture sit while you prepare the fish gives the salt and vinegar time to draw out the juices, creating a more flavorful sauce once it hits the pan.
Step 2: Sear the fish. Season the halibut with salt and pepper. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Carefully place the fish in the hot pan, ensuring it sizzles and is not crowded.
Pro Tip: A hot pan is the trick to a perfect crust. If the fish doesn’t sizzle immediately upon contact, remove it and wait another minute; otherwise, it will steam rather than sear.
Step 3: Flip and finish. Cook the fish without moving for 3 minutes until golden and crisp. Flip the fish, lower the heat to medium, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more until opaque and just firm. Transfer the halibut to a platter.
Pro Tip: Use a wide, flexible spatula (a fish spatula) to support the entire fillet.
Step 4: Cook the sauce. Add the remaining oil and the tomato mixture to the skillet (no need to clean it first). Stir occasionally over medium heat for a few minutes, until the tomatoes soften and release their juices.
Pro Tip: Use your spoon to gently press down on a few of the tomatoes as they cook. This helps them release their juices faster to create a saucy consistency that coats the halibut.
Step 5: Finish with basil. Stir in the basil, then taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper, if you like.
Step 6: Serve. Serve the halibut filets with the cherry tomatoes and juices spooned over top.
More Simple Seafood Dishes You’ll Love
Pan-Seared Halibut with Cherry Tomatoes & Basil
Ingredients
- 1 pint cherry/grape tomatoes, halved (preferably mixed colors)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 (6-oz) skinless halibut fillets (or other mild white fish)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, a heaping ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
- Season the halibut all over with ¾ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-in (30-cm) nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Place the fish, presentation-side down, in the pan and cook, without touching, until golden brown and crisp, about 3 minutes. Flip the fish and lower the heat to medium; continue cooking until the halibut is just firm to the touch and opaque when you pry open a thicker piece with a paring knife, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the cooked halibut to a plate or serving platter.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan, followed by the cherry tomato mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until the tomatoes start to break down and release their juices, a few minutes. Stir in basil, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Serve the halibut filets with the cherry tomatoes spooned over top and alongside.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This recipe is transporting me to Italy. Absolutely delicious. I usually prepare halibut with leeks but your recipe incorporates fresh cherry tomatoes and basil from my garden. A new favorite! Thank you Jen as you are my “go to” for recipes that are not only delicious but easy to prepare. Take a well deserved bow!
💜
Very easy recipe and quite delicious. A good way to use up those little tomatoes you may be overrun with this time of year.
This is the most delicious and simplest dish I have ever made. I have made it two times in the past month and I’m loving it. I don’t know what makes it so good. The blistering tomatoes and the red wine vinegar. I added a little more vinegar than the recipe. Also, I made it with Haddock loins, which isn’t easy to flip while frying
Once upon a chef is awesome.
I’m not a chef at all. Good with scrambled eggs, Spaghetti, burgers… the basics.
I am also tired of the 1000’s of Lemon Halibut recipes out there.
Sooo, I made this, and my family actually said they thought it came from a nice restaurant. It’s very good! It was relatively easy to make: not a laundry list of ingredients (which drives me crazy).
Minor correction: There’s an error in the instructions. Essentially: when the oil is hot enough (to sizzle the fish) when you put the fish in the pan -keep it at that heat- don’t lower it just yet. Wait till it browns on the bottom. Once you flip the fish, you can turn it down a little (to avoid drying the fish). If you read the instructions you’ll see there’s some inconsistency at this juncture about the heat the fish should be at.
I made this recipe tonight, and it was excellent! I did add some red bell pepper to the tomato sauce. I served it over spaghetti squash. All produce used in the recipe (from garlic to squash) was picked fresh from the garden. Our Halibut was fresh caught in the pacific by my husband. A photo worthy Oregon dinner.
I bought an excellent piece of Halibut and perused the internet for a recipe. A google search did not find a recipe that looked appetizing but I remembered the wonderful recipes from Once upon a Chef and when I found this Halibut recipe I knew that Jenn would not let me down. WOW! It was simple and exceptionally delicious. I followed the recipe without changing a thing. I’ll definitely make it again, perhaps with a different type of fish.
This recipe was excellent!!!! And so easy. Can’t wait to make it again.
This recipe is amazing. PERIOD. I just made it again (2nd time this week because it is tomato season in my yard) with mahi mahi (thawed from Costco) Easy and amazing and fast! I always run out of the tomatoes on my plate, they’re delicious