This blackened halibut recipe brings a restaurant-quality seafood dinner to the table with very little prep and cook time. Serve it with an equally indulgent side dish, like garlic and herb mashed potatoes.
Blackened Halibut
Even the pickiest of eaters will love this blackened halibut recipe. The halibut’s coated with a spice mix featuring garlic, salt, onion, oregano, thyme, pepper and paprika. Once the rub’s made, all that’s left to do is coat the fillets and cook them in a skillet on the stovetop.
The key to a good piece of blackened fish is all in the rub—and when that rub makes contact with heat, it turns black. This is one of our very best easy weeknight dinners. Everyone will remember the fish’s crispy outside and flaky inside—and it only takes 25 minutes of prep and cook time to nail it.
Ingredients for Blackened Halibut
- Garlic powder: Commonly used in rubs, garlic powder lets you achieve garlic flavor throughout, without the hunks of garlic (not always a welcoming texture).
- Onion powder: Sold alongside other spices at the grocery store, onion powder is essentially dehydrated ground onion. It adds onion flavor without the onion texture (and without the need for chopping and sauteing onions!).
- Dried oregano: The dried version of this Mediterranean herb adds to a delicious rub, even though it’s only slightly spicy.
- Dried thyme: This spice is a French favorite that’s often used to flavor fish.
- Cayenne pepper: Of all the spices in this recipe, this one has the highest “heat” factor, but it’s used as a flavor and is not as spicy as some chili peppers.
- Paprika: Made from dried and ground red chili peppers that are mild, this spice has an orange-red hue.
- Halibut: Look for halibut fillets that are about 4 ounces each.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter, as you’ll be adding salt to the recipe anyway.
Directions
Step 1: Make the rub
In a large shallow dish, combine the garlic powder, salt, onion powder, oregano, thyme, cayenne pepper, pepper and paprika to make the rub.
Step 2: Coat the fish
Add the fillets to the dish, two at a time, and turn them until both sides are coated.
Editor’s Tip: Store the seasoned fish in the fridge until the fillets are ready to be cooked in the pan. When the cold fish makes contact with a hot skillet, this results in the perfect blackened sear.
Step 3: Cook the fish
In a large cast-iron skillet, cook the fillets in butter over medium heat until the fish flakes easily with a fork, three to four minutes on each side.
Blackened Halibut Variations
- Serve it over polenta: Serve the halibut over a base of polenta or another grain.
- Dish it with a fruity salsa: A mango-avocado salsa will add fresh, citrus flavor to the recipe.
- Wrap the fish in banana leaves: This plating trick—common in Asian cuisine—adds a fun element to the dinner table. Banana leaves are sold at Asian and Mexican grocery stores.
How to Store Blackened Halibut
It’s always recommended to eat fish as fresh as possible, but if you’ve cooked more than you need, don’t worry. As long as the cooked fish is stored in an airtight container in the fridge, it’s fine to eat within three days.
Can you freeze blackened halibut?
Frozen, precooked halibut will stay good for about three months. Ideally, you’d use a vacuum sealer, as that ensures it’s good for two years, but storing it in a resealable freezer bag or a covered container is also fine.
Can you make blackened halibut recipes ahead of time?
To save time, you could make the rub in advance, store it in a small jar and then coat the fish fillets just before you plan to cook and serve.
How do you reheat blackened halibut?
You could reheat the fish in the microwave for 30 seconds on medium-high or cook it in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes at 350°F.
Blackened Halibut Tips
What should I serve with this recipe for blackened halibut?
This recipe is comfort food at its finest, so why not lean into equally indulgent side dishes? Garlic and herb mashed potatoes or our crusty bread recipe are two ideas, and to make it a meal, start off with one of our top-10 salad recipes.
How can I make this less spicy?
The key to making this dish less spicy is to reduce the amount of cayenne pepper by half.
Can I use a different fish than halibut?
Sure! Good substitutes for the halibut include cod, haddock and grouper.
Blackened Halibut
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
10 min
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 2-1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 4 halibut fillets (4 ounces each)
- 2 tablespoons butter
Directions
- In a large shallow dish, combine the first 8 ingredients. Add fillets, 2 at a time, and turn to coat.
- In a large cast-iron skillet, cook fillets in butter over medium heat until fish flakes easily with a fork, 3-4 minutes on each side.
Nutrition Facts
1 fillet: 189 calories, 8g fat (4g saturated fat), 51mg cholesterol, 758mg sodium, 3g carbohydrate (1g sugars, 1g fiber), 24g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1 fat.
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Try serving this spicy halibut recipe with garlic mashed potatoes, hot, crusty bread and a crisp salad to lure in your crew. After trying a few halibut recipes, this one is my family's favorite. —Brenda Williams, Santa Maria, California
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