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If you’re looking for ways to cook halibut or are a keto pescatarian, then you’ll love this Easy Pan-Seared Halibut recipe. It takes just a few minutes, a few spices, and one pan to make. Plus, it’s perfect as an easy keto-friendly fish & seafood meal idea. In this post, you’ll find a basic recipe for making halibut, low-carb side recommendations, and tips for halibut sauces and toppings.
Eating Halibut: what are its nutritional benefits?
Halibut is high in protein, minerals, vitamins, and low in calories. In fact, Healthline claims that “one half-filet (160 grams) of halibut can provide more than a third of your dietary needs for multiple vitamins and minerals, including selenium, niacin, phosphorus, magnesium, and vitamins B12 and B6”.
It’s rich in Omega 3 fatty acids. And, like most other proteins, it’s naturally gluten-free, low carb, and keto-friendly.
I’m sharing this pan-seared halibut recipe so that you might enjoy those benefits in a way that tastes deliciously!
Ingredients in this Pan-Seared Halibut Recipe
This halibut recipe is made with halibut, salt, and pepper.
In this dish, you should know that I seasoned it lightly to highlight the fish.
But also, so that I could top it with an ample amount of a Spanish seasoning sauce called chimichurri sauce. If you haven’t had it, chimichurri is filled with fresh flavors like cilantro, parsley, and garlic. It goes great with chicken, fish, and steak. Plus, you can basically make it in a blender or food processor.
Easy Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce Recipe
How to Cook Pan-fried Halibut
There are many ways to cook halibut. But, pan-searing or pan-frying does it best for me because it’s so easy.
I get my halibut cut into filets from the market. I tend to dry them off by lightly patting them with a paper towel. Then, I sprinkle the seasonings on the fillets and cook on a medium-high heated oiled skillet or pan for 2-3 minutes on each side.
My top tip for making the best halibut is to use a hot pan. Similar to what I mentioned in seared scallops, having a hot pan will allow the seafood skin to get a crispy exterior quickly without overcooking the inside.
Another tip is to flip the fish only once. When you place your fish skin-side down into the hot pan and cook it for 2-3 minutes, the fish will flip easily. An easy flip can be a quick way to tell that your fish is ready.
Cooked halibut can last 2-3 days when stored in the refrigerator.
Sauces and Toppings for Pan-Fried Halibut
Pan-fried Halibut tastes nice on its own, but even nicer when topped and paired with sauces. You can add a more refreshing flavor when you top with cilantro and parsley chimichurri sauce.
Another great option is to top the fish with my shrimp scampi lemon butter sauce. All you need to do is make the dish as listed but leave out the shrimp.
Prefer something creamier and tartish? Try this Creamy Dill Sauce made by mixing chopped fresh dill, sour cream, mayonnaise, dijon mustard, juice and zest of lemon, chopped capers, and salt in a bowl.
Easy Keto Garlic Shrimp Scampi
Side Dishes for Pan-fried Halibut
Halibut is super versatile. So, your side dish options are limitless. My favorites from the blog are:
- Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic recipe
- Keto & Low Carb Creamed Spinach recipe
- Keto Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Easy Sauteed Asparagus recipe with Lemon
You can also check these other low-carb side dish recipes.
Other Seafood & Fish Recipes
If you like this pan-seared Halibut, you’ll also like these recipes:
- Keto Chinese Orange Peel Shrimp
- Keto Bang Bang Shrimp
- Pan-seared Salmon with Crispy Skin
- Salmon in a Ninja Foodi Air Fryer
- Keto Teriyaki Salmon
Easy Pan-Seared Halibut Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb halibut, cut into 4-oz portions
- 1 tsp Natural Ancient Sea Salt
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil, for searing the fish
Optional Topping
Instructions
- Remove the fish from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking to help
- Pat the fish dry on both sides
- Season both sides of the fish with the sea salt and black pepper
- Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet or other pan to medium high heat
- Add the fish skin side down first and cook for 2-3 minutes per side. The fish will lift easily with a spatula when it’s ready to be turned.
- Top the fish with chimichurri sauce
Nutrition Details
The nutrition facts come from entering the recipe ingredients into Spoonacular API, a database of food ingredients. They may vary for any recipe based on the exact product used. The keto sweeteners I use have 0g net carbs & are not included because sugar alcohols do not impact most people. This is provided as a courtesy, but you can do your own calculations if you wish!
