Pan-Seared Halibut with Cherry Tomatoes & Basil
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Simple and summery, pan-seared halibut with a sweet cherry tomato and basil sauce comes together in 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.
“I made this for dinner guests last night. Seriously, they thought they were eating at a 5-star restaurant. It was FANTASTIC! I”
What You’ll Need To Make Pan-Seared Halibut with Cherry Tomatoes & Basil
Pacific halibut is a firm, dense, and sweet white fish, available fresh from March into November. Avoid frozen halibut, as it tends to be dry. If you don’t have access to fresh halibut, another mild white fish like haddock, mahi mahi, sea bass, tilapia, or cod may be substituted.
Step-by-Step Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, a heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
Toss to combine and set aside.
Season the halibut all over with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. It’s important that the pan is good and hot. If the fish doesn’t sizzle when you place it in the oil, take it out and give he pan another minute or two to heat up.
Place the fish, presentation-side down, in the pan. (Be sure not to crowd the pan, or the fish will steam instead of sear.)
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.
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Pan-Seared Halibut with Cherry Tomatoes & Basil
Simple and summery, pan-seared halibut with a sweet cherry tomato and basil sauce comes together in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 pint cherry/grape tomatoes, halved (preferably mixed colors)
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 (6-ounce) skinless halibut filets (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-inch 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
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 263
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Sugar: 2 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Sodium: 631 mg
- Cholesterol: 83 mg
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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Hi Jenn,
Fish, not me but if it comes from Jenn I’m willing to give it a whirl. What’s not to love about her recipes, right! Hubby loves to plank during the summer so I’d be happy as a girl with direction to plank this recipe. Can you help me please?
You never cease to amaze me and my family with your recipes. You’ve made me WANT to cook, thank you.
So glad you like the recipes, Cindy! 💗 I do think you could make the halibut on a cedar plank (use the guidance from this recipe) and you can cook the tomatoes inside while the fish cooks. Hope you enjoy!
This is a great tasting recipe! I made the brussel sprouts and kale salad to go along with the fish and my family really enjoyed dinner. Thank you for sharing your food expertise.
Tomatoes were absolutely delicious, but I didn’t have halibut and thought cod might work, using the same cooking time and temperatures. I was wrong – it turned to leather. We will get some halibut and try again with total confidence that it will be scrumptious.
Not giving any stars because I substituted another kind of fish, so the bad result was my fault☹️. Again, the tomatoes were eye-poppingly good.
There, I’ve done it again! My cousin’s college-age daughter is wrapping up the summer with me. She has been my guest during her summer internship. During her stay, she has been introduced to many, many of Jenn’s recipes. Last night, it was the pan-seared fish (I used Chilean Sea Bass) and as usual it was a major hit. Asked what is my secret in the kitchen, I replied, “I learned the value of reading from my wife who was a Reading teacher. And I just apply my reading gift to Jenn’s blog and two cookbooks. And Voila!”
I agree— Jenn you have produced another dinner winner! I used Sea Bass and our homegrown tomatoes and basil. Thank you for sharing your talents.
OMG, Jenn! Another winner. This was the easiest and most delicious dish ever. My college boys went nuts for it and I’ll be doubling the tomatoes next time because I couldn’t get enough of them. I served it with crusty ciabatta to soak up the juices and a salad. Not only is it delicious, it is beautiful. Wish I could attach a picture of my platter. Another plus is that I cooked it on our grill with a side burner so the whole house doesn’t stink like fish!
Fabulous recipe!!! Thank you! Was easy to make! Thank you!
I was headed home knowing there wasn’t anything in the house to eat. I’m focused on eating healthier, so I decided to stop by HEB grocery and pick up a piece of fish. I grabbed the halibut knowing I would need a recipe to not mess it up, BUT I knew I could find a great recipe at OUAC. Importantly, I knew it would be simple.
The good news was I found this recipe. The bad news was that I didn’t have any cherry tomatoes. No problem, as I just wanted a simple recipe to cook a nice piece of fish.
NAILED IT.
Don’t mock me. I’ve never had any confidence cooking fish and this not only gave me a recipe but it gave me a technique. The fish was delicious. Thank you.
I followed the recipe but the halibut portion was more challenging for me. Had a hard time getting it not to stick to the pan and I lost the browning parts. Also when I placed it in the side plate while doing the tomato’s there was a pool of liquid at the bottom which I didn’t care for. I had paper towel dried the fish prior to going into the pan. Overall it was still good but wish I had the fish portion down better.
So sorry you had trouble, Luanne. Did you use a nonstick pan?
Bingo ! I recently came across a video showing how to make certain your pan is hot enough so that your food doesn’t stick. (some say I have too much time on my hands)
I can’t find the video but the problem is that the pan is not hot enough when you add the food.
To determine when you have the right temp, heat the pan, let it get ‘hot’, and drop 1/8 teaspoon of water in the pan. If it sizzles and/or breaks into small pieces it is not quite ready. Wait a while, test again. You are looking for it to form a “mercury” type ball. Well, that’s close to the solution but I’m fairly certain that your pan wasn’t hot enough.
Best fish recipe ever!!! I’m normally afraid of “messing up” fish but this was so easy and so delicious. Can’t wait to make it again and again!!!
I have made this recipe a couple of times and it comes out delicious. The sauce adds flavor and color to the dish.