This pan-seared halibut with caper vinaigrette gets its crisp skin from high heat and its flavor from a vinaigrette of capers, garlic, mustard, herbs.
For this dish, we like our halibut to have a very crispy skin, which we achieve only by using an extremely hot pan that burns the seasonings into the skin and locks in the juices. When you achieve this crispiness, the texture is exquisite.
We use blended oil for just about every recipe. Even plain olive oil, which we use here, can be very strong and in many recipes will overpower the dish, so we dilute the flavor with canola oil. This blend will be subtle and not overwhelm the other flavors in the dish.–Sondra Bernstein
Pan-Roasted Halibut with Caper Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- For the blended oil
- 1 part olive oil, such as Critelli
- 3 parts canola oil
- For the caper vinaigrette
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons Champagne vinegar
- 1/2 cup blended oil
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
- 1 teaspoon chopped tarragon leaves
- 2 teaspoons chopped thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoons chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
- Salt and pepper
- For the halibut
- 6 halibut fillets (6 to 8 ounces each)
- Salt and white pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions
- Make the blended oil
- 1. Simply blend.
- Make the caper vinaigrette
- 2. In a food processor or in a blender, combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, garlic, and vinegar. Slowly whisk in the oil. Remove the mixture from the blender to a bowl and fold in the capers, mustard, and herbs. Season with salt and pepper.
- Make the halibut
- 3. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175C°F).
- 4. Gently season the halibut on both sides with salt and white pepper. Heat the oil in an ovenproof saute pan and sear the halibut on one side until lightly brown. Flip the fish over and sear the other side. Flip over again and place the pan in the oven to cook for 6 to 8 minutes.
- 5. Drizzle with the Caper Vinaigrette.
Recipe Testers Reviews
We enjoyed eating this delicious dinner on our deck overlooking the ocean, on a night when the waves were phosphorescent. A perfect setting for a perfect meal.
In spite of its simplicity, you couldn’t ask for a better method to cook halibut—it had a well-seasoned crust on the outside and was moist and juicy on the inside. The caper vinaigrette, which actually resembled a homemade “tartar sauce,” really parlayed this dish up to gourmet status.
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At the last minute I had unexpected company for dinner and decided to try this pan-roasted halibut with caper vinaigrette. It was easy to prepare the vinaigrette ahead of time and place it in the fridge. When our guests arrived, I did the pan-searing and then placed the fish in the oven. Easy, tasty, and everyone wanted the recipe.
Marian, I’m with you. And as I’m trying to eat less red meat, this recipe is a winner.