First of the season, buttery, Grilled Halibut in a Roasted Tomatillo Sauce with crispy fried onions is a perfect reason to fire up that grill.
Around here, first of the season halibut is quite the catch. We look forward to fresh seafood here in the Pacific NW, mostly because we are totally spoiled with having access year round to the best fish. Halibut, though, is the creme de la creme. It’s meaty, buttery and tastes great with very little effort at all, BUT it tastes especially great when grilled and served in a roasted tomatillo sauce and topped with crispy fried onions.
Want to make this recipe even easier for your weeknight meal plan? Grab some french fried onions from the grocery instead of making your own. Really, that’s the hardest part of this entire recipe and if you already have some, then you’ve got this in the bag!
My favorite memories are visiting my dad in Alaska where he had a logging camp. He and my brother would take me out fishing for halibut. They are some strong fish for sure. My dad kept a special gun on the boat just for shooting the big ones that we reeled in. these guys can easily weigh twice as much as the average person. That’s a lot of meat! But, there’s something so satisfying as eating something that you worked hard to catch and prepare.
Ingredients:
- Halibut Fillets – Splurge for fresh – it’s worth it
- Tomatilllos – Mexican husk tomato. Found at most grocery stores. Green with a paper husk. Has a vibrant, tart citrusy flavor.
- Yellow Onion – Look for firm onions with no bruising.
- Jalapeno – Fresh green pepper with moderate heat.
- Chili Powder – A blend of spices including toasted chili peppers, cumin, oregano, garlic and salt.
- Garlic Powder – Gives a mellower garlic flavor than raw garlic.
- Cumin – A warm, earthy spice that gives depth of flavor.
- Pantry Items – Olive oil, sugar, heavy cream, milk, vinegar, corn starch, salt and pepper.
Preparation
- Make the roasted tomatillo sauce first by oven roasting tomatillos, onion and jalapeno until charred, then blending with sugar, water and cream.
- Prepare crispy fried onions by soaking onions for 15 minutes in milk and vinegar, then toss in cornstarch and fry in oil until golden brown.
- Combine chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper.
- Fire up the grill, drizzle halibut with olive oil and season with spice blend. Grill flesh side down first until opaque half way through the thickness of the fillet, then carefully flip and repeat on other side.
- Place a ladle of roasted tomatillo sauce on plate, halibut on top and garnish with crispy fried onions.
Grilled Halibut in a Roasted Tomatillo Sauce
Ingredients
Halibut
- 2 lb halibut fillets (4 fillets)
- olive oil
Roasted Tomatillo Sauce
- 6-8 tomatillos outer husk removed
- 1/2 large yellow onion quartered
- 1 jalapeno halved, seeds removed
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
Crispy Fried Onions
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 1/2 yellow onion thinly sliced
- 1 cup corn starch
- cooking oil for frying
- salt
Spice Blend for Halibut
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
Instructions
Roasted Tomatillo Sauce
- Place tomatillos, yellow onion and jalapeno on a sheet pan and broil until charred. Remove from oven, let cool, then place in blender with remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth.
Crispy Fried Onions
- Combine milk and vinegar in a bowl. Soak onions for about 15 minutes. Drain and then toss onions in corn starch.
- Heat cooking oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Fry onions until golden, remove and drain on wire rack or paper towels. Season with salt. Set aside until ready to serve.
Spice Blend for Halibut
- Combine all ingredients together.
Halibut
- Prepare grill. Drizzle olive oil over fillets. Sprinkle about 1/4 tsp spice blend over each fillet. Don’t over season. You will have leftover spice blend.
- Grill halibut, flesh side down first. You’ll know it’s ready to flip when it turns opaque about half way up the thickness of the fillet. Flip and repeat on the other side until fully opaque.
- Plating: Place a large spoonful of roasted tomatillo sauce on plate, place halibut fillet on top and top with crispy fried onions.Optional garnish: cilantro, radish, corn and lime wedges.
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