OUT WEST: Food & Lifestyle

Seafood

One Pan Halibut with Lemon Chive Pistou

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This One Pan Halibut with Lemon Chive Pistou is pan seared along with garlic, butter, white wine and on-the-vine-tomatoes for a quick dinner that feels restaurant fancy.

Ready in just 6 minutes AND only uses one pan means this is the perfect weeknight dinner. Fresh, local halibut doesn’t take long to cook to perfection. It’s moist, buttery and drizzled with flavor from the lemon chive pistou.

Lemon Chive Pistou tops the One Pan Halibut

What is a lemon chive pistou? It’s really just a fancy way of saying herbed oil and with so few ingredients, you want to use the best oil you have on hand. My newest find is a smoked olive oil from Castillo de Canena, which pairs lovely with herbs or citrus, like my Smoked Citrus Salad. If your local to the Pacific Northwest, you can find it at Taylor Shellfish Farms in Bow, WA or scroll down to find it on Amazon.

Ingredients

  • Halibut – Fresh halibut, about 1 inch thick.
  • On-the-vine-tomatoes – Campari tomatoes are perfect, a little larger than cherry tomatoes.
  • Garlic – For this recipe, I used pre-minced garlic to save time.
  • White Wine – I keep an inexpensive bottle of Pinot Grigio on hand for cooking.
  • Chives – Fresh chives from the garden or the produce aisle at the grocery.
  • Lemon – One half of a lemon, juiced and zested.
  • Pantry Items – Olive oil, butter, salt and pepper.
Buttery One Pan Halibut topped with Lemon Chive Pistou

Easy to Follow One Pan Halibut Video

Make this One Pan Halibut with Lemon Chive Pistou in just 6 minutes. Watch the video and see how easy this weeknight meal is to make.

More Halibut Recipes

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Pan seared halibut ready in 6 minutes

One Pan Halibut with Lemon Chive Pistou

Pan seared halibut feels special when topped with lemon chive pistou and served along side tomatoes on the vine
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Cook Time 6 mins
Course Dinner
Cuisine Seafood
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

  • 2 halibut fillets about 1 inch thick
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1 bunch Campari tomatoes on the vine
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 2 tbsp. butter

Lemon Chive Pistou

  • 1 tbsp. fresh chives minced
  • 3 tbsp. smoked olive oil can sub regular olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1 generous pinch salt
  • 1/2 lemon juiced and zested

Instructions
 

  • Make the Lemon Chive Pistou by combing chives, olive oil, garlic, salt, lemon juice and zest. Set aside until ready to serve.
  • Heat a large heavy bottom pan over medium high heat. Add olive oil and swirl. Pat halibut fillets dry with a paper towel, then season lightly with salt and pepper. Place fillets in middle on pan with space between them.
  • Sear halibut fillets until they turn opaque half way up the thickness of the fillet. This should take about 3 minutes on a 1 inch thick fillet. Flip over. Add tomatoes, still on the vine, wine, garlic and then butter. Cook for another 3 minutes or until completely opaque.
  • Remove from pan and plate with tomatoes on the vine. Spoon Lemon Chive Pistou over the top.
Keyword Dinner for Two, Pan Seared Halibut

Grilled Red Chile Halibut

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Grilled Red Chile Halibut uses roasted Mexican red chilies and cinnamon for a warm, earthy take on the seasonal Pacific Northwest halibut.

Every Spring I look forward to the beginning of halibut season. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have the luxury of fresh fish every season. One of the most versatile and meaty fish, halibut holds up to the depth of roasted chilies in this Grilled Red Chile Halibut. Chile peppers and cinnamon create an earthy, spicy sauce with sweet undertones that only gets better when grilled. The addition of grilled sweet corn, cilantro and fresh lime really completes the dish.

Toasted Mexican red chilies and cinnamon add a warm, earthy spice to this Grilled Red Chile Halibut

Grilled Red Chile Halibut

Toasted Mexican red chilies and cinnamon add a warm, earthy spice to this Grilled Red Chile Halibut
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Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 8 mins
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb. Halibut fillet
  • 4 tbsp. Red Chile Sauce, see below
  • 4 ears corn on the cob
  • 1 lime cut in wedges
  • 1 handful cilantro rough chopped

Red Chile Sauce

  • 2 Chilies de Arbol
  • 2 Pasilla Chilies
  • 2 New Mexico Chilies
  • 1/2 small yellow onion quartered
  • 1/2 tsp. achiote powder
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon powder
  • 1 tsp. garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp. agave nectar
  • 3 cups chicken broth warmed
  • 1 tbsp. lard

Instructions
 

  • Toast chilies and onion in a dry cast iron pan over medium high heat for about 3-5 minutes. They will start to soften and release aroma. Careful not to burn – they will taste bitter if burned.
  • Remove chilies and onion to a blender. Add achiote powder, cinnamon powder, garlic, agave nectar and warm chicken broth. Blend until very smooth.
  • Heat lard in the cast iron pan over medium high heat. Pour in Red Chile Sauce and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.
  • Coat halibut fillet in about 4 tbsp. Red Chile Sauce. Grill over charcoal, skin side down, for about 8 minutes or until fish turns opaque in the middle and starts to flake when you push on it with a fork. While you are grilling halibut, add the corn to the grill and rotate as each side gets a little charred.
  • Cut the grilled corn off the cob and toss with cilantro and fresh squeezed lime. Serve over grilled halibut.
Keyword Grilled Halibut, Mexican Halibut

Ingredients

  • Halibut – Fresh, in season halibut is best, but you can easily substitute another meaty white fish such as cod.
  • Dried Mexican Chilies – Pasilla (rich, pungent) , New Mexico (sweet, fruity) and Arbol (spicy) found in the Mexican aisle of your grocery.
  • Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon adds a warm taste that pairs well with Mexican chilies.
  • Achiote Powder – Red spice with mild, earthy flavor and sweet undertones.
  • Onion – I like using either Walla Walla Sweet or Vidalia onion.
  • Garlic – For this recipe I used chopped garlic in the jar, which gives a more muted garlic taste.
  • Agave Nectar – Sweetener that looks similar to honey, found in the baking aisle of the grocery.
  • Chicken Broth – If you can’t use homemade, I suggest Better Than Bouillon brand.
  • Lard – Save your bacon grease and use that or purchase a block lard from the grocery.
  • Corn on the Cob – Fresh corn on the cob, husked and grilled
  • Lime – Fresh lime cut into wedges and used as a garnish for corn and fish
  • Cilantro – Fresh cilantro, just tear off a handful and rough chop for garnish.

Preparation

  1. Toast dried chilies and onion in a dry cast iron pan over medium high heat until fragrant.
  2. Blend toasted chilies and onion with achiote powder, garlic, agave nectar and warm chicken broth.
  3. Heat lard in cast iron pan over medium high heat. Add red chile sauce to pan.
  4. Cook for about 5 minutes. Remove and let cool before coating halibut.
  5. Coat halibut with about 4 tbsp. of the red chile sauce. Freeze or refrigerate the rest for another use.
  6. Grill halibut skin side down for about 8 minutes, depending on thickness of fillet, until opaque in center when flaked with a fork. Grill corn at same time, constantly rotating to get even grill marks. Remove when charred all around.
  7. Cut corn off the cob and toss with lime juice and cilantro. Serve over halibut.

You Will Love GRILLED HALIBUT in Roasted Tomatillo Sauce

You’ve tried the Grilled Red Chile Halibut, now try the green! Grilled Halibut in a Tomatillo Sauce

Halibut in roasted tomatillo sauce with crispy fried onions
Meaty, buttery grilled halibut in a roasted tomatillo sauce with crispy fried onions

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Try these related OUT WEST favorites

Out West Smoked Salmon Corn Chowder

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Smoky, creamy, a little bit rustic and ribboned with the subtle flavor of tarragon makes this Out West Smoked Salmon Corn Chowder a Pacific Northwest favorite.

Smokey, creamy, a little bit rustic and ribboned with the subtle flavor of tarragon makes this Smoked Salmon Chowder a Pacific Northwest favorite.

The Pacific Northwest is known for seafood, rustic cuisine and well, let’s face it….RAIN. Seattle averages 38 inches annually, which means we like our chowder. We make chowder out of anything from classic manila clam, to geoduck and my favorite, this Smoked Salmon Corn Chowder.

A little bit fancier than the classic clam chowder, we add tender corn, red bell pepper and tarragon together with creamy baby red and white potatoes. Tarragon is a French herb that adds a distinct flavor and pairs so nicely with seafood. It also is known to be a powerful antioxidant that can boost your immune system. Perfect for the winter season.

Ingredients

  • Smoked Salmon – You want the hot smoked salmon as opposed to the cold smoked salmon. It is cured, then cooked with heated wood smoke.
  • Corn – Fresh off the cob is best, frozen would be the next best choice.
  • Potato – Red and white baby new potatoes are best for this dish.
  • White Cooking Wine – Just a simple white wine.
  • Tarragon – My favorite herb to add to seafood dishes giving a light licorice flavor like fennel or anise.
  • Paprika – For color and a little spice.
  • Cream – Heavy cream, sometimes called whipping cream.
  • Chicken Broth – If you have seafood broth, use that, but chicken broth works just as well. I like Better Than Bouillon brand.
  • Red Bell Pepper, Shallot & Celery – Add to the overall flavor.
  • Flour & Butter – Combine to make a roux to thicken the chowder.

If you LOVE seafood, try this OUT WEST favorite FARM STYLE CLAM CHOWDER using fresh clams

This rustic, Farm Style Clam Chowder combines fresh manila clams, sliced baby potatoes, a splash of sherry, cream, tarragon and smokey bacon.

Preparation

  1. Sauté celery, shallot and red bell pepper in one tablespoon butter over medium high heat until just softened.
  2. Add white cooking wine and sauté an additional 1-2 minutes.
  3. Add potatoes and chicken broth, simmer about 10 minutes until tender.
  4. In a separate sauce pan, melt two tablespoons butter over medium heat and stir in flour to create a roux. Turn heat to low and add two ladles of chicken broth from the potato mixture into the roux. Stir quickly and combine with potato mixture.
  5. Stir in smoked salmon, corn, cream, tarragon, paprika, salt and pepper.
  6. Simmer for at least 20 minutes. Serve with crusty French bread.
Smoky, creamy, a little bit rustic and ribboned with the subtle flavor of tarragon makes this Smoked Salmon Chowder a Pacific Northwest favorite.
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Out West Smoked Salmon Corn Chowder

Smokey, creamy, a little bit rustic and ribboned with the subtle flavor of tarragon makes this Smoked Salmon Corn Chowder a Pacific Northwest favorite.
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine PNW, Seafood, Soups, Stews, Chowders
Keyword Chowder
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp butter
  • â…“ cup flour
  • ½ cup celery diced
  • ½ cup shallot diced
  • ½ cup red bell pepper diced
  • ½ cup white cooking wine
  • 1 ½ cups red and white baby potatoes sliced in rounds
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • ½ lb smoked salmon roughly broken into pieces
  • 1 cup corn
  • 1 cup cream
  • 2 tsp tarragon dried
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Heat 1 tbsp. butter in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add celery, shallot and red bell pepper and saute for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add white cooking wine and cook another 1-2 minutes.
  • Add potatoes and chicken broth, simmer for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. While potatoes are cooking, make roux.
  • Roux: In a small saucepan heat 2 tbsp. butter over medium heat until melted. Add flour and stir constantly until smooth. Turn heat to very low. Using a ladle, spoon 2 ladles of broth from potatoes into roux and stir quickly and remove from heat.
  • Immediately stir roux into chowder mixture, stirring until combined.
  • Add smoked salmon, corn, cream, tarragon, paprika and salt and pepper and stir until combined.
  • Simmer for at least 20 minutes, stirring regularly. More is better so the flavors combine and next day is even better.

More Soups, Stews & Chowders

Roasting parsnips brings out their earthy sweet flavor in this winter soup. Not only is this Roasted Parsnip Soup with Crispy Fried Shallots easy to make, it’s easy on the budget too.
Out West Cowboy Chili is packed with tender steak, pinto beans and poblano peppers with a touch of liquid smoke for that campfire flavor.

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The Best Dungeness Crab Cakes

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The Best Dungeness Crab Cakes are packed full of delicious Dungeness crab, a little minced celery, red bell pepper and Panko breadcrumbs.

The best crab cakes have just enough breadcrumbs to hold together the Dungeness crab meat, giving you the full flavor of rich, buttery crab. Packed full of jumbo lump meat that you can see and taste with every bite.

Perfect bite sized as an appetizer. Pair with your favorite dipping sauce like spicy sweet chili sauce, roasted pineapple and habanero or more of a traditional creamy dill sauce. These Dungeness Crab Cakes will disappear at your next party.

For a dinner entrée, I like to serve full size Dungeness Crab Cakes over creamy mashed potatoes topped with sautéed fresh corn off the cob and sugar snap peas. For an Asian inspired twist, serve with sautéed baby bok choy and hoisin sauce.

Dungeness Crab Cakes can be frozen, if desired. Place a small piece of parchment paper between the cakes and freeze in a Ziplock bag. Although, I truly believe fresh is best, sometimes it’s good to have a few frozen items for those emergency situations.

Ingredients

  • Dungeness Crab – Fresh Dungeness crab is found on the west coast and has a rich, buttery taste like no other.
  • Celery – Celery adds a light, fresh taste to the crab cake.
  • Red Bell Pepper – Minced fine, adds color and sweetness.
  • Garlic – One small clove of fresh garlic.
  • Panko Bread Crumbs – Unseasoned Panko is light and adds just enough to bind the Dungeness crab together.
  • Mayonnaise – Plain old regular mayonnaise.

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Gently fold ingredients together in a large bowl.
  3. Form into either 8 large or 16 mini balls and then press to cake shape.
  4. Place crab cakes on a sheet pan and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
  5. Place pan over medium heat, add oil and brown each side of crab cake.
  6. Remove to sheet pan and place in oven to finish cooking for another 5-10 minutes.
  7. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce or with lemon wedges.
Rich, buttery, Dungeness Crab Cakes are crispy on the outside and flavorful on the inside packed with fresh lump meat, minced celery and red bell pepper.

Dungeness Crab Cakes

Rich, buttery, Dungeness Crab Cakes are crispy on the outside and flavorful on the inside packed with fresh lump meat, minced celery and red bell pepper.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Farm to Table, Seafood

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb. Dungeness crab cleaned and shelled
  • 1/2 cup celery minced
  • 1/4 cup red bell pepper minced
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
  • 3 tbsp. mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp. cooking oil

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • Gently mix Dungeness crab, celery, red bell pepper, garlic, Panko bread crumbs and mayonnaise together.
  • Form into either 8 large crab cakes or 16 mini appetizer crab cakes. Cup together in your hands to form a ball first, to make sure all ingredients stick together. Now press out gently to round shape. This recipe uses the least amount of filler possible, so you really want these crab cakes to form a nice shape before cooking.
  • Place crab cakes on a sheet pan and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes to set ingredients.
  • In a large sauté pan over medium heat, cook crab cakes in oil on each side until browned. Work in batches to ensure even cooking.
  • Place browned crab cakes on sheet pan in 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes to continue cooking.
Keyword Best Crab Cakes, Easy Appetizer

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Related Recipes

  • Rich, buttery Dungeness crab and poblano peppers baked into an all butter crust
  • Rich, buttery Dungeness crab, sharp white cheddar and fire roasted tomatillo on a grilled sourdough toast.
  • Rich and creamy rolled corn tacos with Dungeness crab piled high

Pan Seared Cod in Tomatillo Broth

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Easy weeknight Pan Seared Cod in Tomatillo Broth gets it’s crunch from a light cornmeal dusting. Have dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes.

Easy Weeknight Pan Seared Cod in Tomatillo Broth

Pack Big Flavor into Your Weeknight Meals

Don’t be nervous of the ingredient list here! It really does come together in just 30 minutes…it took me 20, so I know you can do it!

I love working with seasonal foods and cod is not only versatile with its mild, buttery flavor…its budget friendly and cooks up quick. Making it the perfect weeknight meal.

Here it is lightly dusted in cornmeal and quickly pan seared for a little crunch and contrast to creamy black eyed peas. The quick zuchinni radish relish is tossed in lime juice for a little bite of freshness.

Cod fillet lightly dusted in cornmeal, pan fried with black eyed peas in a tomatillo broth.
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Pan Seared Cod in Tomatillo Broth

Pan seared cod is lightly dusted in cornmeal and served in a roasted tomatillo broth with black eyed peas and lime zested zucchini and radish.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Fusion, Mexican, Seafood
Keyword 30 Minute Dinner, Pan Seared Cod, Weeknight Meal
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

Pan Seared Cod

  • 1 lb cod fillet cut in 4 pieces
  • 1/2 cup cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 lime for serving

Tomatillo Broth

  • 5 tomatillos husks removed
  • 1/2 – 1 serrano pepper
  • 1/2 yellow onion
  • 1 tsp lard, bacon fat or vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp fresh garlic minced
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp heavy cream

Zucchini & Radish

  • 1 small zucchini diced
  • 5 radish diced
  • 1 tbsp fresh cilantro
  • 1 lime juiced
  • 1 tsp vegetable oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Black Eyed Peas

  • 1 15 oz can of black eyed peas drained
  • 2 slices bacon
  • 1/2 cup yellow onion diced
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Zucchini & Radish

  • Combine zucchini, radish, lime juices, salt, pepper and vegetable oil in a bowl and set aside.

Tomatillo Broth

  • Place tomatillo, serrano pepper and onion n a sheet pan and broil until charred.
  • Remove from baking sheet to blender and blend until smooth.
  • Heat lard, bacon grease or vegetable in a small saute pan over medium high heat. Add garlic for 30 seconds, being careful not to burn. Add blended tomatillo mixture, chicken broth, sugar and heavy cream. Reduce to low and simmer until ready to serve.

Black Eyed Peas

  • Cook bacon in a small saute pan until fat is rendered. Remove bacon.
  • Add onion and saute until softened.
  • Add black eyed peas, broth and salt and pepper to taste. Return bacon to pan.
  • Reduce heat to low until ready to serve.

Pan Seared Cod

  • Combine cornmeal, flour and garlic powder in a large dish.
  • Press each side of cod fillet in cornmeal mixture.
  • Heat a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet or medium saute pan over medium high heat.
  • Cook each side of cod fillet for about 2 minutes or until just firm to the touch and opaque. It will just start to flake when pressing finger into cod.
  • Remove and season with salt and pepper.
    Plate: Ladle of tomatillo broth, spoonful of black eyed peas, place seared cod on top of black eyed peas, garnish with zucchini and radish. Serve with lime.

Make It Even Easier

Need a little quicker version of this fresh recipe? There are simple ways to make this weeknight meal even easier:

  • Skip the homemade Tomatillo Broth and use store bought. If you can’t find it, use green enchilada sauce mixed with a tbsp of heavy cream.
  • Serve over your favorite rice instead of Tomatillo Broth.
  • Roll it all up in a tortilla for a fresh take on fish tacos.

Similar Recipes:

  • Lightly coated snapper in a spicy tomato broth
  • Buttery cod in a light broth with spinach and mushrooms