Garlic butter halibut is one of my go-to recipes because it is so easy to prepare and because it always brings great reviews and compliments to the chef!
Ingredients
To prepare garlic butter halibut you will need:
- halibut fillet
- stick of butter
- fresh garlic
Garlic Butter Halibut Preparation
The preparation for garlic butter halibut is very easy. First, take your halibut fillet and give it a good wash under cold water. Let it drip dry and place it onto a cutting board. Trim the fillet removing any bits of fin or other material. Leave the skin on the fillet. Take the stick of butter and put it into a bowl, melt it in the microwave until it is liquid. Take the fresh garlic and crush a few pieces in a garlic press and add that to the fresh butter.
Barbecue Prep
Turn on the barbecue to a hot heat and get it warmed up, burn off any grease from previous meals and scrape the grill clean. Take a sheet of aluminum foil that is slightly longer than the halibut fillet, and fold up each side approx 1 inch to create a tray. The tray is really handy because it prevents the fish juices from getting into the grill this makes it better for the next time you want to grill a steak it will not smell like fish. The tinfoil also makes for easy cleanup all you do is toss it and it is done.
Cooking Garlic Butter Halibut
Once the barbecue is ready, turn the heat down to medium-low, place the tinfoil on the grill, and place the halibut fillet on the tinfoil, skin side down. Use a tablespoon to baste the garlic butter mixture onto the halibut fillet.
Let the halibut cook for approximately 5 minutes and baste on some more garlic butter.
The total cook time will be around 10 minutes, and is dependent on the thickness of the halibut fillet. Take note that it is very easy to overcook halibut, and if it is overcooked it will be dry and rubbery. The garlic butter helps to keep the halibut moist but your best bet is to watch very closely for the final 5 minutes of cooking so that you take it off the grill at the perfect time.
When is Halibut Done?
Halibut is done when the meat changes from a translucent color, to a white color. A good approach is to check the thinner parts first, closer to the tail and it will likely be done sooner. If you have pieces of different thickness you may need to take the thinner ones off the heat first. Also keep in mind that the thicker pieces will hold a lot of heat in them and will continue to cook slightly on the counter so you can take them off a little bit early and they will cook through.
Serving Garlic Butter Halibut
To remove the halibut from the grill, use a flipper and insert it under the fillet but on top of the skin. The skin will stick to the tinfoil and the halibut fillet will lift right off. You can transfer this to a serving dish and bring it in for serving.
Serve the garlic butter halibut with rice, grilled potatoes, cole slaw, or fresh salad. Halibut is very healthy food and this recipe is a great way to prepare and serve halibut.
Alternatives
This recipe works great with halibut and you can also try it with lingcod, rockfish, sablefish, and most other fish types.