Pan-Seared Halibut Recipe with Tomato Vinaigrette

When cooking at his first restaurant, Spring, in Chicago, chef Shawn McClain served Alaskan halibut alongside labor-intensive lobster dumplings and topped it all with a warm, flavorful vinagered tomato water. Here, we omit the lobster dumplings and coarsely chop heirloom tomatoes for a fresh, chunky tomato vinaigrette.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you cook halibut in a frying pan?

The key to this pan-seared halibut is getting a nice brown on the fillets without overcooking the lean fish, which would make the flesh unpleasantly tough. Pat the halibut dry before seasoning and ensure the oil is shimmering-hot before you add the fish to mitigate the risk of it sticking to the pan. For this dish, McClain cooks the halibut on one side for about five minutes, then flips it when it’s almost cooked through. A fish spatula — specially designed for handling delicate, flaky fillets — will be helpful here. Cook the fillets for just a couple more minutes, adding a pat of butter and spooning it over the fish for flavor.

Should you soak halibut before cooking?

Soaking is not necessary for this halibut dish. Certain recipes will have you soak fish in milk or buttermilk before cooking. The idea here is to neutralize any unpleasantly muddy flavors, which means you’ll most commonly see it with fish like farmed tilapia or wild-caught catfish and carp. But halibut, though firm and meaty, has a very delicate, lightly sweet flavor, especially when wild-caught. A muddy taste is usually not a problem with this fish, and it shouldn’t smell fishy, either. That said, if you’re used to soaking fish before cooking, there no harm doing it here.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

Wild-caught U.S. halibut, especially when sold fresh, can be on the pricy side for a variety of reasons, including strong sustainable fisheries management and the cost of processing such a large fish. Pacific halibut is an especially safe bet for sustainability, and halibut from Alaska is perhaps the most prized. But farmed halibut options are also available, and often lower in price; Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch recommends Atlantic halibut raised in recirculating aquaculture systems.