Citrus and Habanero Poached Halibut

You’ll feel like a Michelin Star chef in the comfort of your own home when you make this poached halibut

This halibut recipe proves you don’t need hours to cook a delicious, flavorful meal. You just need 45 minutes to be exact!

This poached halibut recipe is incredibly easy to make! Just create the marinade, let the halibut soak for no more than 30 minutes, then just poach it in that same marinade for 12-15 minutes! It is that easy!

Ingredients:

Halibuts Filets – Halibut is a sweetish white fish that almost resembles the taste of crab. It is one of my favorite fish to cook because it absorbs flavor incredibly well. Unfortunately, it is a more expensive fish, but thankfully, there are great alternatives out there! Other flatfish such as dover sol, flounder, or cod are pretty similar in terms of flavor and texture and would make excellent and cost friendly substitutes.

Lemongrass – I absolutely love lemongrass! It’s sold in bundles at the supermarket and a little goes a long way. Lemongrass offers a subtle lemon-floral flavor, and it is the unsung star of many curry recipes and other Vietnamese dishes. Make sure you cut the ends off and peel the outer skin of the lemongrass which are tough and bitter. I go into more details about how to prepare lemongrass in my Basil Lemongrass Coconut Curry recipe. For this dish, however, I am cutting the lemongrass into thin rounds instead of blending it in a food processor.

Habanero – This pepper is not for the faint of heart! Or for the wearers of contacts, which I unfortunately learned the hard way! If you are not feeling the spice, substitute it for a more mild pepper like a jalapeño or Serrano. If you can handle the heat however, the habanero makes an excellent addition to this dish. Just be sure to deseed it, and start with less if you don’t know how much spice you can handle. Sometimes I add half of the habanero to the marinade, and then add the other half later when I am poaching if I think it needs more of a bite.

Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice – Habanero and Orange is the flavor combination you did not know you needed! The sweetness of the orange really compliments the spice of the habanero. For this recipe I use fresh squeezed orange juice from navel oranges. Because when you take the time to make a recipe this incredible, you only want to use the best ingredients! So no sugary, watered down OJ from the supermarket!

Brown Sugar – Not only Does brown sugar add flavor, but it also boosts browning to help the halibut achieve a beautiful golden color when it is cooked.

Garlic – Every dish is better with garlic. It’s just science.

Cilantro – For even more flavor, I add some chopped cilantro to the marinade, and then add a few more leaves to garnish at the end.

Scallions – I like to serve these cut thinly on a bias on top of my halibut when I plate it. I love the contrast of the cold, uncooked green onion with the hot fist.

Fish Sauce – This recipe uses fish sauce instead of salt for a more umami flavor.

Rice Vinegar – The acid helps balance the sweet flavors from the orange juice and brown sugar.

Low Fat Coconut Milk – This ingredient is optional, but is helpful because 1) adds more liquid which means more of the delicious sauce to spoon over your halibut and onto the rice. and 2) helps tone down the spice significantly. I would stick to low fat coconut milk instead of full fat because the citrus and habanero are the star flavors of this meal, and you wouldn’t want to dilute them with coconut milk.

Steps to make this poached halibut:

Step 1:

Finely mince the habanero (deseed it first!), and garlic and cut them lemon grass into thin rounds. Add them to a large bowl or baking dish that is large enough to hold the halibut filets. Mix in the orange juice, cilantro, brown sugar, fish sauce, and rice vinegar. Place the halibut filets in the baking dish or bowl and turn it around a few times to make sure it each side is covered. Marinate for 30 minutes, flipping it at the 15 minute mark to make sure the flavor is evenly distributed.

Step 2:

After 30 minutes, pour all of that sauce you were using to marinate the fish into a large cast iron skillet or dutch oven that is big enough to hold the filets. Cook the sauce over medium high heat for 3-5 minutes or until it starts simmering. If using the low fat coconut milk, add it in now. Once the sauce starts to simmer, lower the heat to medium and add the filets to the cast iron skillet skin side down. Cover the skillet and let the halibut poach for 12-15 minutes. The halibut will be finished cooking when they reach 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 4:

Chop up a few scallions to garnish. For aesthetic purposes, I prefer to cut my scallions on a bias. Tear some fresh cilantro leaves to garnish as well. Assemble the dish! Serve the halibut in a bowl so you can pour the sauce over. I enjoy eating this poached halibut with rice to make it more filling but that is optional! Enjoy!