I love Spring. I love the light and airy recipes that come along with spring. I love the seasonal vegetables and the freshly-caught wild halibut that start appearing at my local grocery store. Today, I picked up a couple of those fresh halibut fillets to prepare an almond-crusted halibut with lemon garlic butter.
First things first. Don't be fooled by it's professional and aesthetic appearance. This fish is easy to make. Which is why I obviously chose to make it on a good old Wednesday. But in hindsight, I should have saved this to make on the weekend when I have guests over because it would literally blow them away. Plus, I would spend way less time in the kitchen. Halibut only takes a record-breaking 10 minutes to cook.
So the halibut takes 10 minutes to cook, but what about the prep? Well, the only prep involved is the making of the butter and the almond topping. These 2 ingredients are crucial to this recipe.
Lemon Garlic Butter
The lemon garlic butter brings so much flavour and life to the halibut. And guess what? It only takes about 5 minutes to make. I make it in the time that I am waiting for my oven to preheat. I suggest making an even larger batch of this stuff because this lemon garlic butter is versatile. It can be spread over all your favourite meats and/or served alongside them this entire summer barbecue season. Try it with steak, lamb chops, salmon or chicken breast.
So go ahead, double or triple this part of the recipe and store the extra butter in your fridge for another day.
Almond Topping
The almond topping is the icing on cake. It keeps the fish juicy and moist inside and seals in the delicious buttery, lemony and garlicky juices that are seeping out.
All this talk means one thing: almond-crusted halibut with lemon garlic butter will be appearing on my dinner table regularly this season.
How to Make the Best Almond-Crusted Halibut
The Secret to Making the Best Halibut
This part is so important that it gets a heading all on its own. The 10-minute cooking time is the secret to producing the best and flakiest halibut. Do not overcook. Halibut can dry out very quickly! It is only tasty when it is flaky and just cooked through. Once overcooked, you can kiss it good-bye because at that point it basically becomes inedible.
So head over to your local grocery store or fish market and pick up some halibut! Make this in your own home and be amazed with your skills. I served this alongside some quick and easy sauteed asparagus and creamy garlic mashed cauliflower.
Once cooked, it can last for up to 2 days in the fridge.
Tip: if you have an extra thick halibut filet, you may need to adjust the cooking time a few minutes longer.
PrintRecipe
Almond-Crusted Halibut with Lemon Garlic Butter
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
You won't believe how easy it is to make fresh, flavourful and delicious almond-crusted halibut with lemon garlic butter this season.
Ingredients
Lemon Garlic Butter
- ½ tablespoon garlic, minced
- ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup butter, unsalted (at room temperature)
Halibut
- 2 fresh halibut fillets
- 2 tablespoon lemon garlic butter (as per recipe set out above)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoon ground almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Place the halibut fillets on a lined baking tray and set aside.
- Lemon Garlic Butter: In a blender or food processor, blend together the garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper until pureed. Add the butter and continue to blend until fully combined.
- Spread ½ tablespoon of the lemon garlic butter on the top surface of each halibut fillet, covering the surface completely. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper on top.
- Sprinkle 1 and ½ tablespoons of the ground almonds on each fillet and carefully spread over the butter to fully cover it.
- Bake the halibut for 5 minutes.
- While the halibut is still in the oven, change the oven to broil on high. Broil for 2-5 more minutes (my oven takes 5 minutes). Keep a close eye on your broiler as every oven is different, and things can burn quickly. The inside of the fillets should be moist and flaky, while the outside almond crust should be a little crispy.
- Remove from oven and serve hot with a teaspoon of the remaining lemon garlic butter on top.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Seafood
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
deb c says
Amazing! He hates fish.....he loved this! I had to use almond flour since the almond jar was bone dry and my store is 25 miles away. I have been granted permission to make this again! I am excited to try the lemon garlic butter on other things...its that good....yes, I even licked the spoon clean....yum! Thanks for sharing a great recipe! Happy day!
KetoMom says
Is it ok to use frozen fish or should I let it defrost before preparing? Would oven degrees or time baked change?
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
I have never tried it with frozen fish but I would suggest completely thawing the fish first and then follow the recipe instructions.
Chris G says
I used a halibut fillet I had purchased and vacuum sealed for the freezer and it worked very well. Thawed under cold water. Fish had been frozen nearly 6 months.
Mark says
I made this for my wife for date night and she was blown away. Thank you!
Megan R. says
This is the best way to make halibut! Thanks for the recipe, Sam. The lemon garlic butter was to die for!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank YOU! I am glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Tiffany says
This looks absolutely delicious. I am always looking for new ways to cook fish, and the almond topping looks perfect! Thank you for sharing this beautiful recipe, xo Tiffany http://www.parsnipsandpastries.com
Alexandria says
Can you give me the instructions on reheating? By the way this recipe was delicious !!!!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Hi Alexandria, I am glad you liked the recipe 🙂 To be honest, I have never had to reheat it because there is never any left-overs in my home! But, if you have some left-overs (since I am not a a big fan of microwaves), I would suggest wrapping up the fish in aluminum foil and placing it in a preheated 325 F oven for about 10 minutes. Make sure to check the fish after 5-8 minutes to see if it has already warmed up so that you can take it out before it starts to dry out.