Slow Roasted Halibut with Burst Tomatoes and Gremolata
Try this Slow Roasted Halibut with Burst Tomatoes and Gremolata recipe
Try this Slow Roasted Halibut with Burst Tomatoes and Gremolata recipe
- Carbohydrate 3.30225 g
- Cholesterol 54.4310844 mg
- Fat 5.66997447809867 g
- Fiber 1.29524994730949 g
- Protein 35.800714573875 g
- Saturated Fat 0.797468201037424 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (200g)
- Sodium 92.9087049250145 mg
- Sugar 2.00700005269051 g
- Trans Fat 0.916026122957097 g
- Calories 209 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- Make gremolata by removing the leaves from the parsley. Finely chop the parsley leaves and garlic (by hand or in a small stand mixer). Squeeze the juice from the lemon over the top and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Season the halibut generously with salt and pepper. Add the oil to the hot pan and then add the halibut, skin-side up. Cook just long enough to sear the fish. Turn the fish so the skin-side is down, sprinkle the cherry tomatoes around the fish and transfer to the oven.
- Bake until the fish is cooked through and the tomatoes are beginning to burst, 20 to 30 minutes (this will vary depending on the thickness of the fish, but 30 minutes is for a filet that is approximately 2 inches thick at its thickest part).
- Remove from the oven and spread the gremolata over the halibut. Serve immediately.
Searing the halibut skin-side up first requires strict attention, because leaving the protein in the pan longer than ninety seconds will overcook the outer perimeter before it ever reaches the oven. Halibut is a lean, dense flatfish that dries out rapidly under sustained dry heat. Controlling this initial sear is the only way to prevent the edges from turning chalky while the center finishes cooking. Precision matters here more than any other phase of the recipe.
Transferring the skillet to a 300 degree F oven creates a gentle thermal gradient that protects the delicate flesh. At this lower temperature, two-inch fillets require roughly thirty minutes to reach optimal doneness. Thinner cuts will need closer to twenty minutes. Watch the cherry tomatoes surrounding the fish closely. They signal the end of the cooking time when their skins split and release their juices into the skillet pan.
Finishing the dish involves a traditional gremolata made from finely minced flat-leaf parsley, raw garlic, and fresh lemon juice. Chopping the herbs by hand rather than using a food processor prevents bruising and preserves the volatile oils in the parsley. Spooning this raw, acidic condiment over the hot fish immediately upon removal from the oven balances the concentrated sweetness of the roasted fruit.
Dietary adjustments for this preparation are straightforward due to the naturally restrictive ingredient profile. The dish remains entirely free of gluten, dairy, nuts, and red meat without requiring structural substitutions. Swapping the fish for a firm-skinned alternative like striped bass or cod works if halibut is unavailable, though the roasting duration must be adjusted down to account for thinner density.
