When you're in the market for an effortlessly elegant dinner, this Provençal style halibut recipe should be at the top of your list. Simple and incredibly quick to prepare, it is perfect for relaxed entertaining, but also easy enough for a lovely weeknight meal if some solitary pampering is on your agenda. The gentle sweetness of halibut contrasts beautifully against the concentrated brightness of the cherry tomatoes in this dish, but other varieties of firm white fish would also work well here. Halibut Provençal is an exquisite marriage of lean flaky fish and a sunny tomato-kissed broth...if you take a bite and close your eyes, you might just see the Mediterranean.
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Ingredients for Halibut Provençal
- halibut fillets
- cherry tomatoes
- shallot
- garlic
- olive oil
- sherry vinegar
- honey
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- lemon
- flat leaf parsley
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Heat the oven to 400℉. Then thinly slice the shallot, mince the garlic, and halve the cherry tomatoes.
Place the thinly sliced shallot, minced garlic, and halved cherry tomatoes in a nonreactive baking dish large enough to accommodate the halibut fillets in a single layer.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper.
Pour this over the tomato mixture and toss everything to combine. Roast until the tomatoes have begun to collapse and the shallot appears translucent, about 15 to 20 minutes.
In the meantime, generously brush the top of the halibut fillets with olive oil and season them with salt and pepper.
After the tomatoes have been roasted, nestle the halibut fillets into the tomato mixture, evenly spacing them throughout the baking dish. Then return the dish to the oven and roast until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, about 10 to 15 minutes.
While the fish is roasting, zest the lemon and chop the parsley.
Sprinkle the lemon zest over the entire dish, making sure to cover each and every piece of fish. Then finish with a generous scattering of chopped parsley.
Serve over rice (or other grains), spooning any remaining juices over the top.
Hint: Although cherry tomatoes are certainly at their best when in season and plucked right off the vine, I would not hesitate to make this dish any time of year...as long as you can find a couple pints of tempting looking cherry tomatoes.
Substitutions
- Halibut - Other varieties of firm white fish (such as cod) would also work well in this dish.
- Sherry Vinegar - If you don't have sherry vinegar, white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar can be substituted instead.
- Parsley - Other fresh herbs like basil, chives, or chervil would be lovely here as well.
Serving suggestions
- To Accompany - I like to serve this dish over a bed of rice (usually basmati), but other great options would be couscous or your favorite grain.
- To Drink - Pour something like a Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, or Côtes du Rhône Blanc.
Storage
Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
📖 Recipe
Halibut Provençal
Equipment
- large nonreactive baking dish
Ingredients
- 8 (about 4 to 6 ounces each) halibut fillets skinless
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup shallot thinly sliced
- 4 teaspoons garlic minced
- ¼ cup olive oil plus more for brushing the halibut fillets
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more to taste
- 3 teaspoons lemon zest freshly grated
- ½ cup flat leaf parsley roughly chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400℉ and prepare the shallot, garlic, and cherry tomatoes.
- Place the thinly sliced shallot, minced garlic, and halved cherry tomatoes in a nonreactive baking dish large enough to accommodate the halibut fillets in a single layer.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper. Pour this over the tomato mixture and toss everything to combine.
- Roast until the tomatoes have begun to collapse and the shallot appears translucent, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, generously brush the top of the halibut fillets with olive oil and season them with salt and pepper.
- After the tomatoes have been roasted, nestle the halibut fillets into the tomato mixture, evenly spacing them throughout the baking dish. Then return the dish to the oven and roast until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle the lemon zest over the entire dish, making sure to cover each and every piece of fish. Finish with a generous scattering of chopped parsley.
- Serve over rice (or other grains), spooning any remaining juices over the top, and perhaps with your favorite green vegetable alongside.
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