Baked Halibut Garlic Butter (Printable)
Tender halibut fillets baked in a rich garlic butter sauce, perfect for quick, flavorful meals.
# What You'll Need:
→ Fish
01 - 4 halibut fillets, skinless and boneless, approximately 6 ounces each
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - Salt, to taste
04 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
→ Garlic Butter Sauce
05 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
06 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
07 - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
08 - 1 teaspoon lemon zest
09 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
10 - 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, optional
→ Garnish
11 - Lemon wedges for serving
12 - Extra fresh parsley, chopped
# How To Make It:
01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a baking dish large enough to arrange the fillets in a single layer.
02 - Pat the halibut fillets dry with paper towels. Brush both sides with olive oil and season evenly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
03 - Place the seasoned halibut fillets into the prepared baking dish without overlapping.
04 - In a small bowl, combine melted butter, minced garlic, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, parsley, and thyme leaves if using; stir until well blended.
05 - Generously spoon the garlic butter mixture over each halibut fillet to coat thoroughly.
06 - Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Internal temperature should reach 130 to 135°F.
07 - Remove from the oven, garnish with lemon wedges and additional parsley, then serve immediately.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The halibut stays impossibly tender while the garlic butter turns into a silky sauce that begs to be soaked up with crusty bread.
- Prep is genuinely ten minutes, which means you can pull this together on a weeknight without stress.
- Somehow it tastes fancy enough for guests but feels completely unfussy to make.
02 -
- Fish keeps cooking after you pull it out of the oven, so take it out when it's just becoming opaque—a tiny bit underdone is infinitely better than overdone and mealy.
- That lemon zest isn't a garnish, it's essential; fresh citrus oil changes everything about how the dish tastes and prevents it from feeling one-dimensional.
03 -
- Room temperature fillets cook more evenly than cold ones straight from the fridge—pull them out ten minutes before cooking and the difference is real.
- Invest in an instant-read thermometer if you don't have one; knowing that your fish hits 130 to 135°F means you'll nail it every single time without guessing.