Grilled Halibut with Easy Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce

Jordan HangerMay 10, 2023August 16, 2023

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Halibut is a dense but flaky fish that is delicious when cooked on the grill. It’s firm and has a meaty texture, almost like a steak.

It’s quick to grill, making it great for weeknight dinners. Because it has a mild taste and firm texture, it pairs with a wide range of seasonings and flavors, and this lemon butter garlic sauce hits the spot every time. 

Next time you’re in the mood for fish, fire up the grill and give this grilled halibut a go!  

Grilled Halibut with Easy Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce

Halibuts’ firm texture holds up well to grilling, roasting, or searing. It also pairs well with bolder sauces and seasonings. 

If you don’t like overly “fishy” tasting fish, Halibut is a good choice with a really clean and slightly sweet taste to it. There is no real aftertaste or lingering fishy flavor like you get with other species.

Ingredients you’ll need

• Halibut – The Halibut I used is from Snake River Farms. It comes flash-frozen to preserve the freshness in packs of 2 x 5 oz filets. 
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Olive Oil
• Unsalted butter 
• Herbs – thyme and dill. Fresh is best but dried will do if that’s all you have.
• Lemon – juice only.

Equipment you’ll need

• Grill
• Microwave – the butter needs to be melted; this could be done on the stovetop as well.
• Bowl
• Basting brush

How to make Grilled Halibut with Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce 

1. Make the sauce 

Melt a stick of butter in the microwave. Then add the minced garlic, lemon juice, and herbs, and combine well.

This butter sauce also goes great on grilled veggies like asparagus or peppers. 

2. Prep the fish

Pat the filets dry with a paper towel and coat them with olive oil.

Season both sides with Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. 

3. Fire up the grill

Fire up the grill to medium/high, around 400°F.

Place the fillets directly on the grill.

Brush the fish with the lemon butter sauce several times as it cooks.

Make sure you only flip the fish once. It’s important when grilling fish not to handle it too much as you don’t want the fish to fall apart and slip through the grill grates. 

Be careful to watch the internal temperature of the fish when grilling, as it cooks pretty fast. You only need 5-7 minutes per side, depending on the actual temperature of the grill and the thickness of the filet. 

Once the internal temperature of the halibut reaches 140°F, brush on some more of the sauce and remove it from the grill. 

A good instant read thermometer will ensure you pull the fish off at the right temp and don’t dry it out. 

Once removed, add a touch more of the sauce and serve right away! 

What to serve with Halibut 

A lot of sides go well with halibut, but here are some of my favorites: 

• Bacon Wrapped Brussel Sprouts 
• Smoked Beer Mustard Potatoes 
• Southern Style Coleslaw 
• Macaroni Salad 

Grilled Halibut with Lemon Butter Garlic Sauce

Halibut filets brushed with lemon butter garlic sauce and grilled.

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 2

Calories: 411kcal

Author: Jordan Hanger

Ingredients

• 10 oz Halibut filets 2 filets, skin off
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Lemon Butter Garlic Sauce

• 4 tbsp butter unsalted
• 1 tbsp garlic minced
• 1 tbsp thyme fresh, chopped
• 1 tbsp dill fresh, chopped
• ½ lemon juice only

Instructions

• Pat the Halibut filets dry with a paper towel. Drizzle each filet with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper.
• Fire up the grill to medium-high heat around 400℉.
• Place filets carefully on the grill. You want to flip the filets only once while cooking, around the 5-7 minute mark.
• Baste several times with the lemon garlic sauce while cooking.
• Once the internal temperature of the fish reaches 140°F remove carefully from the grill.
• Serve immediately while still hot with some of the reserved sauce.

Lemon Butter Garlic Sauce

• Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stovetop. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Reserve some sauce to serve on the side.

Nutrition

Calories: 411kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 131mg | Sodium: 1241mg | Potassium: 487mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 887IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 2mg

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