Pan Seared Halibut with Creamed Spinach Recipe

Name: Pan Seared Halibut with Creamed Spinach
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 12 ounces halibut fillets (2- six ounce fillets); sea salt and black pepper (to taste); 1 ounce vegetable oil (for searing); 2 tablespoons butter; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 Vidalia onion (minced); 1 clove garlic (minced); 12 ounces baby spinach (stems removed); sea salt and black pepper (to taste); 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/2 cup heavy cream; ¼ cup Romano cheese (grated )

September 6, 2019 by Chef Dennis Littley 63 Comments

pan seared halibut on a bed of creamed spinach with a partial view of 2 lemon slices

This restaurant-style dish is easier to make than you think. Wouldn't my Pan Seared Halibut make a delicious date night dinner? Or impress your friends at your next dinner party? I promise you'll love every bite!

Total Time: 30 minutes

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Wouldn’t you like to create this easy to make Pan Seared Halibut in your home this weekend?

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sizzlefish. All opinions are entirely my own.

After spending six weeks in Europe this summer I realized that I needed to get more seafood in my diet. Too much red meat, white meat or any kind of meat is not good for the body. Now don’t get me wrong I love meat, but it just needs to be eaten in moderation and in smaller portions.

My goal is to eat seafood 2-3 times a week and to do that I needed to find a source for seafood that was reliable and easy to order from. And my friends is why I’m writing this post about my new friends at Sizzlefish.

It’s Important to Find a Trusted Source of Quality Seafood

One of the things that impressed me about Sizzlefish was how well and how quickly the product was shipped. My order came in packed in a thick-walled styrofoam container packed with dry ice to keep them frozen. The halibut and tuna were in individual cryovac packages and they were frozen rock solid! I’ve never seen seafood shipped for home delivery stay completely frozen. Kudos to Sizzlefish for this accomplishment.

I knew I wanted to pan sear my halibut and as I thought about how to serve it without making an additional sauce, creamed spinach seemed like the perfect companion to this light flaky fish.

What Ingredients do you need?

Let’s gather the ingredients for this dish which is referred to as the mise en place in chef speak, which means everything in its place. This is always a good way to start your recipe so all the ingredients are at ready (and in the house) before you start cooking.

The Secret of Pan Searing

It’s not difficult to pan sear seafood if you follow these few simple steps.

remove the halibut from the refrigerator and let stand for 15 minutes before starting
dry the surface of the fish very well in between two paper towels
preheat your skillet (I used cast iron but stainless steel works well too) over high heat
add a small amount of vegetable oil to the pan, heating the oil until it starts to shimmer slightly
place each fillet skin side up (good side down) carefully onto the heated pan
lightly press down on the fish with your spatula to create the perfect crust

Create a Restaurant Style Dish in your home

Creating mouth-watering restaurant-style dishes is a lot easier than you think. It all comes down to getting quality products to create your dishes. And that is why I use Sizzlefish. Not only am I guaranteed to get the best products available, but I also get them delivered to my door. That’s a win-win in my book!

So get in your kitchen and start cooking. I promise after you make this dish you’ll be trying more of my seafood recipes in your home and have fun in the process. You’ll be creating delicious restaurant-style meals in your own home at a fraction of the cost of going out to dinner. And you’ll have full control of the ingredients used in making your dinner, that’s the best part.

Pan Seared Halibut with Creamed Spinach

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Entree with side dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: creamed spinach, date night dinner, pan seared fish

Servings:

Calories: 788kcal

Author: Chef Dennis Littley

Ingredients

Pan Seared Halibut

12 ounces halibut fillets 2- six ounce fillets
sea salt and black pepper to taste
1 ounce vegetable oil for searing

Creamed Spinach

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 Vidalia onion minced
1 clove garlic minced
12 ounces baby spinach stems removed
sea salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup heavy cream
¼ cup Romano cheese grated

Instructions

Pan Seared Halibut

season each side of the halibut fillets generously with sea salt and black pepper before searing.
Preheat a large cast-iron or stainless steel pan over high heat. Add just enough oil for a good coating of the pan. Heat until oil starts to shimmer slightly.
Add each halibut fillet very carefully to the pan with the good side down.
Lightly press down on the fish with a spatula to create direct contact with the pan to create the crust for 30 seconds to a minute. Continue to cook the fish for 2-3 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium-low and turn over the fish to the other side. Continue cooking the fish for 2-4 minutes until cooked all the way through. Be careful not to overcook. Undercooked slightly overcooked.

Creamed Spinach

In a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, melt butter and then add the olive oil.
Mix in the onions and garlic, cook for 2 minutes until soft.
Add the spinach and saute until wilted.
Reduce heat to medium and add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, Romano cheese and the heavy cream. Mix well.
Cook until liquid reduces by half and sauce thickens. About 5-6 minutes.

Assembly

Place creamed spinach on a plate and serve pan-seared halibut on top of the spinach. Serve immediately

Notes

**You can finish the halibut in the oven if desired. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and after searing the one side, lightly sear the other side.

Then place the partially cooked halibut in a baking dish with a little water and place in the preheated oven for 12 minutes to finish cooking.

Nutrition

2 fillets of pan seared halibut sitting on a bed of creamed spinach on a white platter with 2 lemon slices in the upper left hand corner

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About Chef Dennis

Chef Dennis is a semi-retired Chef, writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis aka Ask Chef Dennis®. Chef Dennis worked professionally in White Table Cloth Restaurants for 40 years and has been developing easy to make, restaurant-style recipes since 2009. The second phase of his reinvention from chef to blogger has earned him a place at the Worlds Dinner Table. Join him on his Culinary Journey enjoying his easy to make Restaurant Style recipes and travel adventures. For more details, check out his About page.

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