You know what baffles me? That even, I, a personal chef, who cooks all the time still has a tough time getting dinner on the table each night. Between after school activities, work, and everything else, there are nights that dinner time has snuck up on us and I haven’t even begun to think of what I’m going to cook.
I have a few meals in my arsenal that I rely on when I’m short on time. If I need something quick you can bet that I’m either going to make tacos or some sort of quick seared fish or chicken with a pan sauce. I love how easy this pan seared halibut is and I can have it on the table in just about 15 minutes. Score!! You have to love the one dish meal.
Not only is this fish fast to prepare but it’s elegant and looks and tastes like a lot more time and effort went into making it.
I keep the seasoning simple on the fish, just a touch of salt and pepper as the roasted cherry tomato and caper pan sauce really packs a punch in the flavor department. Keep in mind that you could use any kind of flaky white fish if you can’t find halibut.
Dusting the fish with just a touch of flour gives the fish a nice crust and helps the sauce to thicken up making a perfect glaze to go on top of the halibut.
This fish is great served on it’s own but I had some kale already washed and stemmed so I steamed it quickly while I prepared the halibut. BTW- cleaning and prepping vegetables to have on hand throughout the week is a lifesaver for me. Often I’ll wash and cut whatever vegetables I pick up at the farmers market so when I am short on time my veggies are ready to go!
If you’re really short on time, I suppose you could just eat this right out of the pan! What it lacks in class you save time in washing dishes!!
Seared Halibut with Cherry Tomatoes and Caper Pan Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, rinsed
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2- 8oz pieces of halibut, about 1-inch thick
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
Cooking Directions
In a small bowl, combine cherry tomatoes, capers, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper; set aside. Lightly sprinkle halibut with salt and pepper. Shake flour on both sides of halibut shaking excess off. In a large non-stick pan, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add halibut and cook on one side, without flipping, for 3 minutes. Turn fish and cook for 2 minutes longer. Add tomato-caper mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes longer until fish is cooked through and tomatoes are warmed. Remove fish and stir the sauce scraping up any bits at the bottom of the pan. Pour sauce over the fish and serve.
I am having a hard time getting dinner on the table these days. I haven’t cooked in a few weeks:( Hopefully this week will be better. This is a great go to recipe!
Ha! Get used to it. New babies and dinner on the table each night don’t go hand in hand!
That. Looks. Insanely. Good.
This sounds like a fantastic dinner!
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I know JUST what you mean. I hate when 6:00 creeps up on me like that. This does look like a lovely simple recipe. Now all I need is the foresight to shop for some fish!
Yes, having fish is key. But this works great with chicken cutlets too!
This is my constant dilemma! But these quick dishes are a savior. As in our Lord, JC. Where are you picking up your fish? Whole Foods had cod on sale today $5 off. I love that little bit of crust on yours. And the capers, oh the capers. Don’t get me started.
I always buy at Whole Foods or the farmers market. We got some great fresh sablefish today. I missed the cod sale or I would have grabbed some!