Easy Baked Halibut with Chermoula Sauce
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Easy Baked Halibut with Chermoula Sauce

Baked Pacific Halibut with Easy Chermoula Sauce

February 8th, 2022

This North African-Inspired Condiment Keeps Your Fish Flavorful and Tender

The key to tender baked Pacific halibut that's full of flavor? An easy-to-make condiment that doubles as sauce in which to bake the fish. For a meaty fillet of Pacific halibut, we like to make a North African-inspired chermoula, an herbaceous condiment made with fresh cilantro and parsley. It's reminiscent of chimichurri, but it has a warmer flavor profile owing to a mix of spices like cumin, coriander, and paprika, all of which you probably have in your spice cabinet right now.

These fresh and dried flavor components are bound together with lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil, making the chermoula the perfect consistency to spoon over the Pacific halibut before and after baking. Generously topping the Pacific halibut with this chermoula helps to prevent it from drying out as it bakes, as the fresh herbs form a juicy barrier between the fish and the heat. And saving some chermoula for serving means that you'll have plenty to drizzle over everything else on your plate: couscous, vegetables, a round of pita.

Print Recipe

Easy Baked Halibut with Chermoula Sauce

By Wild Alaskan Company

This recipe will make about 1 cup of chermoula, which will give you enough to bake with, and plenty to serve alongside the finished dish.

Prep time

10 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Total time

20 minutes

Yield

4

Ingredients

  • 4 teaspoons garlic, roughly chopped
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped (approx. 1 bunch)
  • 1 cup parsley, roughly chopped (approx. 1 bunch)
  • 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more for seasoning fillets
  • 4 (6-ounce) halibut fillets or (8-ounce) halibut steaks

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Meanwhile, make the chermoula by combining every ingredient (except for the Pacific halibut) in a food processor. Pulse to combine until you have a rough pesto-like mixture. Adjust the chermoula to your taste by adding a little more salt or lemon juice, then scrape into a small bowl and set aside. Alternatively, finely mince together garlic, parsley, and cilantro by hand, then whisk together with dry spices, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt.

2. Lightly season Pacific halibut with salt, then arrange in a baking dish. Top each fillet with a generous amount of chermoula, about ½ cup divided evenly over 4 portions. Reserve remaining chermoula for serving.

3. Place baking dish on the center rack in oven and set timer to 8 minutes. Pacific halibut is done when it has reached an internal temperature of 130F on an instant read thermometer at its thickest part, or when it can be flaked easily with a fork. Pacific halibut steaks typically take longer to cook than fillets, so add extra minutes of cook time as needed.

4. Once the Pacific halibut is cooked, enjoy immediately, with a bowl of couscous and side of vegetables if desired. Serve with extra chermoula. Any leftover chermoula can be stored covered in the refrigerator, but make sure to use it within a couple of days before the herbs oxidize and become bitter.

Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of food-borne illness, especially if you have a certain medical condition. The FDA recommends an internal temperature of 145°F for cooked fish.