Name: Ginger Garlic Halibut
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: ¼ cup soy sauce (or soy sauce alternative such as tamari or coconut aminos); 2 Tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar; 2 Tablespoons avocado oil (or other cooking oil that you like); 2 Tablespoons lemon juice; 2 scallions (thinly sliced); 2 teaspoons garlic (chopped very small); 1 Tablespoon julienned fresh ginger; ½ jalapeno, chopped smalled (roughly 2 teaspoons); 1 pound halibut fillets, without the skin; salt and pepper to season

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In my opinion, halibut is one of the best fish options available. It's mild, meaty, and easily paired with so many flavors. This Ginger Garlic Halibut shows just how beautifully halibut pairs with strong flavors and maintains its own integrity.

Ginger Garlic Halibut served with rice and cucumbers and pea shoots

What to look for when buying halibut

You should look for wild halibut, to be sure, and fresh when able. But most of us don't live close enough to halibut fishing grounds to enjoy that luxury. So what do we do?

Look for firm fillets and no discoloration. It should be white and glossy.
Ask to smell it ... it should smell like the ocean.
Ask questions of the fishmonger. "When was it caught?" "What method was used to catch it?" In which case, you'll have to be educated on what and why those things are important. Be sure to peruse Seafood Watch to learn about sustainable seafood practices.
There are several online options to order seafood from if you can't find a quality option where you live. Wild Alaskan Seafood Company is one that is a subscription plan and offers all wild fish options. (Not sponsored)
If you live in the Snohomish, WA, area, I highly recommend You Are What You Eat Fish Company. It's a family-owned fishing company that was started over 100 years ago and their sustainable practices continue just as they did back then. They sell at farmers' markets in the area and if you are in their delivery area, they'll bring it to your door! (Again, not sponsored.)

Salted and peppered halibut filets on a platter

The marinade ingredients for Ginger Garlic Halibut

The marinade is pretty simple: julienned fresh ginger, chopped garlic, lemon juice, scallions, chopped jalapenos, unseasoned rice vinegar, and soy sauce, or soy sauce alternative like organic tamari (which is wheat free) or organic coconut aminos (which is both soy and wheat free!)

Tamari is very similar to regular soy sauce and recipes don't typically need any adjustment when using it. However, coconut aminos tend to the sweet side so I usually add a splash of vinegar to counter the sweet.

All of the marinade ingredients in a shallow dish

Put the halibut fillets into the marinade, then turn them over. Leave them for 15 minutes, then turn them over for another 15 minutes. Since halibut yields typically thicker fillets, you can afford to leave them a little longer than thinner ones, but be careful not to leave them too much longer than called for.

Halibut fillets in the ginger garlic marinade

The next couple of steps got left out of the photo shoot ... because I'm only one person trying to cook and photograph at the same time. But it goes like this:

Take the fish out of the marinade and put it carefully into a heated, oiled skillet. Watch the sides of the fillets and when it starts looking done about a quarter of the way up the side, (about 4-6 minutes), check the browning on the skillet side, then carefully flip it over using a fish spatula. Avoid flipping it back and forth because it will start breaking apart. Cook it another 4-6 minutes and remove it to a platter to keep it warm.

Then pour the marinade into the skillet, bring it to a boil, and let it reduce till it thickens up a bit.

How to serve Ginger Garlic Halibut

You should definitely serve this halibut with beautifully steamed rice so that it can soak up all that gorgeous sauce! I like a bit of a simple, fresh salad of pea shoots or baby lettuces with cucumbers, on the side, drizzled with olive oil and rice wine vinegar. See how simple that was? Let's eat!

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