30-Minute Halibut Piccata with Asparagus | Easy Weeknight Dinner!

Get ready to enjoy the delicate, mild flavor of halibut paired so nicely with lemon–caper-wine saucy goodness for a delicious Halibut Piccata meal. This easy weeknight dinner or impressive meal for guests is nutritious and ready in 30 minutes or less.  This post is sponsored by Llano Estacado Winery.

this RECIPE

Dustin and I are HUGE fans (yes, huge enough fans to put “huge” in all-capitals, in case you were wondering) of fresh fish and look forward each week to what deals I can find at the market.  This week, I bought halibut fillets and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them.

For weeks, I’m not ashamed to admit that I have been stalking monitoring the fish section, waiting to find fresh halibut. I love me some halibut. Fortunately, this week I was able to find what I was looking for. And asparagus was also on sale. Exciting, I know. I love to pair asparagus with halibut or pan fried salmon.

This pan seared halibut recipe requires so few ingredients and preparation that it’s almost unfair… almost.  When using such bold flavors as fresh lemons and capers, I find it better to leave things simple.  Plus, the delicate, mild flavor of the halibut pairs so nicely with the lemon, capers, and Llano Estacado white wine, making this halibut with lemon caper sauce so darn delicious.

Oh, and PS: this halibut dish is totally healthy. Wooot! I know, yay, right?

WHAT DOES PICCATA MEAN?

Piccata is a cooking method for meat and fish where the food is sautéed or seared and then served in a lemony sauce, which is usually made with butter and capers. Sounds simple but delicious at the same time, right? Yeah, that’s because piccata is Italian and Italians know how to make simple yet amazing dishes.

To lessen the fat in this recipe, I didn’t make this piccata with butter. But this halibut with capers tastes exactly like my old halibut piccata recipe so no one will even notice it’s healthy. Do I get an extra point or two for that???

To make this halibut picatta healthy, I used…

• chickpea flour instead of all purpose flour to lightly coat the halibut fillets;
• then for the piccata sauce, I used:
  • lemon juice
  • a whole siced lemon
  • low sodium chicken stock
  • Llano Estacado Pinot Grigio wine (goes great with this recipe!)
  • capers <--- LOVE!!
  • Italian parsley, chopped (optional garnish)

See? No butter on the ingredients list!

FRESH VS. FROZEN FISH

For this pan seared halibut recipe, I used fresh halibut fillets. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with frozen fish...it’s just faster to use fresh halibut fillets if you can and you don't have to thaw them.

Honestly, the fresh vs. frozen fish debate is not really a debate. Frozen fish is just as good as fresh fish, as long as you're getting the same quality wild-caught fish. But when you're in a hurry to prep dinner, fresh fish is the quicker option.

IS HALIBUT HEALTHY?

Halibut is a very healthy fish option.  It's a great source of protein (20 g per 3-ounce serving), low in calories (only 94 calories per serving), lower in fat compared to salmon, and packed with nutrients including…

• minerals (selenium and magnesium);
• vitamin B12;
• omega-3 fatty acids.

THE BEST WINE FOR COOKING HALIBUT

Piccata wouldn’t be piccata without white wine. Sure, you can make it without, but it’s not the same.  When it comes to halibut piccata, I really like this Llano Estacado Pinot Grigio. It is a fruity and aromatic wine that works perfectly with seafood. Or chicken for that matter. Llano Estacado Pinot Grigio is fresh and it has light melon, lemon, and grapefruit aroma. Perfect!  It’s delicate and subtle and it makes this halibut piccata taste absolutely incredible.

Pro tip – pour yourself a glass and enjoy while cooking the halibut piccata. Thank me later!

HOW TO COOK HALIBUT

Cooking fish and seafood can be intimating. In a matter of seconds, fish can go from undercooked to overcooked. I don’t want you to be afraid to try this amazing halibut piccata recipe, though, so I have a few extra tips for how to cook halibut. Specifically, how to cook halibut in a pan.

All pan seared halibut recipes are fast – the halibut fillet needs to cook for 3-5 minutes per side.

Check to see if the fish is cooked through...

• by looking at the texture and color of the fish – undercooked fish is translucent and resists flaking while cooked fish is opaque and flakes easily;
• to test if halibut flakes easily, poke the fillet with a fork at a 45-degree angle and pull up some of the fish or twist gently.
• if it flakes easily, it’s done. If not, continue cooking.

HOW TO STOP HALIBUT FROM STICKING TO YOUR PAN

Another problem you might have with seared halibut is that it tends to stick to the pan if you don’t heat the oil enough. So make sure you heat the olive oil on high-medium heat until hot. Then and only then add the halibut fillets to the pan and sear.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH HALIBUT

Time to plate this halibut dish and start eating! But… what to serve with halibut? Traditionally, halibut piccata is served over pasta. I prefer a low-carb version, thank you very much. So I use quinoa noodles instead of regular pasta and I add some asparagus for extra nutrients.

Quinoa noodles and steamed asparagus are perfect with the amazing flavors of halibut piccata. You can garnish with lemon slices and parsley or squeeze some lemon juice over the halibut dish if you really want refreshing flavors.

HOW TO STEAM ASPARAGUS

Asparagus can be as delicate as fish – you want it crunchy and not overdone so here are some tips for how to steam asparagus:

• To steam asparagus, use the same water you use for cooking quinoa noodles – I find that asparagus tastes better when I do this;
• Then cook for 6-8 minutes;
• You want asparagus to be mostly tender, not mushy so make sure you check from time to time.

HOW LONG DOES HALIBUT PICCATA LAST?

Halibut piccata is a great weeknight dinner cuz’ it’s ready in less than 30 minutes. However, I know that during busy weeks 30 minutes sound like a lot. The great news is – you can make halibut piccata ahead of time ad store it to reheat later in the week!

HOW LONG DOES FISH LAST?

• 3-4 days in the fridge
• up to a month in the freezer.

HOW TO STORE HALIBUT PICATTA IN THE FRIDGE

1. transfer halibut to meal prep container;
2. pour the sauce over;
3. store in the fridge;
4. reheat for 2-3 minutes in the microwave.

HOW TO FREEZE HALIBUT PICATTA

1. Place halibut piccata and sauce in freezer-safe airtight containers or Ziploc bags;
2. Keep for up to a month in the freezer.

3 MORE HEALTHY FISH DINNER IDEAS

Before I go, I want to share with you 3 more healthy fish dinner ideas. Because fish is healthy, good for you, and the perfect choice for a quick and delicious weeknight dinner.

PAN FRIED SALMON

This Pan Fried Salmon is the best pan fried salmon ever! It’s perfect, I’m telling you!

You’ll find all the tips for how to cook salmon perfectly in this post. And bonus- side dish recommendations for a delicious salmon dinner.

BAKED SEA BASS AND ZUCCHINI SHEET PAN RECIPE

When it comes to easy-peasy dinner recipes, nothing beats sheet pan recipes. They are so easy! Since I promised you more fish recipe, the sheet pan recipe recommendation for today is this Baked Sea Bass And Zucchini Sheet Pan Recipe.

This fish dinner is not only easy but also delicious, healthy, and you make the main and the side at the same time!

BAJA FISH TACOS

Crispy, fresh and perfect for Taco Tuesday, these Baja Fish Tacos are what tacos dreams are made of, yes, they are so YUMMY!

These fresh fish tacos are made with homemade Pico de Gallo and Creamy White Dill Sauce. Talk about YUM.

This post contains affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.  This post is sponsored by Llano Estacado.