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Seared Halibut With Anchovies, Capers And Garlic

5.0(2239)

Three classic flavors are often overlooked these days, so much so that when I prepared a dish combining them not long ago, I seemed to be tasting it for the first time. This combo is garlic, anchovies and capers, a natural southern Mediterranean team that is strong and distinctive. Its brininess makes it incompatible with many foods, but it is ideal with fish, especially sturdy fish like halibut and swordfish. Creating a dish out of these ingredients is almost as easy as simply searing the fish and serving it with lemon. The fish is quickly browned, then allowed to finish cooking in the oven while the no-fuss sauce cooks in the pan.

by Mark Bittman

Open original recipe

ItalianDinner, Easy, Quick, Main Course

Servings

4 servings

Total time

20 min

Calories / serving

436 kcal

Ingredients (10)

serves

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oilextra-virgin-olive-oil
2 tablespoons butter (or more oil)butter
1 1/2 to 2 pounds halibut or swordfish steaks
Salt and pepper to tastesalt-and-pepper
4 anchovy fillets or more to taste
1 tablespoon or more minced garlicgarlic
1 tablespoon drained capers
1/2 cup dry white winewhite-wine
1 teaspoon lemon juice, or to tastelemon
Chopped fresh parsley for garnishparsley

Instructions (3 steps)

01Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat, and leave it there until hot. Add oil and butter together. Butter should sizzle. When butter foam subsides, add fish, and season it lightly with salt and pepper. Brown fish, basting with pan juices, then turn, and brown again. Do not worry about cooking through. Turn off heat, put fish on an ovenproof plate, and place it in oven.
02Turn heat under skillet to medium, and add anchovies and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until anchovies break up, just a couple of minutes. Add capers and wine, and turn heat to high. Cook until wine is reduced by half. Return fish and its juices to pan, and turn it in sauce once or twice. Fish should be cooked through by now. (A thin-bladed knife inserted into its thickest part will meet little resistance.)