Name: Parmesan Baked Halibut
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese; ¼ cup unsalted butter (softened); 1 tablespoon mayonnaise; 1 tablespoon sour cream; 3 tablespoons chopped green onions; ¼ teaspoon salt; 1.5 to 2 pounds skinless halibut fillets; Serve with slices of lemon if desired

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Rich, cheesy topping over perfectly baked mild flavored halibut; this recipe makes the best halibut meal ever. This Parmesan Baked Halibut is a five star dinner recipe that’s surprisingly easy to make. Your dinner guests (even if that’s just your family) will think you’re a kitchen genius.

a piece of Parmesan Baked Halibut served with potatoes and broccoli, and a fork on the plate. In front of a large pice of halibut — A great weeknight meal

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Weeknight meal

Fish is an easy and quick meal. I think fish intimidates many people. But, if you try it you’ll see just how easy it is to cook and enjoy delicious fish, even as a weeknight meal.

Interesting fish facts

Halibut is a common name for different types of large flatfish.

The word, halibut, is derived from haly (holy) and butte (flat fish), for its popularity on Catholic holy days.

Thawing the fish

If you have frozen halibut, take it out of the freezer the night before and place it in the fridge to thaw. By dinner time, it should be perfectly thawed.

If it isn’t fully defrosted, or if you forgot to take it out of the freezer, place the still sealed plastic bag that the fish is in (without opening the bag!!) in a large bowl full or sink full of cool tap water.

Let it sit in the water for up to an hour and it should be nice and defrosted.

close up of baked halibut — cooked all the way through, and still moist and tender

Pacific halibut

I have Pacific halibut for my dish today. It’s also known as Alaskan Halibut. It’s the largest species of flatfish.

Huge Pacific halibut, sometimes called “barn doors”, can attain a length of over 8 feet and a width of over 5 feet.

Halibut are born with eyes on both sides of their head. As they grow (by the time they are six months old), one eye moves to the other side of its head, and the young halibut begin swimming sideways, with both eyes on the top of their bodies. (This is one of the facts I liked to tell people when I worked at my local aquarium!)

U.S. wild-caught Pacific halibut is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations.

Cooking the fish

I have found that I prefer my fish to be cooked all the way through, rather than any amount of rare in my fish.

So, I think it’s really important to check the fish periodically as it bakes for doneness.

Take two forks, and in the thickest part of the fish, break apart some of the flesh. For halibut, you want it all to be perfectly white, and flake apart every easily. If you see any pink in the flesh, that means the fish is still under cooked, and I like to keep baking it until it’s completely white throughout.

Depending on the size and thickness of your halibut, it will take anywhere from 15-25 minutes to bake through. If you have a really super thick piece, it could even take longer.

My cousins brought us a super thick piece of halibut that they bought at Pike Place Market, and it was really thick. So, it took a bit longer than 25 minutes to bake.

Parmesan and butter mixture in a bowl — The Parmesan and butter mixture all mixed up and ready to be spread on the halibut

Parmesan mixture spread on the large piece of halibut — My piece of halibut has the Parmesan mixture spread over the, and is in the rimmed baking sheet on the parchment paper.

Tip: make sure the butter is nice and soft to make it easily spreadable on the soft fish.

Make sure to use a rimmed baking sheet to catch all the juices.

Here's the hlibut fresh out of the oven and still on the parchment lined baking sheet — Here’s the halibut fresh out of the oven and still on the parchment lined baking sheet

Quick recipe changes

Add a bit of hot sauce for a kick and to cut some of the richness.

Try adding a bit of dill, celery salt, or parsley to the topping.

Sprinkle the top with some Panko breadcrumbs for a crunchy topping.

And, really, any white fish will be great with this Parmesan topping.

Speaking of fish, want more great seafood dishes? I have some great recipes for you. Roasted Salmon Risotto, Salmon with Blueberry Sauce, Air Fryer Chili Lime Cod, Vanilla Dusted Scallops, and Stuffed halibut.

How to serve this halibut

This baked halibut recipe is delicious with some potatoes and a nice green veggie.

For the potatoes, try my Potatoes Fondantes, Instant Pot Potatoes Fondantes, or my Mashed Potato Casserole.

For the green veggies, my vote is for Roasted Green Beans, or Air Fryer Green Beans. Roasted asparagus is also high on my list. Try air fryer asparagus or oven roasted asparagus.

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a large piece of halibut with Parmesan topping served with potatoes and broccoli. Title at top: Parmesan Baked Halibut — Don’t forget to pin this recipe!

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