Roasted Halibut With Lemons, Olives and Rosemary

Updated Oct. 16, 2023

Roasted Halibut With Lemons, Olives and Rosemary
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Rating
5(3,706)
Notes
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Fish can be finicky dinner-party fare, especially for the distracted cook. Step away for a moment to sip your cocktail and your fillets might go from pearly to parched. This dish, though, inspired by one from Southern Italy, elegantly feeds a crowd. The fish, halibut, is seasoned with chile, salt and olive oil, then topped with rosemary, lemon and olives and roasted. It’s a lighter main dish that won’t leave anyone hungry.

Featured in: Fish That You Can Invite to a Dinner Party

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Ingredients

Yield:2 servings
  • 2(8-ounce) halibut fillets, preferably at least 1-inch thick
  • teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, more to taste
  • Kosher salt
  • Ground chile pepper, preferably Turkish or Aleppo
  • 2rosemary branches
  • 1small lemon, very thinly sliced
  • ¼cup sliced, pitted calamata or other good-quality black olives
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

275 calories; 9 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 43 grams protein; 679 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place fish in a baking dish, brush fillets with 1 teaspoon of oil and season with salt and chile pepper. Top each fillet with a rosemary branch and several slices of lemon. Drizzle remaining oil over lemon slices and sprinkle with additional salt. Scatter olives over fish and pan.

  2. Step 2

    Bake until just opaque, about 10 minutes. If lemon slices have not browned or singed (this will depend on how thinly you slice them), place pan under broiler for 1 to 2 minutes. Serve drizzled with more olive oil; sprinkle with more salt and chili, if desired.

Ratings

5 out of 5
3,706 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Found this somewhere: The proper proportion for the best alternative to Aleppo pepper: Mix four parts sweet paprika to one part cayenne. Optional: Add a tiny pinch of salt.

Seems like you'd have known, as a chef, that this would destroy the fish. I have cooked it this way several times and it's wonderful. If you don't overcook it, there is just enough going in the recipe to let the natural flavor take center stage. Not fair to blame this outcome on the recipe itself.

Really good. Used very fresh cod cut more than 1" thick (fresher and a lot cheaper than halibut where I shopped). Used Aleppo pepper and it works well. I agree with prior comments that more lemon "oomph" would help -- such as grating some zest over the fish before cooking and/or squeezing lemon over after.

If you have a temperature probe. The ideal internal temperature of halibut and cod is 130ºF. For Salmon it is 121ºF. Takes the guessing out of the equation.

This recipe deserves its high ratings, even with use-what-you-have substitutions. In my case those were thick fresh cod fillets that were on sale at Fairway, "pure" chili powder (though I'll look for Turkish or Aleppo), dried rosemary, green manzanilla olives. Simple, sophisticated, quick and--unusual for a Melissa Clark recipe--no garlic, something I like only in small doses! Do try this when you want to impress. Served with tiny Yukon gold potatoes, European butter, pan charred broccoli.

Super good! Put a very little lemon olive oil in a baggie and crushed some rosemary in it and let it sit a couple of hours. ‘Marinated’ the fish with that mix for about an hour. Followed all other recipe instructions, except sprinkled olives on after fish baked and after additional drizzle of fresh lemon. A truly exquisite presentation and soooooo delish. Bought Halibut special for this meal. WORTH IT.

I cooked this for a dinner party last night. It was delicious and there were clean plates all around. I made the recipe exactly as written, except for one thing: I didn't have ground chili pepper, so I used flaked red chili pepper. I am so happy with how it turned out and it really is the easiest main dish to serve for company! A keeper. Thank you Melissa!

Loved this recipe. If guests are sensitive to spice then cut down on the Aleppo pepper but otherwise a big winner. Used branches of rosemary below and above the fish very thin slices of lemon. Let the fish sit in the refrigerator for about an hour with the seasonings on, then out 30-40 minutes before cooking. Cooked at 450 for 10 minutes then 2 minutes under the broiler. I am sure it would be great with any flakey fish and also with capers instead of olives but as is, it is a wow!

I cooked 2 lbs of fresh Halibut and served it to guests who are great cooks. They raved about it. I added 5 minutes to the cook time for the additional fish. 15 minutes at 450 was perfect. I will make this again.

This may sound weird but I made this recipe with chicken and it was awesome (the halibut looked tired that day). And I will do it again!

I added about 2 T of capers on top, as I like the flavor boost it provides to SIcilian inspired recipes. Delicious recipe overall. I will make it again.

Really very good, with fresh local halibut, meyer lemon slices, rosemary, aleppo pepper, a little smoked paprika, and capers (as someone suggested in lieu of olives). It's surprising that the rosemary's fragrance infuses the fish as much as it does, but next time I'll put it (or branches of thyme, another good suggestion) both above and below the fish, covered in the fridge, for a few hours prior to cooking. The only trick is not to under- or over-cook it; 425º seemed right for mine.

I loved this recipe, so simple and delicious. I used cod rather than halibut and omitted the salt as there was enough in the olive brine. It was visually appealing and the combined taste of the lemon and olives was spectacular. We served it over rice (making sure to serve it with all of the sauce, lemon, olives and rosemary) with broccoli. We will definitely make this again.
Thank you Melissa.

Delicious and easy. Added lemon zest at the end to intensify lemon flavor

Will make again. Will season with salt on both sides next time and oil the pan to prevent sticking.

Grilled on high on foil about 10 minutes

Easy and delicious

I don't get how this simple recipe is so delicious, but hey no complaints! I didn't have rosemary so skipped that. I don't have aleppo pepper so just used plain paprika. However, I used a Meyer lemon instead of the regular one. The result was *chef's kiss*

Easy and delicious every time. Good for company or just a simple dinner for 2

Excellent, and ideal for sous vide: rub the fish with salt and cook it in a bag with all other ingredients @ 128 degrees for 45 minutes or so. Peel the skin, clean up the serving pieces, and reseason/top them with more olive oil, lemon juice, Aleppo pepper, and the rosemary branches, olives, and lemon slices from the bag.

Awfully bland to my taste. Even with more pepper, I wasn't enthused.

Can you use frozen halibut or do you need to thaw first?

"Bake until just opaque, about 10 minutes." Once again, I request that the NYT please please please include temperature readings for cooking all meats. An instant-read thermometer is an invaluable tool for food safety and also for delicious and properly cooked meats, and it's not beyond the means of your readers.

I loved this, although… we forgot the olives while cooking so added them at the end, and I found them a little strong. Might want to try capers next time. (Or add the olives at the right time!) The fish was delicious!

I've eaten at some of the best seafood places in North America - and tried to make fresh West Coast halibut taste as good at my place. This recipe, using fresh halibut, has been a home run.

Forgot rating: 5 stars!

Made it - good Needed more salt, more Aleppo pepper, lemon juice should also be added, used thyme not rosemary which didnt do much Next time do as someone suggested, marinate herbs in oil and then pour on fish

Made this tonight because halibut was affordable. i used Celignano olives instead of kalamata (husband's preference) and fresh thyme instead of fresh rosemary (availability choice). It didn't get done in 10 minutes - perhaps my oven is off. It was very good.

This dish is easy, light and very simple although somewhat bland even with the Aleppo chile. I had to pre-broil my lemon slices in a toaster oven a bit first as my oven doesn't have a broiler for some reason. Still, this is a nice dish for one or two people when you don't have a lot of time.

Followed the recipe but put the seasoning on the halibut an hour before cooking. Put rosemary sprigs below and on top of fish. Used capers in place of olives. Cooked at 400 confection—the fish was thick and needed about 13 minutes. This is delicious.

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