Meaty halibut is gently cooked in a port-cranberry poaching sauce, with hazelnuts bringing a slight bitterness to the dish. Cod or haddock can serve as stand-ins for halibut.
Submerged
Cooking seafood, like halibut and cod, can be tricky; overcooking can result in a dry and tough fish―not the result you want from an expensive piece of seafood. Poaching fish in a sauce can help keep it moist while infusing the flesh with the surrounding flavours. Dry heat methods of cooking such as oven baking pose a greater risk for overcooking and serving fish that tastes a bit too parched.
This collection was originally published in the October 2025 issue of alive magazine.
Cranberry Poached Halibut
Ingredients
- 2 tsp (10 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 1 tsp (10 mL) fennel seeds
- 3/4 cup (180 mL) port
- 2 cups (500 mL) fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) honey
- 1 tsp (5 mL) fresh thyme
- 1 tsp (5 mL) lemon zest
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) dried red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
- 4 - 5 to 6 oz (142 to 170 g) pieces halibut
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) roughly chopped hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) chopped parsley
Directions
01
In large skillet, heat oil. Add shallot, garlic, and fennel seeds; heat 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in port and simmer for 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) water, cranberries, honey, thyme, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, and salt to skillet. Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer for 10 minutes.
02
Carefully place halibut in skillet with sauce, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) between pieces of fish. Return to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently, with skillet partially covered, for 3 minutes. Carefully flip halibut and continue cooking at a slight simmer until fish is heated to internal temperature of 145 F (63 C), or has turned opaque throughout flesh.
03
Remove fish from skillet and place in shallow serving bowls. Boil cranberry sauce over medium-high heat, uncovered, until liquid is reduced by about half.
04
Add cranberry sauce to bowls with halibut and garnish with hazelnuts and parsley.
Matthew Kadey, MSc, RD, is a dietitian, nutrition writer, and recipe developer. He is also the author of Rocket Fuel (VeloPress, 2016) and Muffin Tin Chef (Ulysses Press, 2012).
