Grilled Halibut with White Wine, Butter, and Caper Sauce

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Grilled Halibut is not only an elegant meat but one that needs very little added seasoning to perfect. But a touch of this white wine caper sauce brings an already buttery and rich fish to the next level. And it’s so much easier to make than you might think!

If you want to level up your grilled halibut game, it’s all about keeping it simple and making sure your grill is hot. Combine those two things and you can make an incredibly rich and decadent Grilled Halibut recipe with just a few easy steps.

Ingredients + Substitutions

• Halibut – Fresh halibut is best, ideally from your fishmonger. It should not smell fishy at all. If you ever have questions about the freshness you can always ask your fishmonger when they receive their halibut shipments or how long the current selection was in the case. If buying from a box store, like Costco or a grocery store, look at the packed date and be sure it’s within a few days.

• Seasoning – Simple kosher salt and coarse black pepper is all you need. Halibut is already rich and delicious so you don’t need to over season. You can also use our SPG rub with some added granulated garlic.
• Olive Oil – We prefer extra virgin olive oil, but any oil will work that can handle higher heat.
• Butter – For the sauce we use unsalted butter and then season it as it finishes.
• Shallots – We like the softer flavor shallots add versus a red onion but if you want a more pronounced sauce then red onions work well.
• Garlic – One garlic clove goes a long way. As a prep tip use a garlic press or shave it with a micro plane to get it really diced and fine.
• White Wine – The wine adds acidity and flavor. Be sure it’s a wine you like to drink. We recommend something acidic, like a pinot gris or a sauvignon blanc. You can use chardonnay if you want a more buttery flavor to the sauce.
• Lemon: We like to cut a lemon in half and grill it, then use the lemon juice in the sauce to bring out the flavor and add a brightness and acidity.
• Capers – If you’re not a fan of capers you can leave these out and the sauce will still be delicious! But I love the briny and slightly salty flavor of the capers.

Preparation

• Halibut – Make sure to pat dry with a paper towel. You want to make sure that before adding oil or seasoning there is no residual moisture. This helps create a better sear crust and prevent sticking.
• Grill – Your grill grates need to be clean and hot!
  • Preheat your grill for direct grilling targeting 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • We recommend using your grate cleaning tool to scrape off any residual food. You should get in the habit of cleaning grates while still warm after every cook. Next, take some of the olive oil, place it on a paper towel, and run the oil over the hot grates immediately before adding the fish.
• Sauce – Have a small cast iron pan ready with all your sauce ingredients pre-chopped. You will be making the sauce immediatly after the fish is done and resting.

How To Grill Halibut

1. Coat the halibut all over with olive oil and then liberally season with salt and pepper. Place the halibut on the grill grate over direct heat with the skin side facing up (if there is skin).
2. Sear for up to 4 minutes or until you can see a crust form and the halibut will release from the grates without any of it sticking to the grate. We use a fish spatula to slowly test and lift away. Once it lifts easily it’s time to flip.
3. After flipping, grill the other side of the halibut over direct heat. Continue to grill until the internal temperature of the halibut reaches 130 degrees F using an instant-read thermometer. The fish will be just turning white all the way through and retain a moist center. Remove and rest for 10 minutes. While the halibut is resting, make the sauce.

4. For the Wine Sauce: Place the cast iron pan in the grill over direct heat. Allow the pan to heat up for 3 minutes. Place the butter in the pan. When it melts add shallots and garlic, and stir occasionally to soften (about 2 minutes). Add the white wine, lemon juice, capers, and salt and stir again. Allow to come to a boil and reduce slightly for another 2-3 minutes. The total cooking time will be about 8 minutes for the sauce to be ready. Remove the pan from the grill and pour the sauce over your halibut.

Notes: If your grill is large enough you can make the sauce while the fish is grilling. It’s best to plate the halibut first before adding the sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Make Ahead and Storage

The white wine butter sauce can be made ahead of time and then reheated. We do not recommend making the halibut in advance as it increases the likelihood of drying out when reheating.

If you have leftovers, wrap the halibut tightly in plastic wrap, then warm it back up and eat it within 3 days. To reheat, it’s best to steam it. But if you don’t have a steamer then heat up in a warm skillet with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Flip once. Serve immediately.

What To Make With Grilled Halibut

Grilled Halibut is an elegant dish and lends itself to an elegant side dish. Because of the flavors and thinner texture with the white wine butter sauce, we love serving with our Prosecco Risotto recipe or our Mushroom Risotto.

For a salad we love this with our Grilled Beet Salad since the grill is already going. Or go for a simple Grilled Broccolini with freshly squeezed Grilled Lemons over the top.

Tools Used

• Fish Spatula – This is especially helpful because it helps with more precision when flipping the fish. It’s also great on cast iron and flat top cooking.
• Instant Read Thermometer – Having a fast instant-read meat thermometer is one of the most important tools whenever cooking. We use the Thermoworks Thermapen One.

Now on 2nd edition

Fire + Wine Cookbook

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“This book is a one-stop guide for anyone truly interested in elevating their BBQ experience into a culinary work of art.”
5 out of 5 Stars
San Francisco Book Review

About Vindulge

Mary (a certified sommelier and recipe developer) and Sean (backyard pitmaster) are co-authors of the critically acclaimed cookbook, Fire + Wine, and have been creating content for the IACP nominated website Vindulge since 2009. They live in Oregon on a farm just outside Portland.