This was so good. It satisfies the hungry-hungry-not-easily-appeased Mexican food craving but also it’s fish so it’s healthy for you. Not a lot more to say. I will let the images do the talking.
Oh, here’s a good thing to know — you will need at least two oranges for this recipe (based on halibut for two people). If your oranges are small or not very juicy you will need maybe three. So, uh, just buy three and be safe.
Chile-Glazed Halibut with Avocado-Tomatillo Sauce
Adapted from Bon Appétit magazine
Glaze
6 tbsp fresh orange juice (about 1 large orange)
6 tbsp honey
1 1/2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
Sauce
1 large avocado, halved, pitted, peeled
1 big handful cilantro
1/4 cup tomatillo salsa
1/4 cup fresh orange juice (about another large orange, maybe one and a half)
1/4 tsp (or more) hot pepper sauce
Fish
2 6-8 ounce halibut fillets (each about 1 inch thick)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 orange with skin, thinly sliced crosswise (if it works out for you well, you can use other half of the orange you used for juice for the avocado sauce)
Ground cumin
1 bell pepper, cut into strips
4 green onions, cut into 4 inch pieces
For glaze: Mix all ingredients in blender or food processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
For Sauce: Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor; blend until smooth.
For fish: Make crosswise slits in each fillet, cutting to within 1/4 inch of bottom and spacing slits about 3/4 inch apart. Brush glaze over top and into slits. Place orange slices in slits.
Heat a grill pan or skillet. Add the olive oil. Sprinkle fish with ground cumin, salt, and pepper. Place fish, orange side down. Grill for about 2 minutes. Add the bell peppers and green onions to the pan.
Flip over the fish and cover and cook until fish is opaque, about 6 minutes. Using wide spatula, carefully transfer fish to platter. Let rest several minutes. Spoon avocado sauce onto plates, spreading slightly. Arrange 1 fillet over sauce on each plate and serve.
On the side we had black beans and the sauteed bell peppers. Okay, fine, there was also cheese involved. But, this was really one of the most awesome halibut dishes ever. Probably even if there had been no cheese involved. Evah!
I found your site through my brother Dad in Alaska dot com. Although I live in Salem, I’m visiting my boyfriend in Kansas. Couldn’t find fresh or frozen Halibut fillets anywhere. I ended up using Mahi Mahi. It took longer to cook than halibut, but it was quite tasty. I also had the side with the black beans and some crumbled goat cheese. The beans gave a nice balance to the sweet tomatillo/avacado sauce. I’m thinking halibut would also cut down on the sweetness. We also cooked up a tilapia fillet in case my boyfriend wanted more, but he was quite satisfied with the mahi mahi. Thanks for the great pictures and good recipes. ~Lee Ann
Oh, man…I’ve made many of the dishes that you’ve posted on this site – all of which have been remarkably tasty – but this? This dish is the BOMB. My husband said, “I know I’m prone to hyperbole and all, but I’m not fooling when I say this is one of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth.” I ended up swinging by New Seasons to pick up fresh halibut, and though it was kind of expensive, I totally think it was worth it. Many thanks for posting this recipe and for maintaining such an awesome site.
so the first time i found this dish too sweet. so i used some locally made avocado-tomatillo salsa (which is goo enough to eat by the spoonful), and lessened the honey and it came out fantastic! cant wait to try it with chicken and prawns sometime next week
thanx once again