You’ve got your halibut, freshly bought, but what now? You need a delicious side dish to go with it, of course! Well, not to worry, as we’ve compiled a list of the absolute best side dishes to accompany your delicious halibut!

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What To Serve With Halibut (14 Best Side Dishes)

You’ll find so many fantastic options here – in fact, you’ll be spoilt for choice! Unfortunately, you can’t make them all at once, but the chances are, you’ll want to make so many of these – you’ll be eating halibut a lot more often after reading this list!

Lime and Cilantro Sugar Snap Peas

This is definitely a side dish you’ll love making when you don’t have all the time in the world, as it’s absolutely delicious and ready in just 15 minutes! You’ll just need a pound of snap peas with the ends trimmed, and a few important flavorings.

Garlic, chili flakes, cilantro, and lime will give this side a really fresh and vibrant flavor, and if you decide to add a dash of fish sauce, you’re going to make it even more deliciously compatible with your halibut!

Don’t forget about the quarter cup of roasted peanuts, of course – they’re a really key part of rounding out the flavors of this fantastic side dish.

Celery Root and Apple Salad

This side dish is so light and refreshing – it’ll make a great match for halibut! It’s crish, crunchy, and so refreshingly light, as it’s made from celery and apples – which make a fantastic combination, and will really help to bring the best out of your halibut! You’ll want to use tart apples for the best flavor – so maybe go and buy a few Granny Smith apples!

Of course, let’s not forget about the fantastic mustard vinaigrette. It’s really simple, needing just 4 key ingredients! A few teaspoons of dijon mustard, and a few tablespoons each of apple cider or white wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and walnut oil. Season the vinaigrette with sea salt and freshly ground pepper of your choosing! So delicious and easy to make!

Roasted Vegetables

Well, this is clearly going to be a delicious smatch for your halibut – after all, you can hardly go wrong with roast vegetables with any meal!

The recipe recommends plenty of fantastic vegetables too – including broccoli, butternut squash, zucchine, bell pepper, and onion! You can, of course, add absolutely any vegetable you like to this. The choice is entirely yours – feel free to add your favorites!

Whichever vegetables you use, make sure to drizzle them in a little olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and thyme – it’ll add such delicious flavors to the vegetables while they’re roasting!

Autumn Harvest Salad With Orange Vinaigrette

This is an absolutely amazing fresh salad that will complement your halibut perfectly! You’ll use a Mediterranean blend of salad, if you can get hold of it – but failing that, you can always fall back on good old romaine lettuce.

Freshly squeezed orange juice is the flavor that really sets this dish apart. Use 2 large oranges for this – you’ll need them for both the vinaigrette that you’ll learn how to make, and for the salad too! Season your vinaigrette with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cinnamon. And don’t forget the deliciously sweet honey too!

Spring Pesto Roasted Tomatoes

There are few combinations of flavors that can hope to match the beauty of basil and tomato. That’s why these roasted tomatoes are so delicious – they’re absolutely covered in basil pesto! There’s even a link to learn how to make your own amazing basil and walnut pesto too – although there’s certainly nothing wrong with using your favorite store-bought brand here.

This really simple recipe makes an absolutely fantastic side dish to your halibut – frankly, they’re delicious enough on their own! They only take about 20 minutes to bake too – and only 10 minutes to prepare for the oven. Hot or cold, they’re absolutely delicious! You absolutely cannot go wrong when you’ve got basil and tomato together – it’s a match made in heaven!

Buttery Sautéed Green Beans

These delicious and simple green beans make a fantastic side dish not just to your lovingly cooked halibut, but to pretty much anything!

There are two reasons for this. Firstly, they’re absolutely delicious! Fresh green beans, sauteed in butter and seasoned with garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper – what’s not to love about that?

Second of all – they’re really simple and quick to cook! You’ll need less than a quarter of an hour total to make these, including your preparation time – meaning that once you learn how to make them, you’ll always have a way to make a quick and tasty side dish for any meal!

Cilantro Lime Slaw

Tasty and refreshing, this extremely light tasting slaw will make a good match for your halibut. In fact, it’ll go with so many dishes – and what’s more, you can make it really quickly too!

That’s down to the fact that you can use a ready made coleslaw mix to this. You can make your own too, of course!

No matter whether you make your own coleslaw or use store-bought, you’ll be adding plenty of your own delicious flavorings to make this fantastic slaw anyway.

Greek yogurt, fresh cilantro, green onions, fresh lime juice, garlic – and you can even add some hot peppers if you like too!

Season with salt, pepper, and cumin to finish off this amazing slaw. Delicious, tasty, and just rich enough to keep it interesting!

Lemon Braised Fennel

This recipe for a fantastic side dish will add a fantastic lemony-licorice flavor to your halibut meal, thanks to the 2 lemonis and 2 bulbs of fennel you’ll use!

As the author says, you’ll mellow the naturally strong anise flavor you get from the fennel down quite a bit by cooking it, so don’t worry – it won’t overpower your halibut! It’ll taste absolutely delicious, however!

Give yourself a bit of time for this recipe, as it could take up to an hour to fully braise the fennel, depending on how big it is. You’ll definitely find that it’s worth the time you take over this fantastic side dish!

Haricots Verts with Lemon-Herb Brown Butter

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If the name “haricots verts” is unfamiliar to you, then don’t worry – it’s French for green beans! French green beans are usually a bit longer and thinner than some other varieties of green bean, but they have a pretty similar taste.

Don’t worry if you can’t get hold of actual haricot verts, as you can use any green bean you like for this recipe!

Any green bean side dish will of course make a fantastic accompaniment to your halibut meal – but this one is especially delicious, thanks to the fresh lemon juice, fresh chives, fresh rosemary, and fresh thyme!

With so many deliciously fresh flavorings, this will complement your halibut amazingly. It’ll only take you just over half an hour too, to make 4 tasty servings!

Pink Grapefruit and Watercress Salad

This is definitely a different sort of side dish than most that you might be used to, but it’s guaranteed to be not just unique but absolutely amazing to eat too!

That’s of course because of the interesting and delicious inclusion of fresh and succulent pink grapefruits, which you’ll use in the salad, and also which you’ll juice for the delicious dressing! Don’t you love it when things have multiple uses?

You’ll also need some watercress, endive, spinace, red onion, and fresh basil leaves, to finish off this amazingly fresh tasting salad. Mix a dressing from pink grapefruit juice, chili pepper flakes, olive oil, honey, lemon juice, sumac, and just a pinch of salt – and you’ll have a fantastic tasting dressing and side dish for your halibut that you’ll go crazy for!

Garlic Ginger Bok Choy with Toasted Sesame Seeds

If you’ve never had bok choy, then you’re in luck – and you’re in for an absolute treat! Bok choy is a really tasty Chinese cabbage that can play a tasty part in so many dishes.

It’s described as having a flavor somewhere between spinach and water chestnuts, with the flavor of bok choy being more pronounced in the green leaves than in the white bulb.

This side dish features bok choy heavily, and is really quick and delicious. You’ll spend less than 10 minutes preparing and cooking this side! And you’ll be absolutely delighted with the fantastic taste it adds to your halibut.

Artichoke Hearts in a White Wine Garlic Butter Sauce

This is one of those dishes that’s definitely on the richer and creamier side! If that suits you, then you’re going to find it an absolutely amazing complement to your halibut. The white wine butter sauce has a secret flavoring too, that you wouldn’t know just from the title – lemon!

You’ll need just a few tablespoons of lemon juice, but as you’ll taste, it makes all the difference. Of course, as is the case with all of the best side dishes, it’s simple to make too, meaning you’ve got more time and attention to spend on getting that halibut cooked to perfection.

Braised Fingerling Potatoes with Garlic, Shallots, and Fresh Herbs

Fingerling potatoes, garlic, shallots, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves – just by listing the ingredients, you can already tell that this is going to taste absolutely fantastic!

It’s definitely a great side for halibut, and the flavors here will of course absolutely delight. This recipe uses around a pound and a half of potatoes alone, meaning it’s enough for up to 5 servings too!

And you’ll only need just over half an hour to make the whole thing too – fantastic!

Lemon Couscous

Couscous is great because it’s so simple and quick to cook! This recipe will be done in just 10 minutes total – and half of that time is spent in preparation!

Being quick and easy doesn’t stop this recipe from being an absolutely delicious side dish, though. The lemon juice and zest, garlic, and parsley all combine to make a delicious flavor that will accompany your halibut magnificently.

You’ll absolutely love this side dish for so many reasons!

Your halibut will absolutely sing when you combine it with this delicious recipe!

Frequently Asked Questions

What Sort Of Fish Are Halibut?

Halibut is actually the name given to three types of flatfish! They all have a common ancestor, and are all very similar in flavor. When it comes to these recipes, you’ll find that the tantalizing side dishes on offer here will go perfectly with whatever type of halibut you’re cooking.

How Big Are Halibut?

Halibut can actually be absolutely huge! The largest type of flatfish on the entire planet is the Atlantic halibut. The largest one ever found was a colossal 8 feet and seven inches long, and weighed over 500 pounds!

Where Are Halibut Caught?

Halibut fishing happens in both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans – predominantly in waters around the United States, Canada, Russia, and Japan.

What Flavors Go Best With Halibut?

As you might be able to tell from this fantastic list of recipes, halibut pairs extremely well with light and refreshing flavors. Citrus fruits seem to match it brilliantly – but you’ll also find richer flavors, such as those from roasted vegetables, will taste fantastic with halibut too!

Why Is Halibut Often Expensive?

Halibut can often be an expensive fish to buy because it’s an endangered species! It’s long been extremely popular as a food source, which has sadly led in a lot of cases to overfishing.

Halibut has a really great taste, which is of course why we eat so many of them – but this means that we might be having too much of a negative effect on their population.

This is why there are so many quotas around the world for fishing – not just halibut, but for many types of fish.

Halibut also often swim quite deep in the ocean compared to other fish that we eat, which can mean that it’s more time consuming and costly to catch them.

Conclusion

With so many fantastic side dishes on offer here, you’ll be guaranteed a fantastic meal, no matter which one of them you pick to accompany your halibut!

What To Serve With Halibut (14 Best Side Dishes)

Ingredients

Directions

Pick a recipe from the list above
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Collect the ingredients and cook the food
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Jess Smith

Hi, my name is Jess Smith, and I love cooking in my spare time. Around three years ago, I decided to give up my day job as a teacher to pursue my passion for food. While I have enjoyed sharing tips and tricks on Social Media, I have decided to expand my horizons through this blog.

Through this blog I hope to help others learn the basics and more intricate details of cooking. I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be to cook a meal, only to realize you are missing one ingredient from your list. This is why I love to write articles chatting readers through some great substitutes that can be used in an emergency.

I hope you will find this blog useful, and that it will help you to develop your culinary skills, to help you cook up a storm!