Halibut Cheeks Recipe - Halibut Cheeks in a Lemony Pesto

I have mentioned previously that with the way things are lately I have been getting all of my food in from online shopping. This has been wonderful and what has been really great is the number of online suppliers of fish and shellfish. Thanks to finding these companies I know have shrimp, scallops and more in my freezer to cook when I’d like. I’ve also been introduced to new kinds of seafood like halibut cheeks. I had never heard of this cut of fish and I was intrigued so I ordered some from Sizzlefish to try.

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Halibut Cheeks in Lemony Pesto

Serves 2

• 1/2 pound Alaskan Halibut Cheeks
• 2 TBS flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 TBS olive oil

For the Pesto

• 1 cup basil leaves
• zest of two lemons
• 1/4  cup toasted pine nuts
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil

For the Couscous

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup couscous
• 1 tsp salt

Make the Pesto:

• Place the pesto, toasted pine nuts, parmesan cheese, lemon zest and salt in the bowl of a food processor.
• Pulse until everything is processed into a paste.
• With the processor on low, slowly pour the olive oil in until the mixture emulsifies.
• Taste and adjust with more salt if needed.
• Remove from the food processor and set aside

Make the Couscous:

• Add the water and salt to a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Remove from the heat and add the couscous.
• Cover and let sit until ready to use.

Cook the Halibut Cheeks

• Mix the flour and salt on a plate then dredge the halibut cheeks in the mixture.
• Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed fry pan.

• Pan fry the halibut cheeks for about three minutes on each side and then remove from the pan.

• Wipe out the pan and return to the heat. Add the lemon pesto and halibut cheeks and heat through.
• Serve the halibut on the couscous. (I also made some purple cauliflower)

How Was the Halibut Cheeks Recipe?

This is the first time I have tried this cut of fish and I honestly didn’t know what to expect. When I saw them offered on the Sizzlefish site I was intrigued - I will admit that there are not many fish varieties that I like and those that I do are all whitefish. I thought, what the heck I will give these a try. Well, I am glad I did! They are packaged perfectly for the two of us and they are very tasty.

This dinner was really very good. The pesto was a delicious combination of basil and lemon and was delightful on the halibut cheeks. I will be the first to admit that it’s not the prettiest meal I’ve ever served but it was good eating and that is what matters, right? I will note that they are not as tender as I was expecting. Not that they were tough or anything, but I was expecting them to be different from they were. I am thinking that the next time I make halibut cheeks I will use my air fryer. Stay tuned!

Halibut Cheeks Recipe - Halibut Cheeks in Lemon Pesto

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Tender halibut cheeks in a delicious pesto with a lovely lemon flavor

• Author: Patty
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 2 1x
• Category: Main Dish
• Method: Stove Top
• Cuisine: Italian American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/2 pound Alaskan Halibut Cheeks
• 2 TBS flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 TBS olive oil

For the Pesto

• 1 cup basil leaves
• zest of one two lemons
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil

For the Couscous

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup couscous
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

Make the Pesto

• Place the pesto, toasted pine nuts, parmesan cheese, lemon zest and salt in the bowl of a food processor.
• Pulse until everything is processed into a paste.
• With the processor on low, slowly pour the olive oil in until the mixture emulsifies.
• Taste and adjust salt if needed.
• Remove from the food processor and set aside

Make the Couscous:

• Add the water and salt to a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Remove from the heat and add the couscous.
• Cover and let sit until ready to use.

Cook the Halibut

• Mix the flour and salt on a plate then dredge the halibut cheeks in the mixture.
• Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed fry pan.
• Pan fry the halibut cheeks for about three minutes on each side and then remove from the pan.
• Wipe out the pan and return to the heat. Add the lemon pesto and halibut cheeks and heat through.
• Serve the halibut on the couscous.

Notes

I have included the time to make the pesto in the prep time

Keywords: halibut cheeks, lemon pesto