Seared Alaska Halibut With Pickled Blueberries
Pickling isn't just for cucumbers.
Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute
Apr 07, 2025
Skip to Recipe
Print RecipeBerries and fish may seem like a peculiar pairing, but don't knock it till you try it.
This halibut dish uses MSC-certified wild-caught Alaska halibut seared to perfection and topped with pickled blueberries. That's right, we're pickling blueberries. The salty, sweet brine takes red onions and fresh blueberries and turns them into a delicious zingy tart flavor that pairs beautifully with the flaky fish.
Once you get the pickling out of the way, preparing the dish takes less than 30 minutes. You shouldn't have to wait to eat something this delicious.
- 1 cup red wine vinegar
- 13 cup cane sugar
- 1 2-inch cinnamon stick
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 12 cup sliced red onion
- 4 6- to 8-ounce Alaska Halibut fillets, fresh or thawed
- 112 tablespoons olive oil
- 12 cup microgreen herbs
- Stir together 1/3 cup water, vinegar, sugar, cinnamon, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer stirring until sugar and salt are dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in blueberries and onion. Let stand until completely cooled, about 2 hours. If desired, cover and chill until ready to use, up to 1 week.
- Pat the halibut fillets dry with clean paper towels. Sprinkle fillets evenly with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat until hot; add oil swirling to coat. Add fillets and cook until golden brown on one side, about 3-4 minutes. Turn fillets over and cook until golden and just cooked through, about 3 minutes.
- Arrange fillets on a serving dish. Using a slotted spoon, top fillets with desired amount of blueberry mixture. Sprinkle with microgreens. Serve immediately.
AUTHOR
The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) is a public-private partnership between the State of Alaska and the Alaska seafood industry established to foster economic development of a renewable natural resource.
