Halibut Fillets With Creamy Saffron Sauce

By Mark Bittman

Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(243)
Comments
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If your experience with saffron is that it fades into the background, you have not been cooking with real saffron. There is no easier way to remedy this than to stir it into an uncooked, yogurt-based sauce in which it plays a leading role. (A touch of mild Aleppo pepper is a fine addition, but a pinch of cayenne — just enough to give a suspicion of its presence — also does nicely.) I like this concoction, which takes just a couple of minutes to prepare, with halibut or other mild fish. The halibut can be lightly poached in butter (you don’t need much!) or, if you prefer, steamed or baked with no fat, until just tender.

Featured in: THE MINIMALIST; Just Mad About Saffron

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1cup yogurt, preferably full-fat
  • Salt and pepper
  • Large pinch Aleppo pepper or small pinch cayenne
  • 1shallot, peeled and minced
  • ½teaspoon saffron threads
  • Juice of ½ lemon, or more to taste
  • 2pounds halibut fillet, in 2 or 4 pieces
  • 2tablespoons butter
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

310 calories; 11 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 45 grams protein; 740 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a small bowl, whisk yogurt together with salt, pepper, Aleppo pepper or cayenne, and shallot. Rub saffron between your fingers to crush it, then stir it into yogurt mixture. Let sit for about 20 minutes (or covered and refrigerated for up to 2 hours). Just before serving, add juice, taste, and adjust seasoning.

  2. Step 2

    Sprinkle halibut with salt and Aleppo pepper or cayenne. Put butter in nonstick skillet large enough to hold halibut, and turn heat to medium. When the butter melts, add fish, and cook gently, turning once or twice, until a thin bladed knife meets little resistance when inserted into the thickest part, generally less than 10 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Serve fish hot, warm, or at room temperature, with the sauce spooned over it.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
243 user ratings
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Comments

Cindy

used no fat yogurt, 1.2 lb fish

Samantha

Made this sauce tonight with salmon, asparagus and cauliflower rice - sooo good! Used 1% yogurt and it was perfect.

Armando

This Recipe is wonderful

Kathleen G

Absolutely awful - I should have realized that when there were only 242 reviews. Not many people made it and there were a total of 7 comments. I think it's important to have more than 1000 reviews. Then I should have thought twice about an uncooked yogurt based sauce. I like warm, cooked sauces. Even at room temperature there was not enough flavor to complement the fish. Learned my lesson.

ok

Just ok

Stephanie

An excellent easy weeknight meal. Served with side of RightRice and steamed beets—under 25 min total. Will make again!

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