Pan-Fried Halibut With Spiced Chickpea and Herb Salad
- Total Time
- 50 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- ⅓cup/60 milliliters olive oil
- 1teaspoon ground cumin
- 1teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼teaspoon ground Persian lime powder (optional)
- 2garlic cloves, crushed
- ¾teaspoon kosher salt
- 2lemons (finely grate the zest to get 2 teaspoons, juice to get 2 tablespoons and cut the remaining into wedges)
- 4skinless boneless halibut fillets, patted dry (about 1 pound/410 grams total)
- 1can chickpeas (15.5 ounces/400 grams), drained and patted dry
- ⅓cup plus 1 tablespoon/80 grams plain yogurt
- ¼packed cup/10 grams cilantro (coriander) leaves
- 2packed tablespoons parsley leaves
- 4spring onions, finely sliced
- 1small bunch large-leaf spinach, firm stems removed, leaves finely sliced
- 1 or 2mild green chiles, such as Anaheim, to taste, finely sliced and seeds removed if you like
- Salt
- 2tablespoons vegetable oil
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
777 calories; 31 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 18 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 88 grams protein; 1681 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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- Step 1
Marinate the fish and chickpeas: In a small bowl, mix the first 6 ingredients together with the lemon zest. Add 2½ tablespoons of marinade to a bowl with the halibut and mix well. Add 2 tablespoons of the marinade to a separate bowl with the chickpeas and stir to combine. Set both aside at room temperature for 20 minutes. Mix the remaining marinade together with the yogurt and set aside.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, blend the herbs together with the spring onions, spinach, chiles, lemon juice and a good pinch of salt.
- Step 3
Heat a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat, then add ½ tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the chickpeas (and bits of garlic) and fry for 6 minutes, stirring every now and then until crisp and golden-brown. Transfer to a plate and wipe the pan clean.
- Step 4
Return the pan to a medium-high heat with the remaining 1½ tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add the halibut fillets, spaced apart, and fry for 3 minutes on one side, then flip and fry for another 2 minutes on the other side until both sides are crisp and golden brown.
- Step 5
Very carefully transfer the fillets to a large platter. Toss the chickpeas gently with the salad, then transfer the salad to the platter next to the halibut fillets. Drizzle half of the yogurt over the salad and serve with the lemon wedges and the remaining yogurt sauce alongside.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Randy
You can substitute ground sumac for the dried lime...very similar flavor and much easier to find. That said, ground dried Persian lime is one of those ingredients which, after you have begun using it, you'll find yourself using it more frequently. If used sparingly, it has can enhance and elevate the other flavors of a dish without overwhelming. In my pantry it is in a category with Pomegranate Molasses, anchovy and sherry vinegar: subtle but powerful flavor builders.
Joel
Our local fish store did not have halibut so I used cod. It was delicious. I also served it with basmati rice.
Diane
Substitute sumac for Persian line powder, Todd works well also
Perignon
Amazon and other online stores carry both ground Persian limes and whole ones (they're like marbles in size) you can crush into powder yourself.
Alan C Brownmd
Hate to complain but the problem with his recipes is that they are complicated and there are always one or two mystery ingredients like “dried limes” in this one. At least give us a suggestion of where to get the ingredients.
Kristin
Halibut - perfectly crisp on outside, moist & flakey within. Accommodating tastes & ingredients meant adjustments: large shallot for garlic; no chiles; parsley to 1/4 cup; cilantro to 2 sprigs. On a rainy fall night, salad was too cool. Sautéed spring onions, most of the parsley and roughly chopped spinach briefly with residual marinade and lemon juice before gently tossing with sautéed chick peas as a warm base for the fish. Added remaining parsley and cilantro as garnish.
Jill
You can find them at Middle Eastern stores or order online from Amazon, <https://foodsofnations.com/?product_cat=spicewholeground&paged=2>, and other places. They are called limu omani or Lemon Omani.
Linda
Made this tonight and worked out really well. It’s a forgiving recipie, so you can put in a little more of this, a little less of that and no big deal. I used a jalapeno pepper, couldn’t find the lime (good to know about the sumac) and cooked the fish longer as we had thick filets, but it was all good. I’m sure if Halibut hadn’t been available this would have worked out well with most ocean whitefish with a big flake.
Karen
This was fabulous. Don’t skip yogurt at the end.
Miriam Freier
Yummy! The fish / chickpeas need more of the marinade than the recipe calls for. The yogurt dressing is crucial & added marinade to it needs to be cut back (was too oily). Halibut so easy to cook (don’t forget salt/pepper). I also squeezed lemon on it before serving. Sumac was excellent replacement. I used olive oil b/c of dietary restriction - would’ve crisped up more with veggie oil. Lovely dinner!
Janet
Delicious. Replaced the fresh chiles with Hatch diced green chiles.
Ted C.
I hate to complain too.... but 17 ingredients for a “week night” recipe sounds a bit much to take on, at the store and at home, when I get off of work. I know some of the ingredients are normal stuff like oil and salt, but some aren’t.
zeichgeist
Has anyone tried this recipe by Ottolenghi:Spiced Halibut With Spinach and Chickpea Stew? It is also on this site and has almost exactly the same ingredients except you cook the spinach and a few additional ingredients.
Mgaz.md
Spent a lot of energy to make the chickpeas crispy, then they got soggy when added to the spinach salad— wait and top the dish after adding fish and yogurt to give a ‘crunch’ element.
Diana
I made this yesterday exactly as written, and all I can say is: Fantastic! I did not change any ingredients in this recipe, although I doubled the salad dressing. I was lucky that I had dried lime in my pantry (although I also have Sumac). The lime takes the recipe to the next level. Used Meyer Lemons, and 4% fat yogurt. I loooove Mr. Ottolenghi's recipes. I do not think they are complicated - careful reading, shopping beforehand, and a mise prior to cooking are essential to success.
TM
I substituted red drum from the Carolina coast and kale from the garden. The kale, coarser than baby spinach, did well with quick wilting.
Delicious! Give It A Try!
I did not have any coriander, so I made this without it. Otherwise, I followed the recipe and it was delicious! The lemon placed on the top melted a bit during cooking and made the flavor over the top. The capers and garlic also add a nice flavor to the cod. Served this with Mediterranean lemon rice and broccoli. The fish was the star of the meal.
Susan1228
I made this tonight for the first time. We loved it. I used Chilean Sea Bass and it was exquisite. I didn’t have the lime, so I used one packet of Real Lemon crystals with a pinch of sumac and extra garlic. Used a small amount of jalapeño because my local neighborhood store had it. It worked fine. Instead of letting the chickpeas cool, I stirred them in while hot into the salad in order to wilt it a little. I think I preferred this slightly wilted salad to it being totally room temp. Yum.
sharon
instead of spinach, i microwaved and chopped broccolini as a substitute. much more subtantial. also added white vinegar and bit of agave into yogurt (like halal guys’ white sauce) before stirring in the marinade. so so good!
Philip
Made this last night. Excellent! Subbed sumac for lime per other review. Minced garlic for better distribution among fish, chickpeas, and yogurt. Halved the recipe for the two of us, but next time will make the full recipe of marinade. next time, will toss the yogurt with the salad before plating. Added a little evoo to the salad. Next time will rough chop the parsley.
Melanie
This was absolutely delicious. The spiced yogurt on the salad really brought it up a level. I subbed tarragon for the cilantro because my husband is one of those "tastes like soap" people and it worked out well. The halibut was perfection.
Nicole
Substituted sumac like everyone said, played with the salad used herbs in my aerogarden basil, mint, parsley. Put the garlic thru a press didn’t leave whole/crushed. Served with rice. Added a little more salt and pepper to the sauce. Was delicious!
Mary
Made exactly as written and it was perfect. So delicious! The combo of halibut, chickpeas, herbs, and salad were well balanced and I can’t wait for leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
Melinda
Tremendously delicious!! Although somewhat simpler than some Ottolenghi recipes I've come across, this was absolutely fantastic. The marinated garbanazos, once cooked, were, like, the best I've ever had. I didn't have quite the right herbs/proportions for the salad, but still it shone. And the halibut was terrific. I might make more of the salad next time.
M
Delicious. I roasted the chickpeas instead of frying them. 425 for about 20 minutes. Delicious!
tryhardermom
Yummy, as is!
Sharon De Cook
My husband who hates fish, my fish, and cod in particular, liked this recipe, which I cooked with for myself, but shared with him. I would add more salt and some heat to the marinade next time, but it was delicious. Clever use of original marinade, 3 ways. Quibble is that the sumac changed the color of the sauce, so I might search for something less orange next time. A winner in our house for two people with opposite views of fish.
eljay
we subbed collards, fennel fronds, and chilli powder for the spinach, coriander greens, and green chillies. Because we had them in the fridge and they were fresh. it was delicious and will definitely do this in halibut season or with out the fish!
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