Roasted Halibut With Confit Potatoes
This Roasted Halibut with Confit Potatoes ticks all the boxes –It’s simple to make, requiring very minimal prep work, you only need one pan, and all the cooking is done in the oven.
Oh, and best of all, it’s totally delicious!
Small potatoes, garlic cloves, and a sliced onion are slow roasted in super-rich duck fat with fresh thyme and lemon zest.
While everything gently cooks away, the duck fat becomes infused with the flavours from the roasted garlic, thyme, and lemon zest. All that rich flavourful goodness results in tender, absolutely amazing potatoes, which are well worth the time it takes them to roast to perfection.
If you don’t have duck fat you can make the potatoes using a flavourful, good quality olive oil instead.
Once the potatoes are fork tender you are ready to add the halibut.
First, more fresh thyme and lemon juice are added to up the flavour of the pan juices. Next, the halibut fillets are tucked in with the potatoes and some of the pan juices are spooned over top. A few black olives are added to provide a bitter note that contrasts nicely with the rich flavours of the dish.
Then, back in the oven and in 10-12 minutes dinner is ready!
Ingredients
- 12 ounces small potatoes scrubbed and cut in half
- 4 whole garlic cloves ( if larger cloves cut in half)
- ¼ cup duck fat
- 1 onion peeled and sliced
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8-10 black olives pitted (preferably dry/salt cured or kalamata)
- 12 ounces halibut fillets (2 x 6 ounce, 1-inch thick fillets)
- lemon wedges and thyme sprigs for garish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. If using duck fat, melt in the microwave then set aside. Place the potatoes, garlic cloves and sliced onion into an oven proof pan or baking dish. Add the lemon zest and season generously with salt and pepper. Add the duck fat ( or olive oil) and mix well. Tuck the sprigs of thyme around the potatoes. Place in the oven and cook, tossing a couple times, until potatoes are fork tender, and starting to brown a bit around the edges, about 40-50 minutes. Remove from the oven.
- Raise the oven temperature to 450° F.Remove the thyme sprigs. Add the olives, lemon juice and 1 tsp of the thyme leaves to the potatoes and toss gently.
- Season the halibut fillets with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the remaining teaspoon of thyme leaves . Add the halibut to the pan, nestling the fillets in with the potato and onions, and spoon some of the pan juices over top.Return to oven and bake until fish is just cooked or until white juices just appear, about 10-12 minutes.
- Garnish with a couple sprigs of thyme and serve with lemon wedges alongside.