A Foodcentric Life

  • Summer Recipes
  • Meet Chef Sally
  • Recipe Index
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Summer Recipes
  • Meet Chef Sally
  • Recipe Index
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Summer Recipes
    • Meet Chef Sally
    • Recipe Index
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
  • ร—
    Home ยป Recipes ยป Seafood Recipes

    Pan Seared Halibut with Miso Butter

    Published: Feb 11, 2014 ยท Modified: May 10, 2022 by Sally Cameron ยท This post may contain affiliate links ยท 4 Comments

    403 shares
    ↓ Jump to Recipe

    Here is an easy and elegant halibut dish prepared in a snap. Pan seared halibut with miso butter. Make the rice ahead of time and re-heat, prep the asparagus in a minute to roast. You will have a healthy dinner on the table in just minutes. The savory miso-butter sauce is delicious as well as versatile. That perfect combination of sweet, savory, and umami all in one bite.

    Pan seared halibut with miso butter sauce in gray bowl atop forbidden black rice sprinkled with chopped chives.

    If your only experience with miso is the golden soup at a sushi bar, prepare to be amazed. With a savory, umami flavor, there is much more you can do with miso like this miso butter. Try it with fish or seared scallops. Here, I’ve paired it with fresh pan-seareed halibut. Other firm white fish works as well such as cod.

    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Like This Recipe
    • Recipe Ingredients
    • Recipe Instructions
    • Serving Suggestions
    • More Seafood Recipes
    • โญ๏ธDid You Make This Recipe?
    • ๐Ÿ“– Recipe
    • ๐Ÿ’ฌ Comments

    Why You'll Like This Recipe

    • It's simple, fast, and healthy.
    • Use the miso butter with other fish and seafood such as shrimp and scallops.
    • A great meal for a busy week.

    Here's another easy halibut recipe served with a lemon-caper vinaigrette.

    Recipe Ingredients

    • Fish: Choose a fresh white fish such as halibut, cod. Monkfish and sea bass work too.
    • Garlic: Use granulated or powdered garlic.
    • Miso: Use what is called sweet white miso. It's the most mild miso flavor and easy to find.
    • Butter: Unsalted dairy butter or plant-based stick butter.
    • Oil: Just a little for the pan, use extra virgin olive oil, extra virgin coconut oil, or a healthy neutral oil.
    • Liquid: Dry sake, dry white wine, vegetable broth, or fish broth.

    Please see the recipe card for measurements, salt, and black pepper.

    Chef's note: What is miso? Miso is a centuries-old, traditional Japanese seasoning, double fermented from whole soybeans into a paste. Miso is a living, fermented food containing natural digestive enzymes and other probiotic microorganisms which aid in digestion. Find it in the refrigerated dairy area of your grocery store and buy organic. If you eat gluten-free, be sure to read the label. Some miso is fermented with grain.

    Recipe Instructions

    Season fresh halibut fillets (or other white fish) with black pepper and granulated garlic. You won’t need salt as miso is salty. Sear quickly in a non-stick pan with a little coconut oil until a golden crust is achieved. Turn fish over and spread with half of a sweet white miso and butter combination. You can use coconut butter or dairy butter. One clarification – use oil for the pan and butter with the miso for the paste/sauce.

    Splash in a bit of dry sake, white wine, or vegetable broth. Quickly cover pan with a lid and turn heat to low. The miso-butter melts over the top as the fish quickly finishes cooking, another 3-4 minutes. Cooking times will depend on the thickness of your fish fillets.

    Golden halibut in a gray bowl on black rice with miso butter sauce.

    Serving Suggestions

    Serve halibut over black rice or quinoa with a side of fresh roast asparagus or steamed snap or snow peas. Create a sauce using the miso butter. Remove the fish to a plate and whisk with the pan juices to create a sauce. Alternatively toss the extra miso with hot rice.

    More Seafood Recipes

    For more recipes with fish and shellfish, please check out the recipes page for fish and seafood.

    • Close up of a platter of salmon filets with lemon and herbs on a table.
      How to Make Simple Steamed Salmon
    • baked lemon shrimp scampi
      Easy Baked Shrimp Scampi
    • Seared scallops with white wine
      Scallops with White Wine Sauce
    • Roast halibut with tomatoes.
      Baked Halibut with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

    ⭐️Did You Make This Recipe?

    If you make pan seared halibut with miso butter, please add your comment. I appreciate your feedback and enjoy hearing from you. If you loved it, please give it a 5-star rating! They really help other readers.

    ๐Ÿ“– Recipe

    Miso butter topped halibut on a bed of black rice in a gray bowl.

    Pan Seared Halibut with Miso Sauce

    Sally Cameron
    Sweet white miso and either coconut butter or dairy butter make an incredible savory sauce for topping seared fish. Its a quick, easy and healthy recipe that works with halibut or other firm, white fish filets, as well as seared scallops. Serve with Forbidden black rice and a green vegetable such as roast asparagus or steamed snap or snow peas.
    5 from 3 votes
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 20 minutes mins
    Course Entree, fish
    Cuisine Asian
    Servings 4
    Calories 239 kcal

    Equipment

    • Non-stick pan with lid

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 ยผ pounds halibut filet or other white fish
    • ยฝ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • ยฝ teaspoon granulated garlic
    • 2 tablespoons sweet white miso  soft at room temperature
    • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter dairy or coconut, soft at room temperature
    • 2 teaspoons coconut oil for the pan
    • ยฝ cup dry sake white wine, vegetable or fish broth

    Optional Garnish

    • 1 tablespoon chopped chives

    Would you like to save this recipe?

    Never lose a recipe! We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later.

    Instructions
     

    • Cut fish into four equal portions and season with black pepper and granulated garlic. Mix together miso and butter into a smooth paste.
    • Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and add coconut oil. Place fish top side down into pan and sear until a golden crust forms. Turn fish over and spread half of the miso-butter paste on top of the filets. Splash in the sake or broth and quickly cover the pan with a lid. Fish will steam finish in 2-4 minutes depending on the thickness as the miso butter melts on top. Fish is done when a digital thermometer reads 145°F.
    • When fish is done, remove to a plate and keep warm. Use other half of miso butter to whisk with pan juices into a sauce or toss with hot rice.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 239kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 28gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 85mgSodium: 416mgPotassium: 667mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 311IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was with a comment and leave a star rating!

    Would you like to save this recipe?

    Never lose a recipe! We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later.

    « How to Make Zucchini Noodles
    Zucchini Noodles with Pasta and Roasted Tomatoes »
    403 shares

    Comments

    1. Janna Zwerner says

      June 18, 2025 at 5:08 pm

      5 stars
      The fish came out delicious! On top of that, using the miso made it even more healthy. Great recipe!

      Reply
      • Sally Cameron says

        June 19, 2025 at 8:40 am

        Thanks for commenting Janna! So glad you enjoyed it. Miso is delish!

        Reply
    2. Tess @ Tips on Healthy Living says

      February 12, 2014 at 2:21 pm

      Your halibut looks delicious! I've been having a hard time finding a Valentine's Day recipe that is as delicious as it is healthy, and this is perfect. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Sally says

        February 12, 2014 at 10:47 pm

        Thanks Tess! We eat this weekly. It's my "go-to" dinner right now. Easy, tasty and healthy. After you make it with the halibut, try it with seared scallops.

        Reply
    5 from 3 votes (2 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Chef Sally Cameron of aFoodcentricLife.com in her kitchen.

    Welcome! I'm Sally, a professionally trained chef, former personal chef and caterer, lover of fresh healthy food, and sharing it with others.

    More about me โ†’

    Summer Recipes

    • Gluten-free brownies with melted chocolate in a square pan after baking.
      Fudgy Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownies
    • Grilled chicken kabobs glazed with hoisin sauce on a baking sheet.
      Grilled Hoisin Chicken Skewers
    • Watermelon salad ready to serve with cucumber, feta, basil, shallots.
      Easy Watermelon Basil Salad with Feta Cheese
    • White shallow bowl stilled with green cabbage coleslaw, carrots, and parsley with a light dressing.
      Simple Easy Coleslaw Recipe
    • Oven baby back ribs glazed with rich brown hoisin sauce.
      Baby Back Ribs Recipe (Oven Method)
    • lemon ice cream
      Homemade Lemon Custard Ice Cream

    More Recipe Ideas

    • Smoked salsa in a tall jar and a small serving glass cup with corn chips
      Easy Smoked Salsa (pellet grill recipe)
    • Gluten-free pasta salad with tomatoes, cucumber, pine nuts, herbs, and more.
      Lemony Mediterranean Pasta Salad Recipe
    • greek salad
      Tossed Greek Green Salad
    • A single layer sweet cherry cake with golden top on white plate.
      Easy One-Pan Cherry Cake with Fresh Cherries

    Footer

    as seen on

    Logos of Featured Publications

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and recipes.

    Menu

    • Home
    • About
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright ยฉ 2025 aFoodcentricLife.com

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.