Pickled-Style Halibut with Onion & Dill — Cooked Recipe
This pickled-style appetizer uses fully cooked halibut in a vinegar marinade with onion and dill. It is a refrigerated dish for eating within a few days, not a canning or long-term fish-preservation recipe. Vinegar provides flavor; it does not replace cooking.
Jump to recipe · Makes 4 appetizer servings · Allow about 30 minutes of preparation and cooking, plus chilling.
Use plain, skinless, boneless fresh halibut fillets or frozen fillets, thawed according to the package directions. Pat dry and check for remaining bones.
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Ingredients
- 1 lb skinless, boneless halibut, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup white wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar, labeled 5% acidity
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, lightly crushed
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- Combine vinegar, water, sugar, salt, peppercorns, bay leaf, onion and garlic in a wide nonreactive saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the halibut in one layer. Return to a gentle simmer and cook for approximately 5–8 minutes, turning pieces carefully if they are not submerged, until the center of the largest pieces reaches 145°F (63°C). Do not simply pour hot liquid over raw fish and assume it is cooked.
- Remove the bay leaf and garlic. Transfer fish, onions and enough liquid to surround the pieces into shallow heat-safe containers. Stir in dill gently.
- Refrigerate promptly; do not leave the dish on the counter to cool completely. For faster cooling, place the shallow container in an ice-water bath briefly, then refrigerate. Keep total time outside refrigeration within two hours, or one hour if the surrounding temperature exceeds 90°F (32°C).
- Once thoroughly chilled, cover and serve cold with clean utensils. A few hours of chilling lets the flavors develop. Optional overnight marinating counts toward the storage time below.
Storage
Keep at 40°F (4°C) or below and use within 3 days of cooking. Do not store for two weeks, seal for room-temperature storage, or use this recipe for canning. The vinegar concentration and cooking instructions here are not a validated preservation process. A closed jar or covering the fish with liquid does not establish a longer shelf life.
The FDA seafood handling guide explains cooking and refrigeration practices. For this dish, the fish is cooked to temperature before chilling.
Serving and Flavor
Serve a small portion with rye bread, cucumber and extra dill. Drain off excess marinade before adding the fish to a salad. The fish may become firmer and more tart as it sits, so make a small batch.
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This recipe contains fish; bread and other accompaniments add their own allergens. For a hot meal using gentle cooking, try poached halibut with lemon and herbs.
See our halibut storage guide, browse more halibut recipes, or compare cuts in the Halibut collection.
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