Air fryer halibut is an easy, winning recipe for a quick meal. This halibut recipe is gluten free, dairy free, low carb, and Whole30 compliant, and overall, just delicious. It takes 10 minutes from start to finish using only a few pantry staples for ingredients. You can effortlessly scale the recipe to feed as many people as necessary or to meal prep for the week ahead.
Why this recipe works
- Fast: This recipe has very little prep time and can be ready from start to finish in 10 minutes or less. Plus, scaling the recipe up doesn’t add much to your total cook times!
- Scalable: Air fryer halibut calls for two fillets but you can easily add to the recipe to get as much as you need for your dinner or even enough to meal prep for the week ahead. All without adding much to the time it takes to make!
- Simple: Beyond the halibut fillets, all the ingredients required for this recipe are small amounts of staples you probably already have on hand.
- Versatile: Use air fryer halibut as a standalone dish, over rice, in fish tacos, over a burrito bowl, as meal prep, or add it to anything you think could use a crispy fish fillet. Since it’s so quick you can add this recipe to anything in a hurry!
Ingredients to Make Air Fryer Halibut
To make halibut in the air fryer you only need a handful of simple, staple ingredients. Start with two halibut fillets of about 6-8 ounces, a tablespoon of olive oil or avocado oil, and a tablespoon of lemon juice.
For your seasoning mix you will need 1.5 teaspoons of chili powder, a teaspoon of garlic powder, and a half teaspoon of cumin. Beyond that you just need a half teaspoon of onion powder, a half teaspoon of paprika, and a half teaspoon of both salt, and pepper.
This recipe scales super easily so doubling the batch or making multiples won’t be an issue depending on the size of your air fryer. You may have to work in batches to get the amounts you need but luckily it’s a very quick recipe and really doesn’t add much time at all!
How to Make Air Fryer Halibut
Step One
Start the recipe by gently patting the halibut fillets dry with a paper towel. Mix together the oil and lemon juice in a small bowl. In a separate small dish, combine the dry seasonings and mix until well combined.
If you are scaling the recipe for more halibut fillets the same process applies, possibly with slightly larger dishes, depending on exactly how much you plan on making.
Step Two
The next step is to coat the fillets in the oil and lemon juice mix. I like to use a shallow bowl or a small plate that has a rim since it keeps the fillets coated evenly and doesn’t beat them up too much.
Then coat the fillets in the seasoning mix. You can use a shallow bowl, a small plate, or even a cutting board depending on your preference and how much you are making. Give the halibut a nice thorough and even coat on all sides.
Step Three
Arrange the seasoned halibut fillets in the air fryer. Try not to over crowd them too much both for the sake of cooking and also the ease of removing them from the hot air fryer once they are cooked.
Set the air fryer to 350 degrees F and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the fish is golden brown and flakes easily with a fork. If you are using thicker or larger fillets in general you may need closer to 8 minutes.
Serving and Storing Instructions
Serve this dish as a standalone with a side of fresh veggies, rice, or a potato dish, and you can’t go wrong. I also like to use the air fryer halibut as the protein on a burrito bowl, fish tacos, or a salad of your choosing.
When making the halibut for meal prep, I tend to stick with portioning it out with rice or roasted veggies since it all reheats well together for lunches or later meals but this is one of the recipes that can, seemingly, add to anything.
Storing
To store this recipe for later, let it cool to room temperature and place into an airtight container and refrigerate. It will keep well for about 5 days.
If meal prepping for the week ahead place it into containers with a rice or veggie side and refrigerate. When meal prepping and using it as the protein for a salad or fish taco for the week ahead, keep the fillets separate so you can reheat them and add to the cold stuff just before serving/eating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why choose halibut?
Halibut is considered the “steak of seafood” due to its thicker, lean fillets. It’s got a gentle taste that can almost be described as “delicate” that works well with a variety of flavors. You can add a bolder seasoning to halibut due to this gentle flavor and thicker, dense fillets.
Halibut can be one of the more expensive fish on the menu but you can see some money by making it on your own. Dues to its leaner cuts you just want to make sure to not overcook it and you come away with a tasty and versatile fillet of fish at home without the higher price.
Can you use other kinds of fish?
Yes, in short, you can! You will want to stick with one of the whitefish varieties such as round fish, cod, haddock, pollock, or flounder. Keep in mind that with the difference in fillet size and density of the fish the cook time may need some adjusting to keep the fillet moist on the inside and crispy on the outside. Make sure you don’t overcook and dry out the fish!
Can you use frozen fillets?
You can use frozen fillets. Obviously you will want to safely thaw the fish before using it in this air fryer halibut recipe.
How does halibut compare to Cod?
Halibut tends to be a thicker fillet than cod and has a more “sweet” taste to it. It is leaner and the gentle flavor makes it ideal to add some bolder flavors to with less that fairly distinct cod flavor. Halibut retains its moisture well as long as you don’t overcook it!
What is the benefit of using the air fryer for halibut?
Air frying the halibut keep the cooking time short and cuts down on the overall oil needed to cook the fish. When you air fry halibut you get that nice, crispy texture on the outside while retaining the moisture and tenderness inside making for both good taste and texture.
Other Easy Seafood Recipes You’ll Love:
- Spicy Salmon Bowl
- Bang Bang Salmon
- Air Fryer Salmon Bites
- Air Fryer Shrimp Fajitas
- Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice
- Bang Bang Shrimp
- Shrimp Stuffed Salmon
- Salmon Patties
- Cajun Salmon Pasta
Air Fryer Halibut
Air fryer halibut is easily a winning recipe. This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, low carb, and Whole30 compliant. It takes 10 minutes from start to finish using only a few pantry staples for ingredients. You can effortlessly scale the recipe to feed as many people as necessary or to meal prep for the week ahead.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 fillets 1x
- Category: seafood
- Method: air fryer
- Cuisine: american
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 2 (6-8 ounce) halibut fillets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1.5 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Optional to garnish: lemon wedges, chopped parsley, red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Pat the halibut fillets dry with a paper towel and then coat in the olive oil and lemon juice
- In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper
- Season all sides of the fillets with the spice mixture so they’re fully coated with the seasoning
- Place the fillets into the air fryer and cook on 350 degrees F. for 5-6 minutes, or until the fish is golden brown and flakes easily with a fork. For a thicker fillet, you may need up to 8 minutes.
- Remove from the air fryer and serve with rice and/or vegetable sides, fish tacos, burrito bowls or salads
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Cindy says
VERY tasty!!
paleobailey says
So happy you enjoyed!