Air Fryer Halibut

Name: Air Fryer Halibut Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 77 min
Ingredients: 1 pound halibut (cut into individual filets); 3 Tbsp avocado oil; ¼ cup liquid aminos (or low-sodium soy sauce); 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup; 1 tsp garlic powder (or 4 cloves garlic, minced); 1 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp paprika; 1 mango (peeled and diced); 1 avocado (diced); ⅓ cup red onion (chopped); ½ cup fresh cilantro (optional); 1 jalapeno (seeded and chopped); 1 clove garlic (minced); 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice (to taste)

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This perfectly tender and flavorful easy Air Fryer Halibut recipe results in juicy, flaky fish for the absolute best results! Ready in 6 to 10 minutes, this quick and simple recipe makes a lovely weeknight meal.

Two cooked halibut filets on a blue plate with mango salsa on top and a bowl of mango salsa to the side with a lime cut in half.

Looking for the best way to cook halibut? I’m biased, but I find that air frying halibut checks all of the boxes.

The end result is restaurant-quality perfectly cooked halibut that requires hardly any cook time, and is so straightforward to prepare you’ll wonder why you didn’t try it sooner.

Plus, I like finishing it off with a fresh mango salsa to add extra pizazz to the experience.

This is a great method for preparing fish tacos, too!

Fancy enough for date night, yet simple enough to toss together after work, this easy recipe is ideal for the seafood lover who doesn’t want to spend a lot of time cooking.

The simple ingredients for this delicious fish recipe can be found at most grocery store for a refreshing high protein dinner!

Ingredient Notes:

Fresh Halibut: The main ingredient here. Pick up a wild-caught halibut filet to make the best air fryer halibut. I use one pound, but you can easily double or triple the recipe when serving more than 2-3 individuals.

Halibut Marinade:

Avocado Oil: Because halibut is so lean, I like submerging it in a marinade that has some fat content so that a small amount of that fat coats the fish. This protects it from burning and drying out during the cooking process.

Soy Sauce or Liquid Aminos: Salty, umami flavor comes from soy sauce of liquid aminos. The salt content helps tenderize the fish, and the rich flavor is a

Pure Maple Syrup: Providing a sweet element to counterbalance the savory flavor, a little pure maple syrup or brown sugar enhances the flavor profile.

Seasonings: Garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika are the only simple seasonings needed to add a big boost of flavor. Black pepper is a great addition too.

Mango Salsa:

Fresh Mango: Sweet ripe mango makes an amazing base for a homemade salsa! Be sure to select a mango that is soft when gently squeezed to indicate that it is ripe.

Ripe Avocado: Creamy avocado adds lovely texture and richness to a mango salsa. You can skip it if you aren’t into it, but I love the combination of mango and avocado.

Jalapeno: A hint of subtle smokiness comes from a fresh jalapeno pepper. To make mild salsa, remove the seeds and webbing of the jalapeno. Leave in the seeds and webbing for spicier salsa.

Fresh Garlic: A fresh garlic clove goes a long way in creating a savory element to this otherwise sweet salsa.

Lime Juice: A little tangy kick from fresh lime juice provides some acidity to signal to our taste buds that we’re eating salsa.

Cilantro (optional): Add it or leave it, fresh cilantro brings a bright herby essence. I’m not huge on cilantro so I typically skip it.

How to Make Air Fryer Halibut:

Remove the halibut from its packaging and cut it into individual filets if it isn’t already. If there is a lot of excess liquid surrounding the fish, pat it off using a paper towel. Transfer the halibut filets to a large zip lock bag or a sealable container.

In a small bowl or a measuring cup, whisk together the avocado oil, liquid aminos, pure maple syrup, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika (the marinade ingredients).

Marinade for halibut mixed up in a pyrex measuring cup with a fork.

Pour the halibut marinade into the zip lock bag with the halibut.

Seal the bag and move everything around until all of the pieces of halibut are coated in marinade. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to 12 hours.

Zip lock bag with halibut marinating in a marinade.

When you’re ready to cook, spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray. Lay the marinated halibut filets in the air fryer basket in a single layer skin-side down.

Marinated halibut in the basket of an air fryer, ready to be cooked.

Without preheating it, set the temperature for 375 degrees Fahrenheit and the time for 7 minutes.

At the end of the 7 minutes, take the internal temperature of the halibut by inserting a digital thermometer into the thickest part of the filets. If it is 140 or higher, remove the filets from the air fryer and set them on a plate.

Air fryer with two cooked halibut filets inside.

The halibut will continue cooking as it sits, and its final cooking temperature (according to the FDA) should be 145 degrees or higher for food safety. If the halibut needs more time, continue cooking it in the air fryer until it reaches the proper temperature.

Allow the fish to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Make the Mango Avocado Salsa:

While the halibut is marinating or while it is cooking, prepare the mango salsa. To do so, simply add all of the ingredients to a bowl and stir together.

Mango salsa in a red mixing bowl, freshly stirred and ready to serve.

Taste the salsa for flavor and add more lime juice or a pinch of salt to your personal taste. Store the salsa in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.

Serve air fried halibut with mango avocado salsa on top alongside any other side dishes you enjoy. Tartar sauce and lemon wedges are great for serving this mild white fish too.

Two halibut fillets on a blue plate with mango salsa on top and a golden fork, ready to serve. A lime sliced in half sits in the background.

I like serving halibut with Coconut Rice or Cilantro Lime Rice and either Air Fryer Asparagus or a side salad such as my Blueberry Avocado Sunflower Seed Chopped Salad.

Storage and Reheating:

Storage: Store leftover halibut in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Halibut is best when served fresh, so I recommend only making what you think you will consume in a 1-3 day window. I don’t generally recommend batch cooking halibut for meal prep purposes.
Reheating: Reheat leftovers in your air fryer or in the oven. I don’t recommend microwaving halibut, as it tends to try out the fish and turn it rubbery.

Recipe Tips

Check the internal temperature using an instant read thermometer after 6-8 minutes of cook time, depending on the thickness of the fish.
Avoid using an acid in the marinade, such as lemon juice, lime juice, or vinegar. Acids cook the fish and also denature their proteins over time. Depending on the type of fish and the marination time, this can fully cook the fish and cause it to have a hard or rubbery texture.

Two halibut filets on a blue plate with mango salsa on top.

The next time halibut is on the menu, use this easy cooking method to prepare it! A great source of lean protein, you’ll love this air-fried halibut for busy weeknights.

If you love cooking in your air fryer, also try some of my other favorite air fryer recipes.

More Air Fryer Recipes:

Frequently Asked Questions:

How long does it take to cook halibut in the air fryer?

At 375 degrees Fahrenheit, halibut generally requires 6 to 10 minutes in the air fryer. The exact cooking time varies greatly, depending on the thickness of the fillets and weight of the fish and its temperature going into the air fryer.

For thinner tail pieces, air fry at 350 degrees for 6 minutes. For thicker pieces of halibut, air fry at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

For the best results, always have a meat thermometer handy so that you can spot check the internal temperature. Halibut tends to become hard and dry when it is overcooked, because it is a very lean fish.

For this reason, I recommend taking the halibut fillets out of the air fryer when they have reached 140 so that they can finish their cooking process on a plate at room temperature and end up around 145. This results in a perfect cook, where the fish is still nice and tender and flaky.

Does halibut need to be marinated?

Whether or not halibut needs to be marinated is up to personal preference. I find that the lean fish benefits greatly from marinating from both a taste and texture standpoint.

Halibut has a mild flavor, which can taste bland when it isn’t combined with bold flavors.
It is also very lean, so any salt content applied to the filet prior to cooking helps tenderize it for the optimal result.

My personal preference is to marinate halibut for the best flavor and texture. That said, you can easily sprinkle it with a dry rub after giving it a nice coat of cooking oil.

What should the final temperature of halibut be for safe eating?

The Food and Drug Administration considers halibut to be fully cooked once it has reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Some people like to pull it out when it has reached medium or medium rare doneness, around 130-135 degrees F.

Air Fryer Halibut