Oven-Baked Halibut with Norwegian Butter Sauce/Sandefjordsmor

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Supremely fresh, meaty, sweet halibut, brushed with olive oil, lemon juice, some freshly ground sea salt and black pepper and cooked simply in the oven, is a dish which is very hard to beat. Serve some Bearnaise or Norwegian Butter Sauce on the side, and we have straightforward, unpretentious food, fit for a king!!

Lyngen Lodge

‘Baked halibut, almond potatoes, apple, fennel and dill salad, broccolini and butter sauce‘

Although I have eaten halibut often, in many guises, the halibut we ate during our trip to Lyngen Lodge, last April, really stands out. Out of all the exceptional food we ate on this holiday, this was my favourite. They baked a whole halibut, which had been caught in the fjord directly outside the lodge that day, and served it with Almond Roast Potatoes, an Apple and Fennel Salad with Lemon and Dill, some steamed tender stem broccoli and a Norwegian Butter Sauce, or Sandefjordsmor, if you are a local! It was exceptional.

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Of course, I had to recreate it.

Not long after we got back I ordered a whole halibut from our local fishmonger; after a few questions and ascertaining that I really, really wanted a whole one, he went to market to hunt it down. The small size I was looking for is difficult to find apparently, but mission accomplished, I excitedly went to pick it up. Clearly there had been some confusion around size and cost, (on my part) and I came home with a ‘small’ whole halibut, sufficient to feed around 20 people and £180 less in my wallet!

Not only was I only cooking for just Andrew and me, the halibut would not even fit in the oven. Inevitably, it had to be cut down to manageable sizes and I froze some, which we are still enjoying!

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How to make Oven-Baked Halibut with Norwegian Butter Sauce/Sandefjordsmor

Collect all your ingredients together:

For the halibut –

• fresh halibut, on the bone
• olive oil
• lemon
• freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
• fresh dill and lemon wedges, to serve

For the Norwegian Butter Sauce/Sandefjordsmor –

• lemons juice
• double/heavy cream
• cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• sea salt, to taste
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• chopped, flat leaf parsley or tarragon leaves

Serving suggestions –

• lemon wedges
• Roast Almond Potatoes or steamed new potatoes
• Apple and Fennel Salad with Lemon and Dill
• steamed tender stem broccoli

Where is the recipe for Norwegian Butter Sauce/Sandefjordsmor from?

The recipe for the Norwegian Butter Sauce/Sandefjordsmor is from Chef John on Food Wishes

Now make this incredible dish:

First, get the fish in the oven –

1. Lay the halibut on an oiled baking parchment lined baking tray.
2. Use a very sharp knife to score the skin of the fish, just into the top layer of flesh.
3. Rub in the olive oil and squeeze over the lemon juice. Leave the lemon skin on the tray, next to the fish.
4. Grind over a generous helping of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
5. Bake in the centre of a preheated hot oven for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the halibut is cooked to your liking.
6. Serve with the Norwegian Butter Sauce/Sandefjordsmor (see below) and your choice of accompaniments.

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Make the Norwegian Butter Sauce/Sandefjordsmor, whilst the fish cooks –

1. Juice the lemons directly into a sauce pan and reduce over a moderate heat until you have around 1 tablespoon. Keep a close eye on it, as it can reduce quickly and burn, very easily.
2. Next pour in the cream, heat and reduce until the cream and lemon juice cover the back of a spoon.
3. Whisk in the butter, 2 or 3 cubes at a time, ensuring the butter has melted into the sauce, before adding any more. Continue until all the butter has emulsified into the cream. This will take around 8 – 10 minutes.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste and fold in the chopped herbs.

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Made this recipe?

If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.