Baked Halibut Marsala Recipe with Mushrooms - Healthy Dinner Recipe (2024)

Tender white fish fillets are baked and smothered in a marsala wine mushroom sauce for a healthy, delicious baked halibut recipe. 315 calories and 4 Weight Watchers SP

If you are a traditionalist at heart, please accept my sincere apologies. This baked halibut Marsala recipe is clearly blasphemous to Italian cuisine on so many levels. Are mushrooms in Marsala wine sauce supposed to be spooned over barramundi fish fillets? No, of course not! Chicken...it's supposed to be chicken.

And then there's the whole matter of baking the fish, rather than breading and pan-frying. As I said...blasphemous. But stick with me here.

It was clear after tasting this baked fish recipe that Marsala wine and mushroom sauce was meant to be shared with fish. The rich, flavorful sauce seeps into every nook and cranny, complementing the mild, slightly sweet taste of the halibut fillets. There's nothing wrong about that!

WHAT YOU NEED FOR THIS BAKED HALIBUT RECIPE:

These are the main components need for this recipe (affiliate links included)…

• Fish: Halibut is a favorite around here, but any dense white fish will work. Cod and barramundi would be good substitutes.
• Mushrooms: The recipe calls for crimini mushrooms, but regular white mushrooms can be substituted. For an even richer, earthier flavor, try shiitake mushrooms.
• Marsala: Marsala is an Italian fortified wine. Both dry and sweet Marsala wine are available and either can be used for this recipe, though I prefer the dry version.
• Thickening: The recipe calls for one tablespoons of flour to thicken the sauce. Feel free to swap it out with cornstarch or arrowroot for gluten free options. If using arrowroot, I suggest using about half the amount.
• Broth: Chicken broth mixes with the Marsala to make the sauce. If I don’t have homemade broth on hand, I use this one or the Trader Joe’s chicken broth.
• Aromatics: Minced shallots and garlic add extra flavor to the sauce.

Is halibut good for you?

Yes! Halibut is a lean white fish that is rich in protein in omega-3 fatty acids. I figured that if I was going to cook with a healthy fish such as halibut, why not bake instead of pan-fry?

How to bake halibut and tips for this recipe:

Since halibut is a lean fish, it’s easy to overcook it, which causes it to dry out. Check out my tip below for determining when fish is cooked through.

Rub the halibut fillets with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and place on a foil-line baking sheet or in a ceramic or glass baking dish. Cook at 375 degrees F until just cooked through.

Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the fish fillets. I suggest checking the fish early to ensure that it doesn’t overcook.

I am a lover of mushrooms (well, and wine, too), so I didn’t want to skimp on the sauce. There’s nothing worse than having to carefully sop up the sauce to be certain that each piece of fish gets its share. There was plenty here to satisfy my mushrooms craving.

I left out the standard tablespoons of butter typically used to finish a marsala wine sauce. Instead, I made a roux with a little flour to thicken the sauce in a low-calorie kind of way.

How to tell when fish is cooked:

My favorite fish tip, which I share again and again because it’s so useful! To tell if the fish is cooked, insert a small, sharp knife into the center of the fillet. Hold it there for 10 seconds. Remove the knife and carefully lay the side of the knife against your upper lip or the inside of your wrist, which are both sensitive to temperature. If the knife is hot, the fish is done. Works every time!

Remember that the fish will continue to cook for a minute or two after it’s removed from the oven, so I suggest removing it a minute or so early.

Other white fish recipes:

{Cookin' Canuck}
Poached Fish in Easy Tomato Sauce {Cookin’ Canuck}
Moroccan Fish Skewers with Barramundi {Jelly Toast}
Halibut Picatta with Asparagus {A Sweet Pea Chef}

Printable Recipe

This post was originally published on April 7, 2014 and updated on January 20, 2020.

Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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