How To Make Grilled Halibut With Ancho Tamarind Sauce

Grilled Halibut With Ancho Tamarind Sauce

Grilled Halibut With Ancho Tamarind Sauce is a tangy sauce with ancho chiles to go with delicious, moist fish. Tamarind is a great ingredient that adds a fruity tang to the deep chile flavor. Tamarind pulp can be found in packages already peeled and seeded. We use some from the package and then freeze the rest in 2 tablespoon cubes.

This recipe is naturally gluten free.

Photo shows package of tamarind
Tamarind Pulp

Watch a Video

Here is a video of 2 Cooks in the Kitchen making Grilled Halibut With Ancho Tamarind Sauce

Ingredients For Grilled Halibut With Ancho Tamarind Sauce

  • 4 Ancho Chilis
  • 2 Tbls Tamarind
  • Hot Soaking Water
  • 5 Garlic Cloves
  • 1/4 Cup Raisins
  • 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
  • 1 tsp Mexican Oregano
  • 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 2 Tbls Oil
  • 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
  • 2 Halibut Steaks

Prepare the Dried Chiles

We’ll start by preparing our dried chiles. We need to remove the seeds and stems from our anchos and then tear them into pieces. Put the pieces in a dry frying pan over medium heat and then sweat them for about a minute on each side. Then place the chile pieces in a bowl and cover with hot water. Allow to soak for 30 minutes.

Photo shows chiles in the frying pan
Sweat the Chiles

Cook the Garlic

Put the whole, unpeeled garlic cloves in the frying pan and cook for about 10 minutes, until the peels darken and the garlic becomes soft. Let them cool and then remove the peels.

Photo shows unpeeled garlic in the frying pan for the grilled halibut
Sweat the Garlic

Blend Chiles, Spices, Raisins and Tamarind

Put the soaked chiles in the blender along with the garlic, raisins, black pepper, Mexican oregano, cinnamon and tamarind. Then add 1 cup of the chile soaking liquid and blend until smooth.

Push the Sauce Through A Strainer

Push the resulting paste through a fine mesh strainer. We like to use a rubber spatula for this job as the flexibility makes it easier to push. For more stubborn straining jobs a serving spoon works too.

Photo shows the blended paste in a strainer
Push the Paste Through a Strainer

Cook the Sauce

Now we need to cook the sauce. Heat a generous puddle of oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the sauce. If the oil is hot enough the sauce should start bubbling right away. We’ll cook this for 6 minutes, stirring constantly. After 6 minutes, remove from heat and then stir in the sugar. let the sauce cool before marinating the fish.

Photo shows sauce going into the saucepan
Cook the Sauce in Hot Oil

Marinate the Halibut

Now we need to marinate our halibut. Really, you could make this with any kind of fish but we bought a halibut at the docks and have a lot in the freezer. Put the halibut into a sealable bag and then add enough of the cooled sauce to fill it. marinate the fish for at least an hour. You have to plan ahead for this recipe as the sauce needs time to cool and the fish needs time to marinate.

Photo shows halibut and sauce in a ziplock bag
Marinate the Fish

Grill the Fish

Let’s grill our fish. Spray a grill basket with cooking spray and then place the fish on it. Close the basket and put it on the grill. The basket will make it easy to turn the fish without losing it on the grill. Cook the fish for 2 minutes on each side. When the second side is cooking, put some more sauce on top of the fish, flip it after 2 minutes and then cook the first side for one more minute for a total of 5 minutes cooking time.

Photo shows marinated halibut on a grill basket
Cook On A Grill Basket

Plating

Heat the leftover sauce and plate the fish with sauce on top of it.

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You might also like our Halibut With Roasted Paprika Sauce recipe.

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Photo shows fish plated with sauce and broccoli

Grilled Halibut With Ancho Tamarind Sauce

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  • Author: 2 Cooks in the Kitchen
  • Prep Time: 3 hours
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 3 hours
  • Yield: 2 Servings 1x
  • Cuisine: Mexican
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Description

Delicious grilled halibut with a tangy chile sauce


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 4 Ancho Chilis
  • 2 Tbls Tamarind
  • Hot Soaking Water
  • 5 Garlic Cloves
  • 1/4 cup Raisins
  • 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
  • 1 tsp Mexican Oregano
  • 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 2 Tbls Oil
  • 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
  • 2 Halibut Steaks

Instructions

  1. Remove the seeds and stems from the ancho chiles and tear them into pieces. Sweat the pieces in a hot dry pan over medium heat for one minute on each side. Put the pieces in a bowl and cover with hot water. Let soak for 30 minutes.
  2. Place the whole, unpeeled garlic cloves in the hot pan and cook for about 10 minutes, until the peels darken in spots and the garlic becomes soft. Let cool and then peel the garlic.
  3. Put the soaked chiles in the blender along with the garlic, raisins, black pepper, Mexican oregano, cinnamon, tamarind and 1 cup of the soaking water. Blend until smooth. Push the resultant paste through a fine mesh strainer.
  4. Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a saucepan on medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the strained chile paste. Cook for 6 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add the sugar and let cool.
  5. Put the halibut in a resealable bag and add about half the cooled sauce. Seal the bag and let it marinate for at least an hour.
  6. Put the halibut in a grill basket and cook over the grill for 2 minutes on each side. Add a little more sauce to the first side and cook one more minute.
  7. Heat the remaining sauce and serve the fish with sauce on top.

Notes

The size of your halibut pieces can be whatever you prefer. We like them nearly an inch thick and about 3 inches long for a perfect portion.

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