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The most substantial white fish on the counter. It can take a proper white wine.
White Burgundy, Chablis, or Albariño. Firm, meaty fish takes a wine with more body than delicate flatfish does.
Halibut is dense, firm and low in oil, with large flakes and a clean, faintly sweet flavour. It sits at the substantial end of white fish — closer to monkfish than to sole — which means it will not be flattened by a wine with some weight, and in fact a very light wine can seem thin beside it.
Poached or steamed, halibut is delicate and wants something lean and mineral: Chablis, a Muscadet from Melon de Bourgogne, or an Albariño. Pan-roasted with a browned butter, it gains nuttiness and richness and moves towards a lightly oaked white Burgundy.
Grilled or barbecued, the char brings bitterness — keep the oak down and reach for something with fruit and acid instead. Wrapped in prosciutto or served with beurre blanc, it can handle the fullest Chardonnay you own.
White Burgundy. The reference pairing for meaty white fish. Enough texture to match the flake, enough acidity to cut butter, and a restrained nuttiness that flatters browned fish. Meursault if you are being generous; a Mâcon village if not.
Chablis. The same grape, colder ground, no oak. Better with simply cooked halibut and with anything lemony.
Albariño. Saline and high in acid, and the best choice if the fish comes with a tomato, caper or olive garnish rather than a butter sauce.
It is possible, which is not true of most white fish. Halibut is firm enough to stand up to a very light red, and if it is served with lentils, mushrooms or a red-wine jus — as it often is in restaurants — a village red Burgundy works genuinely well.
Keep the tannin near zero. Tannin and white fish can produce a metallic taste, particularly with anything oily, and halibut’s mildness gives tannin nothing to hide behind.
White Burgundy for pan-roasted or buttered halibut, Chablis for simply cooked, or Albariño if there is tomato or caper on the plate.
No — it is the meatiest common white fish, and a browned, buttered fillet takes a lightly oaked white Burgundy comfortably. A poached one does not.
Unusually for white fish, yes — if it is firm and served with mushrooms, lentils or a red-wine jus. Keep the tannin near zero; a light red Burgundy is the safe choice.
Something with fruit and acidity rather than oak. Char adds bitterness, and oak would add more — an Albariño or an unoaked Chardonnay is better.
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