If halibut is not available or not in the budget, just use any firm fish to make this delicious Marinated Grilled Halibut with Cumin and Lime! And if you have leftover fish, you can use it to make amazing fish tacos!

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Square image of Marinated Grilled Halibut with Cumin and Lime on plate with salad.

Imagine you’re sitting on the top deck of a houseboat looking out at Utah’s gorgeous Lake Powell while you’re eating a wonderful dinner featuring this Marinated Grilled Halibut with Cumin and Lime. That’s the memory I had when I sat on my deck eating this a few days ago. And back in the days when I catered houseboat trips at the lake, this was always a popular dinner option.

Of course grilled fish doesn’t have to be marinated, but the touch of cumin and fresh-squeezed lime juice that’s added to the marinade makes this grilled fish recipe so flavorful. And this is a healthy low-carb dinner that’s also perfect for Keto.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

What other fish can you use for this marinated grilled fish recipe?

Halibut was much cheaper in the days when I was cooking at Lake Powell, and the cumin and lime marinade is perfect for halibut. But if you don’t have halibut you can use any kind of mild fish that’s firm enough to stay together on the grill such as sea bass, red snapper, grouper, cod, tuna, Mahi Mahi, and of course Salmon.

Does grilled fish benefit from being marinated?

Fish definitely can be cooked on the grill without being marinated. And when you’re marinating fish it’s just to add flavor, and it can be a great technique add flavor to mild fish. But be sure you don’t marinate the fish too long with a marinade that has lime or lemon juice because the marinade will start to “cook” the fish. Because they’re used for shorter times, fish marinades are often stronger than those designed for beef, pork, or chicken, but you can reduce the spices a little if you prefer. I’m a huge fan of cumin, so I used the whole 2 teaspoons of cumin in this recipe, and really loved the flavor it added to the grilled fish.

How can you keep fish from sticking to the grill?

  • Be sure your grill grates are completely clean.
  • Spray the grill grates well with a non-stick spray like Pam for Grilling (affiliate link) or rub with a paper towel dipped in a high smoke-point oil if you don’t have a non-stick grilling spray.
  • Rub both sides of the fish well with olive oil (or another type of oil of your choice) before you season the fish.
  • Preheat the grill to high, then immediately turn to medium-high when you put on the fish.
  • Let fish cook 3 minutes without touching it, then lift the edge of a piece to see if you have nice grill marks and if the fish is ready to rotate.
  • Rotate to cook 2-3 minutes going the other angle on the grill grates to make grill marks.
  • Then carefully turn, using a Fish Spatula (affiliate link) will make that easier. Cook 3-4 minutes on second side, or until fish is firm.

Can you make Marinated Grilled Halibut without an outdoor grill?

If you don’t have an outdoor grill (or it’s not grilling weather), grilled fish like this can be cooked on a stove-top grill pan with ridges (affiliate link) or a George Foreman Grill (affiliate link) with good results. Remember that the George Foreman Grill cooks both sides at once so grilling time will be a lot shorter!

More tasty options for grilled halibut:

If you want more options for grilled halibut, check out Grilled Halibut with Basil Vinaigrette and Grilled Halibut with Garlic Cilantro Sauce.

What can you do with any leftover fish?

If you’re lucky enough to have some leftover fish from this Marinated Grilled Halibut recipe, it’s perfect for making Fish Taco Cabbage Bowls or use that recipe as a guide and make fish tacos with low-carb tortillas or lettuce wraps! And this delicious grilled halibut is amazing served with Fresh Tomatillo Salsa if you have time for making that!

Grilled Halibut with Cumin and Lime process shot photos for marinating the fish

Marinating the fish for Marinated Grilled Halibut:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

  1. Zest the skin of one lime. Just use a fine cheese grater to do this if you don’t have a microplane grater (affiliate link).
  2. Mix together lime juice, peanut oil (or other neutral-flavored oil), Worcestershire sauce or Gluten-Free Worcestershire Sauce (affiliate link), onion powder, garlic puree, ground cumin, lime zest, and black pepper.
  3. Put fish pieces into a Ziploc bag or a flat plastic container with a tight-fitting lid, pour in the marinade, and let it marinate in the fridge for 2-3 hours (but not longer.)

Grilled Halibut with Cumin and Lime process shot photos for cooking the fish

Cooking the fish for Marinated Grilled Halibut:

  1. Take fish out of the fridge, drain it and discard the marinade, and let the fish come to room temperature.
  2. Oil the grill or spray with non-stick spray and preheat to high (or only medium-high for a charcoal grill.)
  3. When the fish is room temperature, brush on both sides with peanut oil (or other high-smoke point oil.)
  4. For diagonal marks, lay the fish at an angle to the grill grates.
  5. Immediately turn the heat down to medium-high and let fish cook 3 minutes without touching it.
  6. Then lift up the edge of the fish and as soon as you see grill marks have formed and fish lifts up without sticking, rotate each piece of fish so it’s going the opposite way and cook 3 more minutes to get criss-cross grill marks. 
  7. Then turn the fish over carefully using a Fish Spatula (affiliate link) if you have one and cook on the second side until the fish feels firm (but not hard) to the touch.
  8. Total cooking time for grilled fish is about 10 minutes per inch of thickness. This was perfectly done in 10 minutes.
  9. Serve hot, with extra cut limes to squeeze on if desired. 

Marinated Grilled Halibut with Cumin and Lime shown on serving plate with salad.

More Delicious Grilled Fish:

Marinated Grilled Halibut with Cumin and Lime
Yield: 4 servings

Marinated Grilled Halibut with Cumin and Lime

Prep Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 25 minutes

This recipe for Marinated Grilled Halibut with Cumin and Lime can be made using any firm white fish. And if you're lucky enough to have some of this cumin-lime halibut left over it's perfect for making dish tacos!

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 4 halibut steaks or fillets (or other firm fish fillets)

Marinade Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 cup oil of your choice (see notes)
  • 2 T Worcestershire sauce (see notes)
  • 2 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tsp. garlic puree or minced fresh garlic
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin (see notes)
  • 1 tsp. zested lime rind
  • 1/4  tsp. coarse ground black pepper
  • fresh cut limes for squeezing on cooked fish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Zest the skin of one small lime. You can use a fine cheese grater to do this if you don't have a microplane grater (affiliate link), but this is one of my favorite kitchen tools.
  2. Mix together lime juice, peanut oil (or other neutral-flavored oil), Worcestershire sauce or Gluten-Free Worcestershire Sauce (affiliate link), onion powder, garlic puree, ground cumin, lime zest, and black pepper to make the marinade.
  3. Put the fish pieces into a Ziploc bag or a flat plastic container with a tight-fitting lid, pour in the marinade, and let it marinate in the fridge for 2-3 hours (but definitely not longer than that.)
  4. Take fish out of the fridge, drain it and discard the marinade, and let the pieces of fish come to room temperature.
  5. Oil the grill or spray with non-stick spray and preheat to high (or only medium-high for a charcoal grill.)
  6. When the fish is room temperature, brush on both sides with peanut oil (or any high-smoke point oil.)
  7. If you want nice diagonal marks, lay the fish at an angle to the grill grates. Immediately turn the heat to medium-high and let fish cook at least 3 minutes without touching it.
  8. Then lift up the edge of the fish and as soon as you see grill marks have formed and fish lifts up without sticking, rotate each piece of fish so it's going the opposite way and cook about 3 more minutes to get criss-cross grill marks. 
  9. Then turn the fish over carefully using a Fish Spatula (affiliate link) if you have one and cook on the second side until the fish feels firm (but not hard) to the touch. Total cooking time for grilled fish is about 10 minutes per inch of thickness. This was perfectly done in 10 minutes.
  10. Serve hot, with extra cut limes to squeeze on if desired. 

Notes

I’ve made this mostly with halibut but any kind of mild fish which is substantial enough to hold up on the grill would work here. I would use Peanut Oil (affiliate link) but any neutral-flavored oil will work. Be sure to use Gluten-Free Worcestershire Sauce (affiliate link) if needed. I used 2 tsp. ground cumin, but if you don’t love cumin you might want less.

Recipe created by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 452Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 129mgSodium: 209mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 45g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Grilled Halibut with Cumin and Lime photo of cooked fish on plate with salad

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Marinated Grilled Halibut is not only delicious, it’s perfect for any low-carb or Keto diet plan, or any phase of the original South Beach Diet.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Grilling Recipes to find more tasty recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This marinated halibut recipe was first posted in 2011. It was last updated in 2023.

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