Halibut in Creamy Wine Sauce

Cooking fish in a slow cooker sounds risky, but halibut is one of the few fish sturdy enough to hold up. These thick steaks braise gently in a from-scratch white wine sauce built with butter, flour, milk, and a touch of sugar that rounds out the acidity of the wine.

The sauce gets made on the stovetop first. You melt butter, whisk in the flour mixture, then add dry white wine and milk, cooking until it thickens and hits a full boil. That one minute of boiling cooks out the raw flour taste. Pour it over the patted-dry halibut in the Crock-Pot, and the low, even heat does the rest over 2 ½ to 3 hours.

Patting the fish dry before it goes in is a must. Excess moisture thins the sauce and makes the surface of the fish slippery instead of letting it absorb that creamy coating.

Kitchen Tips

• Use a dry white wine you’d actually drink. Cooking wine has added salt and a harsh flavor. Sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio work well here.
• Don’t open the lid during cooking. Every peek releases heat and extends the cook time, which can dry out the fish.
• Check for doneness at the 2 ½ hour mark. Halibut goes from tender to chalky fast.
• Half and half instead of milk makes the sauce noticeably richer.

Variations

• Add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard to the sauce for a sharper, more complex flavor.
• Stir capers and fresh dill into the sauce after cooking for a Mediterranean spin.
• Swap halibut for cod or thick-cut snapper if halibut is hard to find or out of budget.