Lucky for us, our friend John brought us some halibut when he came to visit the other day. You see, he's just back from a month long tour of Alaska and so we knew the fish was going to be fresh and fabulous. It was, all of that and more.
I slathered it with a little mayo and honey mustard, dusted it with lemon pepper seasoning, then rolled the fillet in a layer of thinly sliced starchy potatoes. Sauteed in a hot pan, the key to keeping it all together is not to fiddle with it until the potato has a chance to brown. Flipped over and cooked briefly on the other side, the whole thing is finished in the oven and comes out perfectly cooked, moist inside and wonderfully crispy on the outside. Quite honestly, it is more than company worthy, particularly served on a bed of sauteed spinach that was flavored with a touch of leftover lime butter. Good for us and rather calorically responsible too - for a change!
Potato Crusted Halibut (inspired by Epicurious.com)
2 – 6 ounce halibut fillets, skin removed
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon honey mustard (or Dijon)
Salt
Lemon pepper seasoning
1 russet potato, peeled and very thinly sliced (I used a vegetable peeler)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Slather both sides of halibut fillets with mayonnaise and coat with mustard. Sprinkle with salt and lemon pepper seasoning. Arrange potato slices on a piece of plastic wrap, being sure pieces of potato touch and overlap in places. Place fillet on top of potato and using plastic wrap, fold potato over fillet like a jelly roll, being sure to cover fillet completely. Wrap well with plastic wrap and refrigerate briefly, pressing potato onto halibut fillet so coating sticks well. Meanwhile preheat oven to 400. Heat cast iron pan or heavy skillet over medium high heat. When hot, add vegetable oil and heat till shimmering. Place prepared halibut fillets in pan and cook for 5 minutes, or until potato crust is well browned. Do not move fillets or the crust will crumble. When browned on one side, carefully flip fillets over and cook briefly (2 minutes) on the other side. Move pan to oven and complete cooking, approximately 15 minutes, or until fish is firm to the touch. Wonderful served on a bed of sautéed spinach. Makes 2 servings Download Potato Crusted Halibut
By the way, it is important to use a starchy potato so an Idaho or russet works best, otherwise the potato slices won't stick together to form a crust.
And I thought you could only get great fish on the East Coast... Looks wonderful June! HUGS, Mary L.
Posted by: Mary from Apron Strings & Wedding Rings | 07/08/2011 at 08:14 AM
Mary - you're kidding me, right? LOL
Posted by: June | 07/08/2011 at 08:52 AM
That looks like the perfect way to cook halibut - as it tends to dry out quickly. I will have to pass this one on to a friend whose hubs works in Alaska!
Posted by: Lea | 07/08/2011 at 12:26 PM
Lea - you're right it does and it is! Tonight we're off to the Salty Dawg for Friday night date night. Yippee!
Posted by: June | 07/08/2011 at 03:02 PM
I always wondered how the fish would cook when I saw recipes where it was just sauteed in the pan. Finishing in the oven makes more sense to me.
Posted by: pam | 07/08/2011 at 07:13 PM
Pam - I've found thin fillets like Tilapia and Sole do fine pan fried but the thick stuff definitely needs a little oven time.
Posted by: June | 07/09/2011 at 07:01 AM