Potato-wrapped fish is like fish ‘n’ chips, but combined instead of side-by-side!
I remember seeing a recipe for this in Bon Appetit a while back, complete with instructions on how to wrap the fish, and I put it in the back of my mind. One day, with not much in the kitchen except frozen fish, potatoes, lemons and some greens, I thought of this technique. It’s a great dish to have in store, too; simple ingredients with an easy execution that looks impressive and fancy.
My brother-in-law Ralph posted a similar recipe on his brand new food blog.
The trick to this is to get the potatoes realllly thin. Use a mandoline, on the thinnest setting, and you should be able to see through the potato slices. You can use any white fish, It’s often made with halibut, but I’m cheap, and so is tilapia! Also, I had some in my freezer and didn’t feel like going shopping.
Potato-Wrapped Tilapia
Serves 2
Ingredients:
For the fish
- 2 fish filets, cut in half
- 1 large or 2 small russet potatoes
- olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
For the dip:
- juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1 garlic clove, smashed
- 1/4 cup mayo
- salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
For the dip:
- Mix all ingredients together
For the Fish:
- Peel the potato(es) and slice lengthwise. Use a mandolin on the thinnest setting and slice.
- Season the fish
- Lay the potato slices so they overlap a little bit, like fish scales, until it’s as long and twice as wide as the fish. It helps to do this on top of plastic wrap sprinkled with salt and pepper.
- Place the fish on top of the potatoes and use the plastic wrap to help wrap the potato around the fish.
- Repeat with all 4 pieces of fish.
- Coat a pan with olive oil (or butter!). I used a cast iron here, you can also use non-stick. Carefully unwrap the fish, season, and place them in the hot pan, two at a time.
- Let brown for a couple of minutes, when it’s ready, it will easily flip over. Crisp up the other side, and meanwhile the fish will cook through.
- Remove from pan and serve immediately.
