Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Potato-Wrapped Halibut Gone Awry

THEIRS

MINE

In the last issue of Bon Appetit, I saw an interesting recipe for Potato-Wrapped Halibut. It looked so beautiful on the picture (see top photo) that I was inspired to make it. I'm not sure how I thought I'd pull it off, given that I had no mandolin to cut the potatoes with. I attempted to cut them free-handed and failed miserably. The potato slices weren't thin enough and did not bend around the fish at all. I was annoyed and very hungry so I decided to make my own version, creating a potato-fish sandwich.

It came out awesome and I got much praise from my ravenous husband. He loved the potato-as-bun improvisation and said that the fish remained moist. In addition to halibut, I also used Alaskan salmon, which tasted even better and was juicier than the former. As you see from the second picture, I substituted craisin couscous for the sauteed spinach, which was easy to make and in my opinion tastier.

To make Bon Appetit's version, click here and to try my gone-awry-but-still-delicious version, follow the same recipe but instead of wrapping the potatoes around the fish, layer them on top and on the bottom of the fillets. When frying the fish, be really careful when flipping it. You might need a fork and a spatula. Enjoy!

8 comments:

  1. Wow, I tried the same recipes on valentine's day for my gf and it went awry as well. We ended up trashing the dish and just ordering Chinese takeout.

    I didn't have a v-slicer either, so I tried using my super sharp knives. That didn't work too well.

    ReplyDelete
  2. judista, nice try. and awesome that the food still came out to be edible/enjoyable. i was not so lucky with my first (and only) halusky attempt.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It was definitely challenging - but I'm glad that I at least attempted it. Good times - hopefully next time it'll come out better.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is actually a great concept dish for a variety of meats but the potatoes are an art. First, they must be thin sliced...there's just no way around it. Second, we salt them, sprinkle them with a light dusting of fresh lemon juice, and let them sit for 10 min before going to wrap. To practice use inexpensive meat like chicken or pork cutlets. This way you'll be more confident and likely to produce best results for the special meal with pricier meat.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks Sweet D - I will have to try it again. It sounds promising - practice makes perfect after all...

    ReplyDelete
  6. i admire you all trying this dish, it can be tricky. let me fill you in on a little secret to simplify the wrapping of the fish,(i am a chef by profession)... steaming the potatoes between 2 sheet trays for about 7minutes on partchment paper will make the potatoes easier to work with. even if the spuds are a bit on the thicker side....good luck!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you Anon - but can you please explain in more detail what you mean? I'm not sure I get it entirely...

    ReplyDelete