| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 46 min |
| Prep: | 40 min |
| Inactive: | 1 hr |
| Cook: | 6 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 thyme bundle
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 lemon, zest removed from the lemon with a vegetable peeler in wide strips
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 3 Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed
- 4 (6-ounce) Pacific halibut fillets
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the olive oil, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, lemon zest, crushed red pepper flakes and fennel seeds. Bring to a boil then turn the heat off and let it sit for at least 1 hour. (*Big tip: This can be done ahead and used for LOTS of different things.)
- Using a mandoline, slice 1 potato extremely thin, (paper thin), in elongated rounds. Lay a piece of parchment paper on a clean, dry work surface. Arrange 3 potato slices in an overlapping vertical line pressing them together as you put them on the parchment. Repeat this process until you have a 4 by 6-inch overlapping potato rectangle that replicates fish scales. Brush the potato “scales” with the infused oil and sprinkle with salt. Season the halibut with salt. Lay the halibut fillet closer to 1 end of the potato rectangle than the other and then roll the fish up in the potato slices, using the parchment to help facilitate the rolling. Press to compact and really adhere the potatoes to the fish. Brush the outside of the potatoes with the infused oil to seal the potatoes and to prevent the potatoes from turning brown, this will also help make a nice tight “fish package”. Reserve the fish in the refrigerator while preparing the remaining fillets. Refrigerate the fillets for at least 1 hour before cooking.
- To cook the fish:
- Add the infused olive oil to a large nonstick saute pan until the bottom is generously covered and bring the pan to a medium-high heat. Season the fish with salt and add to the pan. Cook the fish on both sides for 3 to 4 minutes frequently spooning the excess oil over the fish to “baste” it. The potatoes should be crispy golden brown and very well flavored and the fish will be succulent inside its crispy “scales”. Transfer to serving plates and serve.
- This will make a fish lover out of anyone!
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 1011 |
| Total Fat | 84 g |
| Saturated Fat | 12 g |
| Carbohydrates | 32 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Protein | 36 g |
| Cholesterol | 83 mg |
| Sodium | 1005 mg |
Reviews
I wanted so much to love this recipe, but it is so bland and underwhelming. The effort is not worth the payoff. I agree with a comment below that it would be better to marinate the fish in the herbs as opposed to infusing the oil, as a hope of imparting flavor. The fish was very moist though, so I can give it that. Onto a different recipe.
Made this several times, love it. Easy and tasty. What brand mandolinwas being used?
It was good but not my favorite.
Everything stayed intact, but I did reduced oil to half a cup after seeing reviews, but I could still gone with ¼c easily no need to have fish swimming in oil!
I made it and it came out fine. Followed the recipe and I just thought it was very bland and not worth the effort.
My family loved this dish followed recipe to a T and it really delivered! Our new favorite dish for many wonderful family diners to come.
My finished product had a beautiful browned potato crust but I would have liked more flavor on the fish. Season your fish with the seasonings for the oil rather than infusing the oil. Season the potato slices with salt and pepper. Cook the wrapped fish slowly in butter and oil so that the potato has a chance to cook all the way through as well as brown.
Best food network
Wow. I was so curious to try this recipe after reading all the highs and lows. Sadly, this was a big flop for me. I agree with the negative reviewers who said it was too oily, potatoes didn’t brown properly, fish was soggy. I am used to halibut being very firm and white, and this was just slimy! I don’t think this is a bad recipe, but it seems hard to get right the first time- and halibut is too expensive to experiment with! I used the thinnest setting on my mandolin and thought I followed the recipe. The only thing I can say is that my potato wrapped fish didn’t look like hers in the video- my potato slices weren’t as thin (not sure how I could have gotten them thinner!), and I think in retrospect I should have used fewer potato slices (she says three vertically). Not sure if I will be brave enough to try this again!
I love you Anne! This recipe rocks. I can’t believe the bad reviews. Accept responsibility for your failures ladies and gentlemen and stop blaming Anne! If you follow the recipe you will be rewarded with the most delicious moist fish and a crispy crunch exterior. The infused oil flavoring is amazing. A couple of things to remember. There is a reason she starts with “Using a mandolin”. The potatoes need to be paper thin and the scales need to be close together. The scales should also overlap some when you are folding them over to create a tight seal. Make sure the oil is hot. She does tell you to use medium high heat so the oil will be bubbling. Lay the fish in the pan gently and let them cook for approximately 3 minutes before you touch them. Avoid trying to peak or you risk tearing the potato skin. When they are ready to flip they will release themselves from the pan.