Have you tried fish baked in a potato crust? The first time I tried it at a local restaurant, I wasn’t impressed, but last weekend I tried it again in Rome. The fish was so tender and moist; simply divine!
It was presented in a simple yet elegant way – sea bream covered with a layer of overlapping paper thin potatoes slices. The fish sat on its own juices – no sauces masking the delicate taste of the fresh fish.
When I returned from Rome I decided to have a go at this dish. I did some research about it and came across a very similar version of baked fish and potatoes – interesting – but not quite what I had in Rome. So I decided to try my own version of this dish.
I used sweet potatoes cause that is what I had available. Besides, all the nutrients found in sweet potato, they do not need parboiling before baking which makes them quicker to use.
Ingredients for four persons
- four fillets of sea bream
- two sweet potatoes
- fresh thyme
- four tbsps olive oil
- juice from half a lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
Method
- line a baking dish with heavy duty foil and brush lightly with olive oil
- place the fish fillets on the foil
Fish partially covered with sweet potato - squeeze the lemon on the fillets and sprinkle with fresh thyme, salt and pepper
- scrub the sweet potatoes and pat dry
- slice thinly using a mandolin slicer or similar
- cover the fish, overlapping the potatoes as you go
- brush the potatoes with the remaining olive oil, sprinkle with fresh thyme, salt and pepper
- bake in a moderate oven for 25 minutes or until the potato is cooked.
Baked fish in potato crust
I grilled the potatoes for the last five minutes to get that char grilled tinge on the edges.
Serve with seasonal vegetables or fresh salad.
Voilà, dinner in 30 minutes!
My next experiment with this recipe is adding a thin smear of pesto to the fish, before covering it with potatoes. Not too much pesto, because it’ll overpower the taste of the dish. Just a hint of pesto – especially if you do the homemade pesto with parsley and walnuts instead of basil and pine nuts – should enhance the taste.
Have you ever baked fish in a potato crust? If not, give it a go. It’s so simple to make. Leave your comments below and let me know how you get on.
Until next time … happy cooking.
My thanks go to
Colette's Food Blog 
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