While Fish and Almost Chips shares its two main ingredients with the British national takeaway dish alluded to in the title, its differences are significant enough to mention right upfront. Those changes make this recipe especially home-cook friendly — and healthful to boot.
We are roasting and broiling, instead of coating and frying, so there is less mess and no lingering smell of grease in the air. Snowy white cod is used here, but you could substitute with other equally thick and mild-tasting fish filets. Instead of relying on a beer batter or tartar sauce to give it flavor, a marinade of garlic, lemon and olive oil does the trick.
The potatoes go into a high-heat oven first. They are cut into thin rounds and treated with flavor agents as well: oil, chives and shallots. The filets are then broiled atop the par-cooked potatoes in just a few minutes, which means they stand a better chance of remaining intact when you serve them.
So, the meal's not fit for wrapping in waxed newsprint, but here's what you will get: some-crisped, some-tender potatoes, succulent fish and one pan with minimal cleanup.
Tip: Lining the baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil and greasing that surface before the oiled potato slices are spread makes it much easier to turn them for broiling and remove them for serving.
Fish and Almost Chips
1 ½ pounds large red-skinned potatoes (about 5)
4 small-to-medium shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
¼ cup PLUS 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided use
3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives, divided use
3 cloves garlic, minced, divided use
Kosher or sea salt
Ground black pepper
1 1½ pounds skinned cod filets, about ¾-inch thick, cut into 4 equal portions
Zest and juice of ½ lemon
2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
Leaves from several stems fresh thyme
Leaves from 4 stems fresh parsley, chopped
Position an oven rack 6 inches from the broiler element; heat oven to 425 degrees.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with a double thickness of aluminum foil (or a single sheet of heavy-duty foil), then grease it with cooking oil spray.
Rinse and dry the potatoes, trimming any eyes and the rounded ends. Slice the potatoes ¼-inch thick or thinner, placing them in a large microwave-safe bowl as you work.
Add a few tablespoons of water to the potatoes; cover with paper towel and microwave on 100% power for 8 minutes, until almost tender, repositioning them halfway through for even cooking.
Carefully drain the water from the bowl of hot potato slices, then spread them on the lined baking sheet, along with the shallots, the ¼ cup of oil, half the chives and about one-third of the garlic, tossing to distribute them evenly. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Roast (top rack) for 15 minutes, until the potatoes have fully softened and browned a bit.
While the potatoes are in the oven, place the fish in a medium bowl and the lemon zest and juice, the remaining garlic and 2 tablespoons of oil and the vinegar, then toss to coat evenly. Let the fish marinate while the potatoes cook and the broiler heats.
When the potatoes are tender and browned, remove the baking sheet from the oven; heat the broiler. Place the marinated pieces of fish on top of the potatoes, and pour about half the marinade left in the bowl over the fish. Return the pan to the oven and broil for about 5 minutes, or to your desired degree of doneness.
Top the fish and potatoes with the thyme, parsley and remaining chives. Serve right away.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 460 calories, 34 g protein, 22 g fat, 33 g carbohydrate (4 g sugar), 52 mg cholesterol, 160 mg sodium and 4 g fiber.
Adapted from One Pot Recipes: Meals for Your Slow Cooker, Pressure Cooker, Dutch Oven, Sheet Pan, Skillet and More by Ellen Brown, Sterling Epicure, 2018)
Food on 06/05/2019