CITRUS-Y FISH AND CONFIT POTATOES
EASY, FLAVORFUL, AND IMPRESSIVE!
4 servings, 3 hours (30 minutes active)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs white fish of choice, preferably halibut or sole
1 lb baby potatoes, whole (yellow or red!)
1 shallot, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 cup pitted olives, torn into pieces/halves
2 lemons
2 oranges
2 tbsp honey or agave
2 cups arugula
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Optional: jalapeno or habanero, chopped
The Blistered Peppers Take:
I recently dined at L’Artusi and had a delightful dish: it was branzino atop roasted potatoes, olives, and finished off with a nice honey drizzle. The combo of the olive brine-y flavor with the sweet touch of natural sugar was so, so, so divine, I had to recreate it.
As I begin developing a dish, a bunch of things run through my mind. First and foremost, what do I want to eat? Personally, I always need a green on the table - it just makes me feel like I’m being healthy and checking the “veggie serving” box for the day. For this dish, the green of choice is arugula. Such a great ingredient because it’s very versatile (something we love in an ingredient here at BP), but also has such a unique flavor that’s both bitter and mild. I love arugula with eggs, as a light salad with grilled chicken, you can even throw it on a fresh hot white pizza with a little olive oil and crushed red pepper and you’ve got yourself a MEAL!
Another thing I consider when cooking is just how messy do I want my kitchen to get? It sounds funny coming from someone who spends most of her time in the kitchen, but seriously, sometimes just heating something up seems like a chore. So with this recipe, we’re using 1 cast iron skillet. That’s it. A cast iron provides great flavor (if you’re ‘cleaning’ it properly) and it looks beautiful and impressive when you place it on your dining table and begin to dive in!
I know I say this about many of our BP dishes, but I love fish. It’s not possible to eat big heavy meals at every turn (nor should you), and fish just makes you feel full and light all at once. There are so many types of fish, but here we’re simply calling for a white fish. My go-tos are halibut or sole because they’re hearty and hold up without crumbling/breaking. They also take on flavor really well. And best of all when they finish cooking they’re almost a flakey, buttery consistency that really just melts in your mouth.
Get cooking below. Tag me in your photos, DM me with your feedback. Can’t wait to hear what you think!
Steps:
Torn Olives
Rosemary Confit Potatoes
Preheat the oven to 225 degrees
In the cast iron skillet, add the baby potatoes, shallots, garlic, olives, and if using, the jalapeno/habanero. Pour in enough olive oil so it just about covers the potatoes - it’s a lot! Add the zest and juice of 1 of the oranges. Season with a bit of salt and pepper. Place in the oven for 1 hour 45 to 2 hours.
Meanwhile, thinly slice the remaining orange and lemons.
Once the potatoes are beginning to tender and can be easily poked with a fork, you can remove the cast iron skillet from the oven and remove the rosemary. Then drain the oil from the pan into a measuring cup or any heat-proof container/bowl… need to save it for later!
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Push the potatoes and olives to the side of the skillet so the center is empty. Delicately layer the orange and lemon slices directly onto the empty center area. Layer the fish on top of the citrus slices. Season with a few spoonfuls of the reserved rosemary oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Place in the oven for about 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the reserved rosemary oil in a small saucepan over low-medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of honey or agave and any remaining orange juice! Bring to a simmer and leave the sauce to thicken, stirring every so often and keeping a close eye to make sure it doesn’t burn!
Once the fish has cooked to the desired doneness, remove the cast iron from the oven for the last time. Top with arugula, another drizzle of the now rendered olive oil or simply mix some plain olive oil with honey, salt and pepper.
