Potato and Dill Crusted Salmon

If you want to impress your guests, look no further...this is your recipe. It sounds and looks diabolically hard to do, but I promise you it is easy. The question I am most often asked is "how do the potatoes stay on the fish? Don't they stick to the pan and make a mess?" The answer to that question is no they do not! They stay right where they are supposed to stay...on the fish. And, it is a beautiful presentation. You have the golden brown of the potatoes, and through that you see the leafy green sprigs of dill, and then the pink of the salmon. Beautiful! Delicious!

This is another recipe I will have to talk you through, as it is more procedure than anything else. So, here goes...

Potato and Dill Crusted Salmon

Center cut salmon filets however many you need. Remove the skin from the back of the filets and then butterfly them (cut through horizontally) but don't slice all the way through.

Idaho potatoes - 1-2 should be more than enough. Slice long, thin slices from the potatoes with a vegetable peeler. Soak the slices in a bowl of ice water for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry.

Fresh dill sprigs

Procedure:

Take each butterflied filet (leave open) and pat with a little vegetable oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place a few dill sprigs across each filet. Then overlap thinly sliced potatoes across the entire filet. Add enough of the vegetable oil to a large fry pan to coat the bottom and heat on a medium flame. When the oil is hot, add the filets potato side down. Then pat a little oil on the top side, add the dill sprigs, and the overlapping potato slices. Continue sauteing the filets on the first side until the potatoes are crisp and golden brown. Gently, with a spatula, flip the filets (no, the potatoes won't fall off) to the other side. Continue sauteing the second side until the potatoes on that side are golden brown. And viola! The fish is cooked through, the potatoes are crisp and golden, the dill sprigs are peeking through and you are a genius! Really, it is such a pretty dish to serve and truly delicious. I hope you will try it and report back.

P.S. Depending on the size of your pan, don't saute more than 2-3 filets at a time - you don't want to crowd them.