Potato Crusted Halibut Fillets on a bed of Sauteed Celery Ribbons
Let’s say you’re like me and want to love white fish, just because it’s so darn good for you. But let’s say you also love fish oily, crunchy, battered.
I am the kind of cook who can take a perfectly healthy fish fillet and turn it into something decadent. Say, with an oily, crunchy battered coating . . . Â dipped in Tartar sauce . . . hmmmmm . . . Â Okay, sorry, daydreaming here . . .
Sure, you can batter and then deep fry most any food to add a delicious golden brown crunch to it. But let’s just say we want to think outside the old deep fryer for just a sec.
Rock Star Chef Ann Burrelll made halibut with a potato crust, and it looked like the perfect blend of golden crunch and healthy fish. I couldn’t wait to sink my fork into this dish.
If you want crunchy fish fillets without the hassle of 3-step battering and deep frying, this is a  technique that will knock your socks off: Crispy instant potato flakes add the perfect crunch to any fillet, especially white fish fillets. Dry herbs mixed into the potato flakes add flavor, too.
All you do is season the fillets with a little S & P, dip them into egg wash, press them into a mixture of instant potato flakes and herbs and then shallow fry them. That’s it. Really.
All the health, with just a little of the naughty crunchiness!
You just can’t have a frugal cooking blog without at some point featuring spice rub recipes. (( I’m pretty sure there is a law somewhere requiring frugal foodies to use spice rubs!)) The Mother of all Spice Rubs is Spike Seasoning, which boasts 39 ingredients – no, I am NOT making that up! – and has been around since my mom was a kid.
Spice rubs are so very handy, healthy and frugal, whether you just use them as a shortcut to spice up a dish or as a rub. I use three rubs pretty frequently and try to keep them mixed up and on hand. Even in the dead of winter (hello – right now!) these rubs will make you feel like you are having a backyard barbecue. So here, beloved frugal readers, are Donna’s Top Three Spice Rubs of all time – with a bonus: Donna’s Techniques for cooking Spice Rubbed Fish Fillets!
Fish is on many “I Should Eat More of” Lists. White fish fillets are perfect as a canvas for spice rubs! Here’s an easy, budget-friendly fish recipe to do just that – and only takes just 20 minutes total time. Using small fish that are lower on the food chain is an environmentally friendly thing to do – they are sustainable fish, AND – more good news: they’re less expensive than larger varieties. For this technique, you could use tilapia, snapper, trout, cod or any other firm white fish fillets. (Pictured above is tilapia.) This technique is one that can be used with most any spice rub – try one of our three different spice rubs with different flavor profiles – Indian Tandoori Spice Rub, Southwest Chile Cumin Spice Rub and Jamaican Jerk Spice Rubs. All three are delicious – but feel free to use your own creation or purchased spice rub. Just make sure to watch the salt content so your fish isn’t too salty.
SPICE RUBBED FISH FILLETS
Serves 4
Prep and cook time – 20 minutes
3 tablespoons Spice Rub
1 teaspoon cornstarch
4 white fish fillets, 5 to 6 ounces each
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
Mix spice rub with cornstarch and then coat one side of each fish fillet with 2 teaspoons of spice mixture, pressing down with fingers to adhere spices to fish. Heat a large skillet to medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to skillet. Place 2 fillets in pan, spiced side down. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned on bottom. Carefully turn fillets over, so that uncooked side is down. Cover and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, until fillets are cooked through. Repeat this process to cook remaining 2 fillets. Serve warm with spiced side up on rice or pasta.
