Curry Coconut Corvina with Idaho® Potatoes

Ingredients:

• ½-pound piece of Corvina, cut into 4 equal pieces
• 2 large Idaho® russet potatoes, sliced into ¼" rounds
• 1 - 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 - 13.5oz can coconut milk
• ½ cup frozen peas
• 1 tablespoon Madras curry powder (yellow curry powder)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• white pepper
• canola oil for frying and baking
• nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
2. Line sheet pan with parchment paper and lightly spray the parchment with cooking spray. This will help to ensure we don't have to pry the potatoes off, leaving our crunchy outside stuck to the paper.
3. Soak potatoes (as described above), pat dry with paper towels and place in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Toss to evenly coat potatoes and lay them on the parchment-lined sheet pan, put in the oven on the middle rack.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip potatoes over. Rotate the pan and slide back into the oven for another 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are crispy and cooked through. Sprinkle with a fat pinch of kosher salt while they are still warm.

*Your oven may run hot or cold, so times may vary! Keep an eye on the potatoes after you've flipped them.

1. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and drizzle in 2 tablespoons of canola oil.
2. Sprinkle both sides of the Corvina with kosher salt and white pepper, place fish in the pan, good side down, and cook for 8-10 minutes. Using a fish spatula, carefully flip the fish over and cook for another 5 minutes. The time will vary depending on the thickness of the fish.
3. Remove the fish and set it aside. DO NOT CLEAN OUT THE PAN.
4. Add in garlic and let it sauté for a minute, then add in coconut milk, curry powder and tomatoes. Let the sauce cook down for 10 minutes over medium-low heat, then add fish back into the pan along with the peas. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. Simmer on low heat for another 5 minutes, until fish is warmed through.
5. Place potatoes on the plate and ladle sauce over them. Place fish on top and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Notes:

Corvina varies in thickness, try to choose a piece that is fairly even from one end to the other. This will make it easier to portion into equal sized pieces and it will guarantee that the cooking rate for all the pieces will be the same.

If you have one piece that is very thin and one piece that is very thick, the thin piece will be cooked through while the thicker piece will not.

Soak the potatoes in cold water. This helps to remove some of the starch, which helps them to crisp on the outside and remain tender and fluffy inside. The water will become cloudy. I usually let them soak for 15 minutes and change the water once, then let them sit for another five minutes or so.

Drain and pat dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.

Why does this matter? The excess starch can sometimes prevent the potatoes from cooking through before they begin to brown too much, leaving you with dark potatoes that aren’t cooked properly. Every restaurant I have ever worked in, potatoes always get a soak before frying so it stands to reason that if we are “oven-frying”, the same rules apply.

Chef’s Tip:  Always put the “good side” of the fish in the pan face down. Food will be served with the pretty side face up!