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Crappie fillets, skinless
Warm Crappie and Potato Salad with Lemon Dill Vinaigrette
Lightly floured crappie seared golden and laid over warm potatoes, green beans and greens tossed in a lemon, Dijon and dill vinaigrette.
- Serves
- 4
- Hands-on
- 25 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Skill
- Easy
Cooks on: Stovetop · Lunch, Dinner
Ingredients
- 1½ lbCrappie fillets, skinless
- 1½ lbYukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1Shallot, minced
- 1Lemon, zested and juiced
- ¼ cupFlour
- 1 tbspButter
- 4 tspSalt, divided
- ½ tspBlack pepper, ground, divided
- 8 oz green beans, trimmed
- 7 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
- 5 oz mixed salad greens
You'll need
- Stovetop
- Large skillet, ideally cast iron
- Instant-read thermometer
Contains
Fish, Gluten, Dairy.
Method
- Put the potatoes in a pot with cold water to cover and 1 tbsp of the salt; the water should taste seasoned. Bring to a boil and simmer until a knife slides in easily, 12 to 15 minutes, adding the green beans for the last 4 minutes. Drain well and let them steam dry in the colander for a minute.
- While the potatoes cook, stir the shallot into the lemon juice in a bowl and let it sit 5 minutes to soften its bite. Whisk in the lemon zest, mustard, ½ tsp of the salt and half the pepper, then whisk in 4 tbsp of the olive oil until it thickens. Stir in the dill. Toss the warm potatoes and beans with half the vinaigrette.
- Pat the crappie dry, season with the remaining ½ tsp salt and pepper, and dust lightly with the flour just before cooking, shaking off the extra.
- Heat 1½ tbsp of the remaining olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Lay in half the fillets, presentation side down, with space between them. Cook without moving until golden and they release, 2 to 3 minutes, then turn, add half the butter, and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, until opaque and flaking easily; the thickest fillet reads 145°F. Thin fillets get there fast, so check early. Wipe the pan and repeat with the rest of the oil, butter and fish.
- Spread the salad greens on plates, top with the potatoes and beans, and lay the crappie on top. Spoon the rest of the vinaigrette over everything and serve warm.
When it's done: 145°F
Federal guidance: 145°F, or until the flesh is no longer translucent and separates easily with a fork.
If it goes wrong
- Potatoes falling apart
- Drain them as soon as a knife slides in, and toss them gently.
- Fish sticking
- Let the oil get fully hot and do not move the fillets until they release on their own.
- Fish dry
- Crappie fillets are thin and overcook in a minute. Check the thickest one as soon as the second side has had a minute.
- Vinaigrette too sharp
- Whisk in another tablespoon of olive oil. Bland salad: dress the potatoes while they are still warm so they soak up the vinaigrette, then taste for salt.
Leftovers. Keep fish at 40°F or below until cooking. Eat right away; refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and reheat to 165°F.