Halibut, Chard and Potato Casserole

Halibut, Chard and Potato Casserole
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
1 hour 45 minutes
Rating
4(227)
Notes
Read community notes

This is based on a comforting Majorcan dish that is traditionally made with hake, a fish that isn’t as easy to find here as halibut or Arctic char, both of which I’ve used for the dish. Pacific halibut is the type that gets the Environmental Defense Fund’s highest rating. Make sure to cover this tightly so the fish doesn’t dry out. An hour seems like a long time to cook fish, but the fish is well insulated and won’t dry out.

Featured in: Flavorful and Sustainable Fish

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings
  • 2tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1medium onion, chopped
  • 2garlic cloves, minced
  • 114-ounce can chopped tomatoes, with juice
  • Salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1generous bunch Swiss chard 1¾ to 2 pounds, stemmed and washed
  • 1pound Yukon gold potatoes or fingerlings, scrubbed and sliced
  • 1cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped ½ cup chopped
  • 2pounds Pacific halibut or Arctic char fillets
  • ½cup dry white wine
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

469 calories; 25 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 22 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 35 grams protein; 984 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a heavy lidded casserole or Dutch oven.

  2. Step 2

    Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes, and stir in the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Stir in the tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly and smell fragrant.

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, steam the chard for 2 to 3 minutes, until just wilted. Rinse briefly with cold water, squeeze out excess water, and chop coarsely.

  4. Step 4

    Place a spoonful of the tomato sauce in the bottom of the casserole. Season the potato slices with salt and pepper and arrange in a layer in the bottom of the casserole.

  5. Step 5

    In a large bowl toss together the chard, salt and pepper, and parsley. Lay half of this mixture over the potatoes. Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper and lay on top of the chard. Pour half the tomato sauce over the fish. Top with the remaining chard mixture and pour on the remaining tomato sauce. Pour in the wine and drizzle on the remaining olive oil. Cover tightly and place in the oven.

  6. Step 6

    Bake 1 hour, until the potatoes are tender. Serve hot or warm.

Tip
  • Advance preparation: You can make the tomato sauce up to three days ahead. You can assemble this casserole several hours before you bake it. Refrigerate until ready to bake.

Ratings

4 out of 5
227 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

This is a healthy dish and the flavors are scrumptious, but I think the cook time should match the star ingredient -- the fish -- and not the potatoes. I used a mandolin and still ended up with slightly under-cooked potatoes. Meanwhile, the halibut, while moist, was no longer sweet and tender. My advice: steam the potatoes before adding them to the casserole and take the dish out of the oven as soon as the fish is done.

I am not sure where to start, except that after two bites, my husband and I looked at each other, walked into the kitchen and promptly scraped our plates into the garbage. $30 worth of cod, ruined by this recipe. I had some reservations, as I do with most MRS recipes, as they seem to lean far towards "healthy" & far away from flavorful. I followed the recipe exactly, except for the addition of some bacon to the chard, which I lightly sauteed. It was incredibly watery and tasted only of chard.

We found this disappointing. It was rather bland. Might be better with a little more kick from spices or aromatics.

Fabulous with pre-washed baby spinach - no need to steam or squeeze dry - and plenty of fresh ground pepper!

Too wet as instructed. Roast potatoes separately and bed fish open faced in the sauce with capers.

I make a version of this dish layering potatoes, red peppers, tomatoes, and fennel in a baking dish and baking that for 45 minutes or so, and then putting the fish fillets on top for an additional 15 minutes.

I love this recipe. Have made it several times - and only the first time with halibut. I find it is a super way to use mahi mahi (less expensive) and even works for prev frozen. The key is to make sure your fish is “steak like” and skin off. I make more of the chard and tomato mixture, and always allow a bit more time for the potatoes to cook. It IS healthy, and it’s a winner.

You have to overcook the fish in order to cook the potatoes long enough. Not a good outcome.

Have made this at least 6 times and someone is always asking for the recipe. Love it with arctic char and mahi mahi too - just need to ask the fish monger to remove the skin (personally dont like the texture) or the chard will stick. Use 2 bunches of char. Must slice potatoes thin or will take longer than 1 hr to cook. But sooooo good!

Have made this several times and with all types of fish. Obviously - we think it’s both healthy and wonderful. Greens, potatoes and fish are some of our favorite things! Important to slice the potatoes thinly and use any fish without skin. And yes - you do need the salt in the various places called for in the recipe.

I really appreciate this recipe. I actually find it astonishing that some chose to throw out their food. It’s a pretty standard ingredients that have predictable flavors. I enjoyed it and will make it again. I used red potatoes and cut the potatoes to 1/4 inch. They were completely cooked after an hour. I also use the Dutch oven with a lid. Thanks for a wonderful dinner!

This was amazing with sweet potatoes, loads of baby chard and parsley from the garden, and 1 pound cod loin for 4 servings. So many wonderful veggies and perfectly cooked fish. Dutch oven for 50 mins.

I'm a relatively newbie in the kitchen and a pescatarian. I followed the recipe and it came out perfectly! Flavorful, fish was flaky and not dry. I used the baby purple and red potatoes, slice them into about 5 discs per potato - all was cooked to perfection. My only difference what that it did not plate up like the picture. It is now a dinner fave in our house!

Best recipe I have found for using frozen arctic char. Everyone liked it. Will def make again. Might try with polenta instead of potatoes.

Beautiful dish great for entertaining as you can make ahead. Season all the components very well, use high fresh fish and great wine - you will be rewarded.

This is a healthy dish and the flavors are scrumptious, but I think the cook time should match the star ingredient -- the fish -- and not the potatoes. I used a mandolin and still ended up with slightly under-cooked potatoes. Meanwhile, the halibut, while moist, was no longer sweet and tender. My advice: steam the potatoes before adding them to the casserole and take the dish out of the oven as soon as the fish is done.

I added Kalamata olives and put the wine in the tomato sauce. I cooked the sauce for longer than suggested given concerns about liquid. Also, used the pre-washed spinach as recommended below. I thought it did an amazing job on the halibut - cooked to perfection!

It’s in the oven. Going to be great. I changed it by making this into a wanna be shepherds pie. Put mashed potatoes on the top. I’ll check it at 45 minutes because I don’t have to wait for the potatoes to cook. Also I used collard greens because it’s in the garden. I always up the seasoning in everything( just usually not the salt). I ended up using 7 large cloves of garlic. My husband can’t taste it if I don’t. I smells fantastic!

It was fine. Sort of a fish stew as everything gets very wet. Did taste strongly of chard and seem like a healthy dish more so than focused on flavor.

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