Fish Lettuce Wraps

Until lettuce wraps made a big splash on the culinary scene (thanks to P.F. Chang’s restaurants), iceberg lettuce had fallen out of favor. Oh sure, you’d still see the occasional Lettuce Wedge with Blue Cheese and Bacon salad or the ubiquitous “salad mix” at restaurants, complete with shredded carrots and red cabbage, but that’s about it. Those who thumb their noses at pedestrian iceberg lettuce often tell me that it has no real nutritional value. True, but what’s better for you – fish wrapped in non-nutritious lettuce or a high-carb or high-fat tortilla? I’ll wait for your answer. In the meantime, try these fish wraps. In addition to the panfried fish recipe below, the fish can also be sautéed, pan seared, broiled, fried or grilled.

When preparing the lettuce cups, pick the largest, loosely packed heads. To make the leaves easier to remove, remove the lettuce core and soak in ice water for an hour. Separate the leaves and pat dry thoroughly with a paper towel. I usually buy 2 – 3 heads of lettuce for 4 people. The inside core can be used for salads later in the week.

Print Recipe

Fish Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

The Fish

• 1 1/2 lbs fish fillets cut into 2 ounce pieces
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsps salt
• 1/3 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

The Rest

• 2 tbls vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup onion finely diced
• 1/2 cup carrots finely diced
• 1/2 cup celery finely diced
• 1/4 cup bell pepper finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 cup mushrooms chopped
• 3 tbls soy sauce
• 2 tbls rice vinegar
• 12 lettuce cups
• 1/3 cup hoisin sauce
• Asian chili sauce sriracha, etc.

Instructions

The Fish Instructions

• Combine flour, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Dust fish pieces with flour mixture. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add fish pieces, a few at a time and brown evenly on all sides. Remove and keep warm.
• Wipe out pan used for fish and heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and next 4 ingredients. Stir-fry 3 - 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until soft. Add soy sauce and rice vinegar. Stir-fry until liquid is reduced to 2 – 3 tablespoons.
• To serve, spread a thin layer of hoisin on a lettuce cup, place one piece of fish and a couple of tablespoons of the vegetable mixture onto the fish. Top with a dot or two of the chili sauce. Fold one edge over, roll and eat.