French Classics Made Easy (21 page)

[FILET DE SAUMON POCHÉ SAUCE BEURRE BLANC]

Poaching small fish or fish fillets is a quick technique used in French restaurants. Although classically such a dish would be made by poaching the fish in a court bouillon (light vegetable stock), I find the use of court bouillon advantageous only when poaching fish to be served cold (see Cold Poached Salmon with Green Mayonnaise, facing page). So I just poach fish fillets (salmon as here, or another thick fish such as sea bass or striped bass) in water, sometimes adding an acid such as vinegar, wine, or lemon juice if the fish is not extremely fresh.

The traditional sauce for poached fish is Hollandaise Sauce (
page 326
), but I prefer to serve it with beurre blanc. You should have everything you want to serve ready before starting to poach the fish since it cooks in just a few minutes.

SERVES 6

3 pounds salmon fillet, skinned, cut into individual serving pieces, and rinsed well in cold water

⅓ cup white (distilled) vinegar, juice of

1 lemon, or 1 cup dry white wine (optional) Beurre Blanc (
page 329
)

1.
Place the salmon fillets in a large non-aluminum skillet or Dutch oven and add water to cover the fillets by an inch or more. Remove the fillets and set aside. Bring the water to a boil. If the fish is not extremely fresh, add the vinegar, lemon juice, or white wine.

2.
Immerse the fish in the boiling water and adjust the heat so that the water barely simmers; do not let it boil. Cooking time is approximately 8 to 10 minutes per inch of thickness of the fish. When done, the fish will be firm yet springy to the touch.

3.
Remove the fish from the water using a skimmer or slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

4.
To serve: Place the fish on warm plates or a platter and cover with the beurre blanc before serving.

IN ADDITION

When poaching large pieces or whole fish, it is important to start with a cool or cold stock (with small fish or fillets you start with boiling stock). Fish does not need much heat to cook and is therefore poached at a simmer. If you place the fish in hot stock, or if you bring the cold stock to a simmer too rapidly, it will usually overcook the outside while undercooking the center of the fish.

SERVING SUGGESTION

The fish is usually served only with rice or steamed potatoes. The delicate flavor of the fish and sauce go well with the relatively bland flavor of the starches, while a more assertive vegetable would upset the balance of flavors. In such cases I will often serve a vegetable first course or start with a mixed green salad.

WINE

Muscadet, Pouilly-Fuissé, and Chardonnay all go well with poached salmon.

COLD POACHED SALMON ALMON
WITH GREEN MAYONNAISE

[SAUMON POCHÉ SAUCE VERTE]

Here is a classic French summer buffet dish. Poaching a whole salmon is an elegant way to serve this majestic fish, provided you have a fish poacher the size of your salmon. The fish is cooked in a light vegetable stock (court bouillon) in which it is then allowed to partially cool, thus keeping the fish moist and flavorful.

SERVES 6 TO 8

2 quarts water

2 carrots, sliced

1 onion, sliced

1 shallot, sliced

Bouquet Garni (
page 306
)

½ cup white (distilled) vinegar

3- to 4-pound center cut piece of fresh salmon or 5-pound whole salmon

3 lemons, sliced

1 bunch parsley Green Mayonnaise (
page 334
)

1.
Make the court bouillon: In a 4-quart saucepan, combine the water, carrots, onion, shallot, bouquet garni, and vinegar and simmer for

20 minutes. Strain, discarding the solids, and let cool to room temperature.

2.
Place the salmon in a fish poacher, or in a pan large enough to hold it, and cover it with the court bouillon. Slowly bring to a simmer over medium to medium-high heat, about 20 minutes.

3.
Allow the fish to simmer, but not boil, for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand 15 to 20 minutes.

4.
Remove the fish from the poaching liquid and transfer it to a serving platter lined with a white cloth napkin or paper towel to absorb the excess moisture and keep the fish from sliding on the platter. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (up to 24 hours ahead).

5.
To serve: Remove the skin from the top side of the fish and decorate both the fish and platter with lemon slices and sprigs of parsley. Serve the green mayonnaise on the side, or coat the fish with the sauce.

P
RESENTATION OF THE
S
ALMON

Cold Poached Salmon is a wonderful dish for entertaining, since it is done well ahead of time and is as simple as it is impressive. For a more decorative presentation, you can coat the salmon with the green mayonnaise and use very thin, overlapping cucumber slices to create a scale pattern on top of the fish.

VARIATION

The salmon can also be served hot. If the salmon is extremely fresh, you can simply poach it in lightly salted water, otherwise poach it in the same court bouillon as for the cold salmon (steps 1 and 2). In step 3, let the salmon stand in the hot poaching liquid for only 5 minutes. Transfer the fish to a serving platter and prepare for presentation as described in step 5, serving Hollandaise Sauce (
page 326
) in place of the green mayonnaise.

SOLE FILLETS
WITH POACHED MUSHROOMS AND SHRIMP SAUCE

[FILET DE SOLE GRANVILLE]

This is an example of just how good a classic recipe can be. Traditional Sole Granville was made with a whole fish that was surrounded by shrimp and mushrooms and decorated with truffles. I use sole fillets in place of the whole fish, and often leave out the truffle. I have also cut back considerably on the egg yolks, cream, and butter normally used in the recipe.

In France this would be made with Dover sole—a firm and delicious fish, which you can at times get in this country, although it is extremely expensive. If your market has Dover sole, I recommend trying it here, but failing that, you can use any of the many varieties of flatfish native to American waters: The most common are grey, lemon, Rex, and petrale sole; flounder; fluke; and dab. The two varieties I find closest in texture to Dover sole are grey sole and petrale sole.

SERVES 6

POACHED MUSHROOMS

¾ pound button mushrooms, washed

Juice of ½ lemon

Pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper

SAUCE PARISIENNE

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups Fish Stock (
page 306
)

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 egg yolks

⅓ cup heavy cream

¾ pound medium shrimp, shelled, deveined (see
page 101
), and cooked

1 medium (¾-inch) black truffle, diced (optional)

FISH AND FINISHING

2 tablespoons butter

3 shallots, chopped

2 pounds grey sole fillets, folded in half (see “Folding a Fillet,”
page 97
)

½ cup Fish Stock (
page 306
)

½ cup dry white wine

1 medium (¾-inch) black truffle, sliced (optional)

1.
Poach the mushrooms: Place the mushrooms in a saucepan and add enough water to come halfway up their sides. Add the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Cover the pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes. (The mushrooms can be poached ahead. Store in the poaching liquid.)

2.
Drain the mushrooms, reserving the poaching liquid. Place the poaching liquid in a small saucepan and reduce over high heat to ¼ cup, about 3 minutes.

3.
Make the sauce: In a medium-size saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook until pale yellow, 30 to 45 seconds.

4.
Add the fish stock and the reserved reduced mushroom liquid. Bring to a boil while whisking. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, skimming off the butter and impurities as they rise to the surface. Season with the salt and pepper and whisk well.

5.
In a small bowl, blend the egg yolks and cream together. Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in the egg yolk–cream mixture. Return to medium heat and whisk the sauce until it returns to a simmer. Remove from the heat and gently stir in the mushrooms, shrimp, and diced truffle (if using). Cover the surface of the sauce with plastic wrap. (The sauce can be made 1 day ahead to this point and refrigerated. Reheat gently.)

6.
Prepare the fish: Butter a 12-inch skillet with 1 tablespoon of the butter and sprinkle with the chopped shallots. Place the folded fillets in the pan and add the fish stock and wine. Cut a piece of wax paper to fit over the surface of the fish. Place it on the fish and cover with the pan lid. (The fish can be prepared up to 1 hour in advance and kept at room temperature.) Reheat the sauce in a water bath (
bain-marie
).

8.
With a skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer the fish to a hot platter, overlapping the fillets around the outside of the platter. Cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Blot up any excess liquid from the platter with paper towels. Reduce the fish-poaching liquid over high heat until only 2 tablespoons remain, 4 to 5 minutes.

7.
Bring the skillet to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the fish is white and opaque throughout, about 10 minutes.

9.
With a slotted spoon or skimmer, remove the shrimp, mushrooms, and diced truffle from the sauce and place in the center of the platter.

10.
Strain the reduced fish-poaching liquid into the sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary, and whisk well over high heat until the sauce just begins to boil. Remove the sauce from the heat, beat in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, and spoon or pour the sauce over the sole. Use the sliced truffle to decorate the fish, if desired, and serve immediately.

S
KINNING
F
ISH
F
ILLETS

Two ways to make not perfectly fresh fish taste fresher are skinning and soaking the fish in ice water for 10 to 15 minutes before cooking. Cooking the skin heightens any fishy flavors that exist in the fish itself.

1.
Place the fillet skin side down. Start at the tail and cut a little of the fish away from the skin so you can grab the skin with your fingers.