John Dory (St. Pierre)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
• •Thin flexible fish spatula
• •Fish-bone tweezers
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Warm oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the fillets

   Run your fingertips over each fillet and pull any remaining pin bones with tweezers. Trim only ragged edges, preserving as much flesh as possible, then pat the fish thoroughly dry on both sides. Set it uncovered on a rack or clean towel while you arrange the pan. Moisture turns the flour to paste, and paste steams instead of forming the fine crust meunière requires.

   John Dory fillets are naturally irregular. Don't carve them into identical rectangles and throw good fish away; even thickness matters more than matching shapes.
2. 2

   Set the station

   Put the lemon juice and chopped parsley beside the stove, with the unsalted butter measured and ready. Warm an oval platter, then remove it from the heat. The sauce takes only minutes and waits for nobody, so this small mise en place replaces the extra hands of a brigade.

3. 3

   Flour at the last moment

   Season the fillets evenly with the salt and white pepper. Spread the flour in a shallow dish, coat only the first two fillets, and shake them firmly until nothing remains but a whisper-thin veil. Flour the second pair while the first cooks. If flour sits on damp fish, it becomes glue; last-minute flouring is not brigade ceremony, it is the meunière.

4. 4

   Sauté until golden

   Heat 2 tablespoons of the clarified butter in a 12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers without smoking. Lay in two fillets, smooth presentation side down, and cook without disturbing them for 2 to 3 minutes, until a narrow golden edge appears. If a fillet clings, don't pry at it. Give the crust another 20 seconds and ease a fish spatula underneath; ça se rattrape, and the fillet will release when its flour has browned. Turn once and cook the second side for 1 to 2 minutes, until the flesh is opaque at the edges, pearly at the centre, and reaches 145°F (63°C) at its thickest point. Transfer to the warm platter and repeat with 2 more tablespoons clarified butter and the remaining fillets. If the first butter has collected black flour specks, wipe out the skillet and use the reserved clarified butter rather than carrying bitterness into the next batch.

5. 5

   Make the beurre noisette

   Wipe any scorched flour from the skillet and lower the heat to medium. Add 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Swirl as it melts, foams, and quiets; when the milk solids turn hazelnut brown and smell toasted, pull the pan from the heat immediately. If the colour races too quickly, set the pan on a folded damp towel and keep swirling. If the solids turn black or smell acrid, discard the butter, wipe the pan, and begin again with the reserved butter. Burnt butter cannot be disguised, but the sauce can still be rescued.

6. 6

   Finish with lemon

   Standing back from the first lively sputter, add the lemon juice to the beurre noisette and swirl until the butter looks glossy. Stir in the parsley and taste one drop for salt and acidity. If it tastes sharp rather than bright, soften it with a small knob of the reserved butter. Spoon the sauce over and around the fillets, making sure each receives some of the toasted milk solids. Serve at once with the lemon wedges. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the fishmonger to skin, fillet, and pin-bone the Saint-Pierre. The whole fish carries a large head, heavy bones, and defensive spines, so its yield is modest; for four portions, expect to buy roughly 3½ to 4 pounds (1.6 to 1.8 kg) of whole fish.
• •Fresh John Dory flesh should look moist and pearly, never chalky or dry, with a clean marine scent. Technique first, always, but this quick preparation has nowhere for tired fish to hide.
• •Clarified butter belongs under the fish because its milk solids have been removed and won't burn at sautéing heat. Whole butter belongs in the final beurre noisette because those same milk solids provide the hazelnut colour and flavour. C'est la même grammaire, two forms of butter doing two different jobs.
• •Serve with pommes vapeur, simply boiled potatoes, or buttered spinach to catch the sauce. A dry Muscadet or another brisk Atlantic white has enough acidity for the butter without trampling the fish.
• •Saint-Pierre is best eaten immediately. If a fillet remains, chill it within two hours and use it cold the following day; reheating tightens this delicate flesh.

Advance Preparation

• •The fillets can be trimmed, pin-boned, and dried up to 4 hours ahead. Keep them uncovered on a rack in the cold, then season and flour only when the skillet is ready.
• •The parsley can be chopped and the lemon juiced up to 2 hours ahead, each covered separately in the cold.
• •Clarified butter can be prepared several days ahead and kept covered in the cold. Bring it close to room temperature before cooking so it melts evenly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 175g)