Sole Dieppoise

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) lidded sauté pan
• •3-quart (3 L) pot with lid
• •2-quart (2 L) saucepan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Parchment paper
• •Flexible fish spatula
• •Large oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare fish and shellfish

   Pat the sole fillets completely dry. Fold each fillet in thirds with the tapered end tucked inside, making eight compact portions that will poach evenly. Keep them covered and cold while you scrub the mussels, pull away their beards, and rinse off every trace of grit.

   Discard any cracked mussel. If an open mussel does not close when tapped, discard that one too; only live shellfish belong in the pot.
2. 2

   Open the mussels

   Put the mussels and ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g) of the wine in a covered pot over medium-high heat. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, shaking the pot once or twice and lifting out mussels as they open. Discard any that remain closed. When cool enough to handle, remove the mussels from their shells and pull away any remaining beards. Strain the liquor through a fine sieve lined with damp paper, then measure ½ cup (120 ml) for poaching the sole. Keep the mussels covered; save any extra liquor for another fish sauce or soup.

3. 3

   Build white-wine sauce

   Melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes without letting it color. This roux, the butter-and-flour thickener, gives the sauce enough body to hold the later reduction. Gradually whisk in the remaining ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g) wine, followed by ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g) fumet. Simmer gently for 6 minutes, whisking occasionally, then add the cream and simmer for another 4 to 5 minutes, until the sauce lightly coats a spoon. Do not season it yet; the mussel liquor still has its say. If the sauce lumps, pass it through the fine sieve and return it to the pan.

4. 4

   Shallow-poach the sole

   Coat a broad lidded sauté pan with 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) butter. Arrange the folded sole seam-side down in one layer, season lightly with the salt and white pepper, then pour 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) fumet and the reserved ½ cup (120 ml) mussel liquor around the fish. Cover the surface with a circle of parchment, set on the lid, and bring the liquid just to a tremble. Lower the heat and poach for 5 to 7 minutes, lifting thinner pieces earlier if needed. The sole is ready when the center of each fold has turned pearly and opaque and separates under light pressure. A hard boil tightens delicate fish, so keep the liquid calm.

5. 5

   Poach the shrimp

   Warm a serving platter with hot water, dry it, and transfer the sole to it with a fish spatula. Cover loosely with parchment. Add the shrimp to the poaching liquor and hold it at the barest simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the shrimp are opaque and curled into loose crescents. Lift them out immediately. Strain the poaching liquor, wiping the sauté pan clean before returning the liquid to it.

6. 6

   Reduce by taste

   Boil the strained poaching liquor briskly, skimming away any pale foam, until roughly ½ cup (120 ml) remains. Taste it after every minute once it begins to concentrate. If the shellfish flavor is full before the liquid reaches that mark, stop reducing. If salt jumps forward because it went too far, ça se rattrape: whisk the concentrate into the prepared white-wine sauce a spoonful at a time, add cold water 1 tablespoon (15 ml) at a time if needed, and stop when the brininess is balanced. Add the white-wine sauce to the pan and simmer gently until nappante, thick enough to coat the back of a spoon while still flowing freely.

7. 7

   Mount and warm garnish

   Take the pan off the heat and monter au beurre, finish with cold butter, by whisking in the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) a few pieces at a time. The sauce should turn glossy and fall in a smooth ribbon. If it looks oily, keep it off the heat and whisk in 1 teaspoon (5 ml) cold water; the emulsion will come back. Add the mussels and shrimp, then warm them over the lowest heat for no more than 30 seconds. Do not boil the finished sauce.

8. 8

   Nap and serve

   Arrange the sole neatly down the center of the warm platter. Lift the mussels and shrimp from the sauce and form a generous ring around the fish, then coat the sole and shellfish with the white-wine sauce. Serve at once, while the fish remains tender and the sauce still gleams. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the fishmonger to skin and fillet two market-size Dover soles; a flatfish yields four fillets, giving you the eight needed here. Lemon sole, gray sole, or small flounder can stand in, though their fillets are more fragile and must be lifted earlier.
• •Use unsalted fumet. Purchased fish stock is often strongly seasoned, and this dish reduces its liquids twice; a salty stock leaves the sauce nowhere to go.
• •The mussel liquor is both foundation and seasoning. Strain it scrupulously because one grain of sand can spoil a whole spoonful, then salt the finished sauce only after reduction.
• •Serve with plainly boiled new potatoes or buttered rice, something quiet enough to receive the sauce. A cold Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine has the clean mineral edge to meet the shellfish without crowding the sole.

Advance Preparation

• •The white-wine sauce can be prepared through the cream up to one day ahead. Press parchment against its surface, chill it, and reheat gently before combining it with the reduced poaching liquor.
• •The mussels may be opened, shelled, and chilled up to 4 hours ahead. Cool them promptly and keep their strained liquor in a separate covered container.
• •The sole can be trimmed and folded up to 2 hours ahead, covered and kept very cold. Season only when it enters the poaching pan. Reduce the liquor, mount the sauce with butter, and coat the fish immediately before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 370g)