Filets de Soles Marinette

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) wide sauté pan or fish poacher
• •1-quart (1-liter) saucepan
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Flexible fish knife and two broad fish slices
• •Wire racks and two sheet pans
• •6-quart (5.7-liter) heavy pot for deep-frying
• •Clip-on frying thermometer and instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Chill the Béchamel

   Melt the butter for the Béchamel in a small saucepan over gentle heat. Stir in its flour and cook for one minute without coloring, then whisk in the milk. Simmer, whisking, until the Béchamel is very thick and leaves the pan clean behind the whisk, about two minutes. Scrape it onto a small plate, press parchment directly against its surface, and refrigerate until completely cold. You need only 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (20 ml / 20 g); this compact batch replaces the spoonful a saucier would have waiting.

2. 2

   Make mushroom liquor

   Combine the mushrooms, water, lemon juice, butter, and salt in a covered saucepan. Bring them to a gentle boil and cook for six minutes, just until the mushrooms surrender their clear, savory liquor. Strain without pressing, measure 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) of the cooking liquor, and reserve it. Keep the mushrooms for an omelet or another sauce; they have done their work here.

3. 3

   Poach and lift

   Pour 2 cups (480 ml / 480 g) of the fish fumet and the measured mushroom cooking liquor into a wide sauté pan. Lay in one sole, cover it with a parchment cartouche, and bring the liquid only to a tremble. Poach for 6 to 9 minutes, depending on thickness, until the flesh has turned opaque and releases cleanly from the backbone. Transfer it to a towel-lined rack and repeat with the second sole in the same liquor. Reserve the liquor. While each fish is still lukewarm, run a flexible knife along the backbone, lift the two upper fillets, remove the frame, and lift the two lower fillets. Trim the eight fillets into four matching pairs. If one tears, fit the pieces together in their original shape; the cold filling and Villeroy will bind them.

4. 4

   Build cheese paste

   Beat the eggs thoroughly. Stir in 120 g each of Gruyère and Parmesan, the cold Béchamel, salt, and cayenne. The paste must be dense enough to hold a spatula upright, not merely thick enough to spoon. Egg sizes and grated cheese vary, so add the remaining cheeses in equal weights, a spoonful at a time, until the paste stands firmly. If it spreads into a puddle, stop and add more of both cheeses equally. Ça se rattrape.

5. 5

   Fill and set

   Lay four fillets on a parchment-lined tray. Spread the cheese paste over them in an even 1-inch (2.5 cm) layer, leaving a narrow margin so the filling does not squeeze through the seams. Cover with the matching fillets and straighten the sides with a small palette knife. If the layers slide now, lift off the upper fillet and thicken the paste with equal quantities of both cheeses before rebuilding. Refrigerate for at least one hour, until the sandwiches feel rigid and the filling does not shift beneath a light fingertip. This cold set is the dish's governing principle.

6. 6

   Cook the Villeroy

   Strain 1½ cups (360 ml / 360 g) of the reserved sole poaching liquor. If needed, complete the measure with some of the remaining fish fumet. Melt the butter for the Villeroy sauce, stir in its flour, and cook the roux for two minutes without coloring. Whisk in the hot liquor gradually, then simmer for 6 to 8 minutes until the sauce falls from the whisk in a heavy ribbon. Whisk ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g) of the cream with the egg yolks, temper this liaison with several spoonfuls of hot sauce, and return everything to the pan. Cook over low heat without boiling until the Villeroy heavily coats a spoon, then season carefully. If it turns grainy, remove it from the heat, whisk in a tablespoon of the reserved cold cream, and strain it. Ça se rattrape. Let the sauce cool until warm and thick but still fluid.

7. 7

   Coat and chill

   Using two broad fish slices, lower each cold sole sandwich into the warm Villeroy and turn it carefully, coating the top, bottom, and seams in an even layer about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick. Set the coated fillets on a clean parchment-lined rack. The sauce should begin setting within a minute; if it slides off, it is too warm, so wait five minutes and try again. Chill the coated fillets for at least one hour, until the Villeroy is cold, matte, and firm enough to touch without marking.

8. 8

   Paner à l’anglaise

   Arrange the coating station in order: flour, the prepared Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174), then fine breadcrumbs. Dust each cold fillet sandwich lightly but completely with flour, dip it in the Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174), and press breadcrumbs over every surface, paying close attention to the seams. This is paner à l’anglaise, coating with flour, seasoned egg preparation, and crumbs so hot fat seals the parcel instantly. Inspect each crust before chilling it for 20 to 30 minutes. Patch any crack with flour, Anglaise, and crumbs in that order.

9. 9

   Fry and serve

   Heat the frying fat in a deep, heavy pot to 355°F (180°C), allowing enough empty space above it for safe bubbling. Fry the fillets two at a time for 5 to 7 minutes, turning once if they float, until the crust is evenly butter-gold and the center reaches 160°F (71°C) when tested carefully from the side. Keep the fat near 345°F (175°C); if the crust colors before the center is hot, lower the heat to 330°F (165°C) and continue gently. Drain on a rack, never in a heap, while the fat returns to temperature. Arrange the four fillets on a warm oval platter lined with a clean folded napkin, with very green parsley all around. Serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the fishmonger to skin and clean the soles but leave them whole on the bone. Poaching on the frame protects the delicate flesh and lets the fillets lift in neat, matching pieces while lukewarm.
• •If whole Dover sole is unavailable, use eight equal skinless sole fillets, about 3 ounces (85 g) each. Poach them only until opaque, then pair them by size. This changes the book's whole-fish lifting step, but it preserves the intended layered construction.
• •Grate both cheeses finely and weigh equal amounts. Pre-grated cheese carries starch and dries into pebbles; freshly grated cheese binds with the egg into the stiff paste this preparation requires.
• •Keep the assembled fillets cold between every operation. Warm filling slides, warm Villeroy sheds its crumbs, and neither failure improves in the fryer.
• •Serve with a dry white Burgundy or a firm, mineral Champagne. The wine needs enough acidity for the fried crust and enough body for the Gruyère, Parmesan, butter, and cream.

Advance Preparation

• •The sole sandwiches can be filled, chilled, coated with Villeroy, and refrigerated up to one day ahead. Once the coating is firm, cover them without pressing wrap against the surface.
• •Paner à l’anglaise up to four hours before serving and keep the breaded fillets uncovered in the refrigerator so the crust stays dry.
• •Frying is the one operation that waits for the guests. Have the platter, parsley, rack, and thermometer ready before the fat is heated.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 460g)