Turban de Filets de Soles et Saumon Villaret

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •7-inch (18 cm), approximately 4-cup (1 litre) savarin or ring mould
• •Deep roasting pan for the bain-marie
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Thin flexible spatula
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Kitchen shears

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the lobster butter

   Break the reserved cooked lobster shell into thumb-sized pieces with kitchen shears. Melt the 6 tablespoons butter over low heat, add the shell, and cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring and pressing the pieces until the butter turns coral and smells unmistakably of lobster. Keep the milk solids pale. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing firmly; you need about 3 tablespoons of lobster butter for the sauce. Keep it fluid but not hot.

   If your fishmonger sells good prepared lobster butter, use 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 42 g) and omit this extraction. This is pantry scaffolding, not the heart of the dish.
2. 2

   Cut matching fish strips

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Lay the sole between sheets of parchment and gently even out any thick portions without crushing the flesh. Cut four neat strips, using the natural size of the fillets as your guide. Slice the salmon on a shallow angle into four pieces matching the sole in length, width, and thickness, about 5 by 13 cm and 4 to 5 mm thick. Season both fish lightly with half the salt and white pepper. Equal strips are the principle of the Villaret crown: they must bend and cook at the same rate.

3. 3

   Line the mould

   Butter a 7-inch (18 cm), roughly 4-cup (1 litre) savarin mould generously. Lay one sole strip crosswise through the ring channel, prettiest face against the mould, then place a salmon strip beside it, overlapping the long edges by about ¼ inch (6 mm). Continue around the mould, alternating white and orange, and tuck the ends neatly against the inner and outer walls. Patch any small gap on the hidden inside with a fish trimming. If a strip tears, overlap it rather than discarding it; ça se rattrape. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the garnish and sauce.

4. 4

   Prepare the garnish

   Cut the lobster meat into generous medallions and bite-sized pieces. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a wide skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the mushrooms until their released liquid evaporates and their edges turn bronze, 6 to 8 minutes. Season lightly with some of the remaining salt and pepper, then set them beside the lobster. The lobster is already cooked, so do not add it to the hot pan and tighten it into rubber.

5. 5

   Build the Béchamel

   Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes without allowing it to colour; this is a roux blanc, a white roux, and cooking it removes the raw flour taste. Add all but the reserved ¼ cup warm milk in several additions, whisking each one smooth before adding the next. Simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring into the corners, until the Béchamel is silky and coats the back of a spoon. Season with nutmeg and the remaining salt and white pepper. Press parchment directly onto its surface and hold it over very low heat.

6. 6

   Poach the crown

   Set the mould in a roasting pan. Cover the fish directly with a round of parchment, then cover the mould loosely with foil. Pour recently boiled water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the mould, forming the bain-marie. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the fish is just opaque and the centre of a thick strip reaches 145°F (63°C). A hard oven contracts the fish and opens the seams; the bain-marie keeps the crown tender and evenly set.

7. 7

   Unmould without haste

   Lift the mould from the bain-marie, uncover it, and rest it for 3 minutes. Tip it carefully over the sink to drain the collected fish juices, then loosen only the inner and outer rims with a thin flexible spatula. Invert a warmed serving platter over the mould and turn both together. If the crown clings, lay a hot damp towel over the mould for 20 seconds and try again; do not shake it. The butter will release before the fish does.

8. 8

   Finish sauce and serve

   Bring the Béchamel back to the faintest simmer, then remove it from the heat. Whisk in about 3 tablespoons lobster butter a spoonful at a time until the sauce is coral-ivory, glossy, and softly flowing. If it turns greasy, stop and whisk 1 tablespoon of the reserved cold milk in a clean saucepan, then add the sauce gradually; ça se rattrape. Fold the lobster and mushrooms into one-third of the sauce just long enough to warm them, then spoon this garnish into the centre of the crown. Pool some remaining sauce around the base and send the rest in a warm sauceboat so the white and orange bands remain visible. À table!

Chef Tips

• •True sole gives the broad, supple fillets this mould wants. Lemon sole or a firm, thin flounder can stand in when necessary, but thick white fish will not bend cleanly around the mould.
• •The salmon must be vividly red because the contrast is part of Villaret, not decoration added afterward. Sockeye provides the colour, but it is lean, so slice it no thicker than the sole and trust the gentle bain-marie.
• •Lobster butter should taste of shellfish before it tastes of butter. If a prepared version smells merely salty or looks fluorescent, make the small batch from the reserved shell instead.
• •The finished crown waits badly. Assemble the components ahead, then poach, unmould, and sauce it close to serving so the sole remains tender and the Béchamel stays supple.
• •Pour a dry white Burgundy with enough body for the lobster butter, or brut Champagne for a celebration. Both carry the sauce without bullying the sole.

Advance Preparation

• •The lobster butter can be made up to 3 days ahead, covered, and refrigerated. Melt it only until fluid before finishing the Béchamel.
• •The fish may be trimmed and arranged in the buttered mould up to 4 hours ahead. Cover it closely and keep it cold, then poach it shortly before serving.
• •Make the Béchamel up to 1 day ahead without the lobster butter. Press parchment directly onto the surface, refrigerate, and reheat gently with a little reserved milk before completing the lobster-butter finish.
• •Pick the lobster meat and brown the mushrooms earlier on the day of serving. Keep them separate and cold, then warm them briefly in the finished sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 340g)