Turbot

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •16 to 18 inch turbot or fish poacher with rack, or a deep roasting pan large enough to hold the fish flat
• •Double-layer cheesecloth sling if the pan has no lifting rack
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Large warmed oval platter, sauce boat, and separate potato bowl
• •Wide fish slice

Instructions

1. 1

   Choose the referenced method

   Use The Boiling of Fish in Salted Water (No. 776) for this whole turbot. The Poaching of Fish (No. 779) remains the source's alternate path for smaller fish and fillets, where a buttered pan and a little fumet suit the thinner flesh; do not combine the two methods. Here the whole fish starts cold so its flesh warms evenly without shrinking hard enough to split.

   The word "boiling" names the book's method, not the heat used throughout. After the first boil, the fish finishes at a bare tremble.
2. 2

   Fit the whole fish

   Set the cleaned turbot in the empty pan before adding liquid. It must lie flat without bending at the head or tail. Place it white side down and dark side up on the poacher rack; if using a deep roasting pan, lay it on a double thickness of damp cheesecloth with enough cloth at each end to form a secure lifting sling. Tuck the ends safely inside the pan. Measure how much cold water covers the fish by about 1 inch, then lift or drain that water into a measuring jug so the milk and salt can be calculated accurately.

3. 3

   Ready sauce and service

   Prepare the chosen classical sauce for fish according to its own recipe, then hold it only as warmly as that sauce permits. Fill the sauce boat and serving platter with hot tap water so both are warm when needed, then empty and dry them just before service. Set the peeled potatoes in their saucepan with the measured cold water and salt, but do not light the burner yet. The turbot will not wait while a cold sauce boat, an unfinished potato, or an elaborate garnish occupies the cook.

   If the chosen sauce is a butter emulsion and it loosens while waiting, remove it from the heat and whisk in a teaspoon of cool water. Ça se rattrape. A roux-based or reduced sauce should follow the rescue given in its own recipe.
4. 4

   Build the salted liquor

   Return the turbot to the pan and pour over the measured cold water. Add whole milk equal to one-eighth of the water volume, then add fine sea salt at one-quarter ounce for every quart of water. This is the fish-specific application of The Boiling of Fish in Salted Water (No. 776): cold liquid for a large whole fish, milk for whiteness, and no herbs or acid to cover the turbot's clean flavor. Cover the pan and heat it gradually over medium-low heat. When fine bubbles cling to the pan but have not begun rising, light the burner under the potatoes.

5. 5

   Hold the gentle poach

   Watch the fish pan closely. At the first true boil, skim away the pale foam, pull the pan partly off the heat, and lower the burner until the liquid only trembles. Cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes more, depending on the turbot's thickness. The flesh beside the central backbone is done when it reaches 140 to 145°F (60 to 63°C), looks pearly and opaque, and yields cleanly when tested with the tip of a thin knife. If the water rolls hard, move the pan completely off the heat and pour half a cup of cold water around the edge, never directly onto the fish; once calm, return it to the lowest heat. Catch it promptly and the flesh will still be splendid.

   Test beside the backbone without touching bone, which can give a misleading temperature. Make one discreet opening and trust the flesh: pearly, moist, and ready to separate in broad flakes.
6. 6

   Finish the potatoes

   Bring the potatoes just to a boil, then lower them to a gentle simmer. Cook for 18 to 25 minutes, until a thin knife slips through the center without resistance and the edges have begun to look floury. If one starts to crack, lower the heat and drain the lot as soon as the centers are tender. Return them to the empty warm saucepan for one minute so their surfaces dry, then move them to a warmed serving bowl and cover loosely.

7. 7

   Drain and dress

   Lift the turbot by its rack or cheesecloth sling and let it drain over the pan for 3 minutes. Set it dark side up on a board, loosen the dark skin near the tail with a small knife, and peel it gently toward the head while the fish is still warm. Transfer the turbot to the warmed oval platter, preferably over a clean folded lint-free napkin or low draining insert, then arrange only the parsley around it. No ring of potatoes and no pool of sauce. Those delays flatter the eye and cool the fish.

8. 8

   Serve without delay

   Carry the turbot to the table immediately, with the floury potatoes in their own warm bowl and the sauce in its warmed boat. Lift the two upper fillets away from the backbone with a fish slice, remove the backbone in one piece, then serve the lower fillets. Spoon sauce onto each portion only after it reaches the plate. This separate service is not fussiness; it protects the heat and texture that the whole method was built to preserve. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Measure the pan before buying the fish. Turbot is broad rather than merely long, and a splendid fish bent against the corners of a roasting pan is already in trouble. Ask the fishmonger for a thick, fleshy specimen that will lie flat in your vessel.
• •The salt is a formula, not a guess: one-quarter ounce for every quart of fish water. Measure the water your own pan requires, then scale both salt and milk from that amount.
• •Milk enters at one-eighth of the water volume. It helps keep the flesh pale and handsome but should never turn the liquor into a milky bath; more is not better.
• •Choose any classical sauce intended for fish, but make it before the turbot reaches its first boil. If the sauce calls for butter or cream, use the real thing. A substitute changes its structure as well as its flavor.
• •A taut, dry white wine suits the clean richness of turbot. Chablis brings mineral severity, while a restrained white Burgundy gives the fish a broader partner without covering it.

Advance Preparation

• •Have the fishmonger gut the turbot, remove the gills, and trim the sharp fins. Keep it covered on a rack over a tray in the cold and cook it within 8 hours.
• •The potatoes may be peeled and halved up to 2 hours ahead. Hold them completely submerged in cold water, then replace that water with the measured fresh cooking water before lighting the burner.
• •Prepare any stable sauce base earlier in the day, but finish and hold the sauce according to its own method. Warm the platter, potato bowl, and sauce boat just before the fish reaches its first boil.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 500g)