Turbotin à l’Amiral

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Snug deep roasting pan large enough to hold the whole turbot
• •Wire rack that fits inside the roasting pan
• •Flexible filleting knife
• •Fine-mesh sieve and cheesecloth
• •Small heavy saucepan for beurre d’écrevisse
• •Deep saucepan or fryer with thermometer
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Slotted spoon or frying spider
• •Warm oval serving platter
• •Sauceboat and deep timbale

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the court-bouillon

   Put the Sauterne, water, onion, carrot, reserved mushroom stems, bouquet garni, salt, and peppercorns in a wide pot. Bring them slowly to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, then strain. The court-bouillon must be cooked before it touches the turbot, just as the source directs; otherwise the vegetables remain raw while the delicate fish is already done. Reserve 1 cup (240 ml) for the shellfish and mushrooms, then keep the rest ready for poaching.

   Use the smallest roasting pan that holds the fish flat. A snug vessel lets this quantity cover the turbot without diluting the Sauterne court-bouillon.
2. 2

   Make the red butter

   Chill the crayfish tails for the patties. Crush the shells and heads coarsely, put them in a small saucepan with the ¾ cup butter, and cook over very gentle heat for 15 to 20 minutes, pressing the shells occasionally. The butter should turn coral-red and smell distinctly of crayfish without browning. Strain it through a fine sieve lined with damp cheesecloth and press firmly; this is beurre d’écrevisse, the red crayfish butter used both on the fish and in the sauce Normande. If the colour is pale, return the shells and butter to low heat for another 5 minutes. Do not scorch it in pursuit of red.

   Keep the butter below a sizzle. Browned milk solids would cover the clean shellfish flavour the dish needs.
3. 3

   Poach the shellfish

   Bring ¾ cup (180 ml) of the reserved court-bouillon to a lively simmer in a covered saucepan. Add the mussels, cover, and remove each one as it opens, discarding any that remain closed. Slip the oysters into the same liquid for 30 to 45 seconds, just until their edges begin to curl, then lift them out. Strain all the cooking liquor together with the reserved oyster liquor through a fine sieve and measure 1 cup (240 ml); if it is sandy, strain it again. Remove the mussels from their shells and dry both kinds of shellfish thoroughly.

4. 4

   Coat à la Villeroy

   Melt 3 tablespoons of the additional butter and stir in ⅓ cup (40 g) of the flour. Cook this white roux for 2 minutes without colouring it, then whisk in ¾ cup (180 ml) fish stock and ½ cup (120 ml) strained shellfish liquor. Simmer until the sauce is very thick and leaves the pan floor exposed behind the spoon, then stir in ¼ cup (60 ml) cream. Remove it from the heat and whisk in 1 egg yolk. If the sauce slides from a spoon instead of holding as a soft paste, return it to gentle heat before adding the yolk and reduce it further. Ça se rattrape. Coat each oyster and mussel generously with the warm sauce Villeroy and set them separately on a parchment-lined tray. Chill for 1 hour, until the coating is firm. Dredge each piece in ⅔ cup (80 g) flour, dip it in 2 beaten eggs, and cover it with breadcrumbs. Chill again until frying time.

5. 5

   Bake the crayfish patties

   Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Cut 8 rounds, about 2½ inches (6 cm) wide, from the cold puff pastry. Leave 4 whole for the bases and cut a smaller circle from each remaining round to make rings, keeping the centres as lids. Brush the bases lightly with some of the remaining beaten egg, set the rings on top, brush the rings, and prick only the centres of the bases. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until deeply puffed and golden. Remove any soft pastry from the cavities and reserve the cases and lids. Bought all-butter pastry replaces the pastry station, not the crayfish filling or the small-patty form.

6. 6

   Prepare the mushrooms

   Cut shallow curved channels from the centre to the edge of each mushroom cap with a small knife, turning the cap between cuts to make the classical fluting. Bring the remaining ¼ cup (60 ml) reserved court-bouillon to a simmer with 1 tablespoon butter and the lemon juice. Add the caps, cover with parchment, and cook gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender but still neat. Drain and reserve them covered. Keep the truffle slices at cool room temperature so their fragrance is not muted by the refrigerator.

7. 7

   Build the sauce base

   Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan, stir in ¼ cup (30 g) flour, and cook the white roux for 2 minutes without browning. Whisk in the remaining 1¼ cups (295 ml) fish stock and ½ cup (120 ml) shellfish liquor, then simmer gently for 10 minutes, skimming if necessary. Add the remaining ¾ cup (180 ml) cream and reduce until you have 1½ cups (360 ml) of smooth sauce that coats the back of a spoon. Season lightly with white pepper and set the base aside. Do not add the final yolk, cayenne, crayfish butter, or reduced court-bouillon yet.

8. 8

   Cook à l’anglaise

   Put the potatoes in a saucepan, cover them with cold salted water, and bring them to a quiet simmer. Cook until a small knife enters cleanly, about 15 to 20 minutes depending on size. These are pommes à l’anglaise, potatoes cooked plainly in water. Drain them thoroughly, let their surface moisture evaporate for a minute, and hold them covered in a warmed timbale or deep serving bowl.

9. 9

   Prepare and poach

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Set the turbot dark side up. Cut along the backbone from head to tail, then slide a flexible knife a short way beneath each upper fillet to partly separate it from the bones without detaching it. This is the source’s gashing step, and it lets the thickest part cook evenly while making the fish easier to serve. Lay the fish on a wire rack inside a snug, deep roasting pan. Bring the remaining court-bouillon to a full boil and pour it over the fish, adding only enough hot water to cover if necessary. Cover with buttered parchment and transfer immediately to the oven. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes per 2 lb (900 g), which is about 13 to 15 minutes for this fish, until the flesh beside the backbone is opaque and reaches 145°F (63°C). Start checking at 12 minutes. If the flesh remains translucent at the bone, return it for 2 minutes; underdone fish can be finished, while overdone turbot cannot be made succulent again.

10. 10

    Finish at service

    As the fish nears completion, heat the frying oil to 350°F (175°C) and warm the pastry cases and mushroom caps in a low oven. Lift the cooked turbot on its rack and let it drain, loosely covered. Measure ½ cup (120 ml) of its poaching liquor into a small saucepan and boil it down to exactly 2 tablespoons (30 ml). Warm the sauce Normande base and whisk in the reduced court-bouillon. This preserves the source ratio of one part reduction to twelve parts sauce. Temper the remaining egg yolk with a spoonful of warm sauce, whisk it back into the pan, and heat gently until the sauce gains body. Do not boil. Whisk in 2 tablespoons (30 ml) beurre d’écrevisse and the cayenne. If the sauce splits, take it off the heat and whisk a tablespoon of cold cream in a clean bowl, then add the broken sauce gradually. Ça se rattrape. Fry the breaded oysters and mussels in small batches for 60 to 90 seconds, until deep gold and crisp, then drain them well. Warm the crayfish tails for only 30 seconds in 2 tablespoons of the finished sauce Normande, divide them among the pastry cases, and replace their lids.

11. 11

    Brush and assemble

    Transfer the drained turbot to a warm oval platter and blot away any poaching liquid. Melt enough remaining beurre d’écrevisse to brush the fish generously. Apply one coat, wait 30 seconds for it to settle, then brush on the second coat exactly as the source directs. Arrange the four crayfish patties around the fish, then make alternating little heaps of oysters and mussels à la Villeroy. Add the fluted mushroom caps and truffle slices so the garnish remains proportional and the whole fish stays visible. Serve the sauce Normande separately in a warm sauceboat and the pommes à l’anglaise in their timbale. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the fishmonger for a whole young turbot, sometimes sold as chicken turbot, weighing about 2 to 3 lb (900 g to 1.4 kg). Brill is the closest honest substitute, though its flesh is slightly less rich. Have the fins trimmed, but keep the head and skin for poaching and presentation.
• •Use Sauterne as the source requires. A Sauternes or Barsac brings sweetness, acidity, and botrytised depth to the court-bouillon; a dry white wine produces a different dish. Save a dry white Bordeaux or Champagne for the table.
• •Fresh black truffle is magnificent when available. A good whole preserved truffle, drained and sliced, is the classical pantry’s honest answer outside its season; truffle oil cannot supply the texture or clean fragrance of the slices.
• •The shellfish à la Villeroy must be cold and dry before breading. Warm sauce or damp shellfish makes the coating slide into the frying oil. If a bare patch appears after breading, dip that spot again in egg and crumbs.
• •Warm the platter, sauceboat, pastry cases, mushrooms, and potato timbale before the fish is poached. This is not fuss for its own sake. It gives one cook enough time to finish the sauce and fry the shellfish without serving cold turbot.

Advance Preparation

• •The court-bouillon and beurre d’écrevisse can be made a day ahead, chilled separately, and reheated gently. Keep the crayfish tails covered in the refrigerator.
• •The oysters and mussels can be coated à la Villeroy, breaded, and refrigerated for up to 8 hours. Fry them only at the time of dishing, as the source requires.
• •Bake the puff-pastry cases earlier in the day and keep them dry at room temperature. Rewarm them for 5 minutes in a low oven before filling.
• •The sauce Normande base can be prepared through its cream reduction several hours ahead. Add the reduced fish court-bouillon, yolk, cayenne, and beurre d’écrevisse only after the turbot is poached.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 730g)