Soup Up My Soup » Fish

(Sort of) Sole Marguery

jamie — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 02:35:53 +0000

This sauce was made famous by the nineteenth-century Parisian Restaurant Marguery. It’s basically a hollandaise made with the braising liquid from the fillets you cooked with. It would probably be more authentic if you used fish stock instead of wine (or a combination), however I had just cracked a bottle of white and used that instead out of laziness. Also, the original recipe uses shallots, and I used a handful of mushrooms.

1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees. Season fish with salt and pepper. In a small pan that just suits the size of the fillets (I had two), sprinkle chopped mushrooms and place the fillets on top. Pour over 1/2 cup of white wine (I used a bottle of Viognier white from the Languedoc-Roussillon region. Great value at $13 at the LCBO).
2. Bake until fish is firm, maybe 5 minutes but as much as 10 minutes. Transfer the fish to a plate.
3. Transfer the pan to the stove top and whisk in a few egg yolks over medium heat until the mixture stiffens. Remove from the heat and add about 4ish tablespoons of clarified butter (Ghee works, if you don’t have this stocked in your cupboard go and buy some immediately). Season with salt and pour over the fish. Serve.

I got a version of this recipe from the Sauces book by James Peterson, and then made some modifications to suit my level of motivation and what was in my fridge.

If anyone complains that this sauce will stop your heart, just tell them that you only live once. And please pass me the wine.

Oh, Snap! – Red Snapper and Scallop-based Bouillabaisse

jamie — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 02:28:53 +0000

Dear Soup Development Team,

Bouillabaisse is a traditional Provençal fish stew originating from the port city of Marseille.

In theory, it’s a simple stew created by Marseille fisherman using fish that were too bony to serve in restaurants. In practice, it’s an expensive main course in most French Bistros, probably due to the level of complexity and cost in making it, especially in landlocked areas where fish is more expensive. Although the odds of you making this at home are slim, the next time you’re at a French restaurant, skip the Steak tartare and give this a shot instead.

Although purists will claim that a true Bouillabaisse can’t be made too far from the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and I’m using a fish from the Gulf of Mexico, this is a pretty faithful version of the classic fish stew.

Oh, Snap! (makes four servings)

Prepping the Fish

After you debone the fish (or if the fishmonger is kind enough to do it for you, ask him to put the bones and head in a bag and to save for you), cover them in cold water for 30-45 minutes, changing the water at least twice. This is an important step before making the broth.

Fish Broth

1. After putting 1.5 tbsp of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot, add the following and stir occasionally for 10 minutes:

-Garlic, 4 cloves chopped
-Fennel Bulb, 1/2 chopped (or 1/2 tsp of fennel seed)
-Onion, 1 coarsely chopped
-Marjoram, 2/3 tsp dried or 4 fresh sprigs
-Orange Zest, from 1/2 orange

2. Add the bones, cook for another 10 minutes, then add enough water to cover, approximately 4 cups

3. After 30 minutes, strain through a medium strainer and reserve the liquid (the fish broth)

Soup Base

4. Cook in olive oil on low heat, not letting them brown, for about 10 minutes:

-Leeks, 2 finely chopped

5. Add the following, and cook for 10 more minutes:

-Tomatoes, 5 peeled, seeded, and chopped
-Pernod/Ricard liquor, 1/8 cup
-The fish broth

Finishing

6. Lay out the fillets of Red Snapper and about 1/2 pound of scallops in a pan

7. Ladle enough of the soup base over the fish and scallops until they are covered

8. Add a pinch of saffron and 1/3 cup of garlic mayonnaise (aioli) into a bowl, and slowly add the poaching liquid that cooked the fish, until well blended. Return entire mixture back to the soup and mix well.

9. Put the fish into bowls. Ladle the soup mixture over top, and serve immediately.

Thai Pesto Roasted Fish (with less than 5 minutes of work)

jamie — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 02:37:52 +0000

Fish can be intimidating, but if you’re new (or even if you’re not), here’s a great recipe that takes less than 5 minutes of active time. This is from the CHOW website a few years ago, and have made it about a dozen times since

1) Buy a red snapper, or red snapper-like fish from your local fishmonger, gutted, scaled and cleaned.

2) Put the following into a small food processor and puree for a couple minutes to make Pesto:

-Cilantro, about 3/4 cup
-Mint leaves, 1/4 cup
-Garlic, 5 cloves
-Jalapeno, 1 or 2
-lemongrass, 1 stalk-ish
-Ginger, 3 teaspoons
-Fish Sauce, 2 tsp
-Lime, 1 zest (and the juice if you want)
-Peanut oil, 1/4 cup

Feel free to mix and match any of these ingredients – they can easily be substituted. Also, if you have the foresight, make and then put in the fridge for an hour or so beforehand to let the flavours really soak into the fish.

3)Put the Pesto into the cavity of the fish, and then Bind it with some string. Then wrap it in some parchment paper or tinfoil. Bake for about 35-40 minutes in the oven at 400F.

4) Serve immediately. Goes well with Reisling.

Sauteed Tilapia and Zucchini

jamie — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:50:40 +0000

Been trying to eat more fish lately, so I Picked up a flillet of tilapia and a zucchini on the way home from work today. I smeared the fillet in some good olive oil and then cooked it in a few tablespoons of butter for about 5 minutes. I sauteed the zucchini in some olive oil as well for about ten minutes, sprinking salt and peppper a few times.