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From @French Cooking Academy

Braised Fish Filets in White Vermouth & Mushroom Sauce

33 min · Serves 1

33 mintotal
10 minhands on
16steps
1servings

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Ingredients

For the mushroom essence

  • 100 g small button mushrooms, quartered (about 3.5 oz)
  • 15 g unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pinch of black pepper

For the fish

  • 15 g unsalted butter, for greasing
  • 20 g shallot, finely diced (about 2 tbsp)
  • 150 g white fish fillets (sole, turbot, flounder, or orange roughy)
  • Pinch of salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 20 ml dry white vermouth (about 2 tbsp)
  • 15 ml fish stock or fish fumet (about 1 tbsp)
  • 15 ml mushroom essence, from above (about 1 tbsp)
  • 30 ml heavy cream (about 2 tbsp)
  • 15 g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • 7 g breadcrumbs (about 1 tbsp)

Method

For the mushroom essence

  1. Place the quartered mushrooms into a small saucepan.

  2. Pour in just enough cold water to barely cover the mushrooms.

  3. Add the lemon juice, butter, salt, and pepper to the pan.

  4. Bring the liquid to a boil over medium-high heat.

  5. Simmer the mushrooms until pre-cooked and tender, about 4–6 minutes.

    Then 5 min of waiting

    This technique keeps the mushrooms pale while extracting their flavour into the liquid to create the mushroom essence.

For the fish

  1. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).

  2. Generously butter the bottom and sides of an ovenproof baking dish.

  3. Scatter the diced shallot evenly over the bottom of the buttered dish.

  4. Lay the fish fillets skin-side down on top of the shallot bed in a single layer.

  5. Season the tops of the fillets lightly with a small pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper.

    Go light on the salt as store-bought fish stock is often already seasoned.

  6. Pour the fish stock, dry white vermouth, and mushroom essence over and around the fillets.

    The liquid level should come no more than halfway up the sides of the fish fillets.

  7. Scoop the poached mushrooms out of their cooking liquid and scatter them around the fish.

  8. Dot the butter cubes over the fish and liquid.

  9. Pour the heavy cream into the liquid around the fish.

  10. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs lightly over the buttered top for texture.

  11. Bake until the fish flakes easily and the sauce is bubbling and slightly reduced, 10–12 minutes.

    Then 10 min of waiting

  12. Dry white vermouth (such as Noilly Prat) keeps well in the pantry once opened and brings a subtle, complex herbal flavour that white wine cannot replicate.

  13. Serve straight from the baking dish with crusty French bread to mop up the reduced sauce.

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