The past three days we kept the theme of cooking fish. After last week’s fish cooking with chef Antoine, this week we were working with chef Sebastian and saw how some of the same things can be made different ways. It was also an important week to practice our turning technique with potatoes, every day turning potatoes and boiling them, I do feel the practice is oozing in and today I do it faster and prettier outcome. I have the feeling my fingers learned the motion rather than myself and if I go out of focus for a second I mess it all up. All the sauces are also a bit repetitive but these are the building blocks for future cooking so doing the same sauce 3 times will not hurt. We also cooked fish stock (Fumé au poisson) almost every day so that now we know it by heart. Reaching to the end of the week my fingers are a bit smelly and small, almost invisible little cuts all over them, probably from cleaning the fish. I really feel my basic skills are getting better still days don’t get easier, but even more challenging: more tasks every day, trying to finish as fast and efficient as possible , always thinking what’s the next step. Oh well, I really like fish. Every time we finish a dish, I taste it and it’s always very good. The fish, the sauce, the whole combination and the garnish. Even the potatoes are too tasty and I have to get rid of them because they’re really not worth eating 🙂 I must admit, turning them does make them taste better!!
Mardi: Poisson Portions, pochés a la court mouillement – Fish portioned and poached in shallow stock and garnish.
1. Filet de limande bonne femme
2. Pavé de lieu Dugléré
The Lieu (Pollock in English)
Scaling, cleaning, fileting and portioning
This Limande (Flounder) is a kind of a sole fish, cheaper.
My filets.
Mise en place ready
We took two shallow and wide pans, buttered them, and sprinkled the different garnishes for every fish. This was onions, tomatoes, a bit of parsley, then the Lieu
The other pan with shallots, champignon, a lot of parsley and the Limande
Filled almost to cover with the chilled fish stock we made from all the bones. Put on the stove to boil for 2 minutes, partially covered
Then to the oven for 2-4 more minutes. The fish taken out of the stock.
Kept reducing the stock with the garnish to a syrup consistency. The tomato sauce was then "Monter au Buerre" - infused with chunks of cold butter
The mushroom sauce was creamed with a double cream mixed with... hold yourself.. créme fraiche!
The Lieu with butter and tomato-onion sauce, potatoes.
The Limande topped with all the mushroom cream sauce. Went to the salamander to grill
Hectic kitchen, plating time. Chef giving each one his critique for the day
Limande with the best mushroom cream I have ever tasted. I know I made it so I shouldn't be the one to testify but it was exceptional and excellent.
So goooooood!
Then chef went to bring us some of Anglo B's dessert of the day yum yum Merci!
Mercredi: Poissons cuit a la vapeur – Steamed fish.
3. Rouleau de truite au Gewurztraminer (should have been Riesling but we were out)
It only works if you cut the intestines through the anus first. Very cool!
My four clean trout and one merlan for the stock
After filetting anf boning. It looks fast but trout has so many small bones, took a long long time
Rolled to a sausage shape, with a film
..
My rolled fish candies. To the steam oven for ten minutes
Turning the champignon as a decor, I tried 5 times and failed but chef makes it look so easy:
After that we had the sauce which I don’t have a picture making of it, but it involves the stock we made, a reduction of the wine and cream once again.
Presentation #1
Trout pillers
Presentation #2. This dish was taken to Ramon and Ira's place for tasting dinner with the help of a fresh traditional baguette and red wine and was delicious
Jeudi: Poissons Panés et Sautés – Breaded and shallow fried fish
4. Filet de merlan médcin, sauce béarnaise
5. Truite grenobloise
The morning begun with espresso treats form the chef! Was so nice sipping the coffee while listening to the explanations, still half asleep
Lemons cut three ways. This is the point you think is easy but I had some cuts on my fingers I didn't know of, the lemon helped me discover each of them and a brand new one from this morning. Very painful this lemon
My mise en place, not quite ready but getting there
Decorated platter is ready to use
Just the best for my fish
Looks familiar? Yes, it's a Shnitzel station! Bread crumbs made ourselves of course
Peeled and emptied tomatoes
Merlan filet breaded and ready to be fried
Tomato filled with Bearnaise and breaded Merlan
Trout seasoned
Floured
Fried in shallow butter + oil
Turning to the other side was my downfall today, I took a pan too small 🙁
There is no free thinking with this dish, the fish has to be facing the diner with a certain angle.
Garnish thrown over carefully: croutons, lemon filets, capers. Then the rest of the butter + more butter is browned and poured over the fish. Chopped parsley
The fish has to look like he's swimming to the dinner direction.
A little tasting to self evaluate. Chef is on cholesterol watch 🙁
Wow that was a lot of fish in one week. I did have fun but it wasn’t easy.
הוציא לי את כל הריר ומערכת העיכול התחילה לעבוד קשה נראה מדהים
גם אהבתי איך השף מוציא את הקישקס
תודה תודה
why “Filled almost to cover with the chilled fish stock” – why not with heated fish stock? wouldn’t it keep more of the taste if you use hot stock?
You forgot that we are using the stock to use after for the sauce? It has to have time to take all the taste of the fish. Also, if we put hot stock it takes seconds and the fish will be cooked from the outside but raw inside.
i never thought that cutting intestines through the anus could be “Very cool!” – but if you say so…
What was cool is taking out the whole intestines in one shot. It’s undeniably cool
this post reminded me of – Monty Python: Find the Fish – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Uvt83YWWWY
“fishy fishy fishy fish…”
Wow, that’s a beautiful dish! Swimming in the direction of the dinner, great!!