Matelote au Vin Rouge

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) wide sauté pan with a tight-fitting lid
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Heatproof measuring jug
• •Small saucepan and long match for the brandy
• •Warm deep serving bowl

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the fish

   Ask the fishmonger to clean and scale the fish, then cut larger fish crosswise into uniform 2-inch (5 cm) sections. Bone-in pieces lend the cooking liquor more body, but large fillet portions are easier at the table. Use one variety, or fish of similar firmness, if you want every piece ready together.

2. 2

   Start the wine poach

   Arrange the fish in a single snug layer in a 12-inch (30 cm) wide sauté pan. Scatter over the minced onion, bouquet garni, garlic, salt, and peppercorns, then pour in the red wine. Bring the liquid just to its first boil over medium heat. Do not stir the fish; shake the pan gently if the aromatics need settling.

3. 3

   Burn the brandy safely

   Warm the measured brandy in a small saucepan until hot but not boiling. Turn off every burner and the range hood, move the saucepan away from the stove, and ignite the brandy with a long match. Let the flame die completely, then pour the burnt brandy over the fish. Cover the sauté pan, lower the heat, and cook at the barest tremble for 8 to 18 minutes, depending on the fish, until each piece is opaque, yields in large flakes, and reaches 145°F (63°C) at its thickest point. Lift out pieces as they finish. If one begins to split, remove it immediately; the retained heat will complete the cooking without turning it to fragments.

   Never pour brandy directly from its bottle near a flame. If an open flame is unsuitable in your kitchen, boil the measured brandy alone for 45 seconds before adding it; this removes its raw alcoholic edge while preserving the source recipe's intent.
4. 4

   Lift, strain, reduce

   Transfer the cooked fish carefully to a warm shallow dish and cover it loosely. Strain the cooking liquor through a fine sieve into a heatproof measuring jug without pressing the onion or herbs, which would cloud the sauce. Measure the liquor, wipe the sauté pan clean, and return the liquid to it. Boil uncovered until its volume has fallen by exactly one-third, leaving two-thirds of what you measured. The fish is safely out of the pan now, so the reduction can be brisk.

5. 5

   Bind off the boil

   Take the pan completely off the heat. Add the cold Manied Butter (No. 151) one small piece at a time, whisking each piece smooth before adding the next. Return the pan to the lowest heat only as needed, whisking until the sauce coats the back of a spoon with a light, even gloss. Once the liaison has entered, do not let the sauce boil. If the first bubbles appear, lift the pan immediately and whisk in 1 tablespoon (15 ml) cold water to arrest the heat. Ça se rattrape. If small lumps remain, pass the sauce through the clean sieve and continue gently; a prolonged boil gives the sauce the raw-flour taste the source warns against.

   Add the Manied Butter (No. 151) gradually. The sauce may reach the proper body before the final piece, especially if the wine reduced quickly in a broad pan.
6. 6

   Warm and serve

   Return the fish to the sauce and spoon the sauce over it rather than stirring. Warm everything over very low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, never allowing a simmer. If the sauce tightens too far around the fish, loosen it with a spoonful of hot water. Transfer the matelote to a warmed deep serving bowl, the home equivalent of the book's timbale, and bring it directly to the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The source permits one fish or several. For the calmest first matelote, choose one firm freshwater fish and cut every piece to the same thickness. Catfish is an honest home-market equivalent when carp, eel, tench, or bream cannot be found.
• •Choose a dry, supple red wine with moderate tannin, such as Pinot Noir or Gamay. A heavily oaked or fiercely tannic bottle becomes harder and more bitter as it reduces. Use something you would happily pour at the table, but keep the grand bottle for drinking.
• •Prepare the Manied Butter (No. 151) immediately before binding, as its own entry directs. Keep it cold and add it gradually. Butter, not margarine; the sauce depends on the butter for both its gloss and its clean finish.
• •This specific entry strains out its onion, garlic, and bouquet garni and calls for no mushroom garnish, pearl onions, or fried croûtons. Serve it as written, with bread or plainly boiled potatoes alongside to catch the wine-dark sauce.

Advance Preparation

• •Have the fishmonger clean and portion the fish up to one day ahead. Keep it covered in the coldest part of the refrigerator, set over a tray so no liquid can escape.
• •For a dinner party, poach the fish and reduce the strained cooking liquor up to 4 hours ahead. Cool them promptly in separate shallow containers, cover, and refrigerate. Rewarm the liquor gently, bind it with freshly prepared Manied Butter (No. 151), then add the fish only long enough to heat through.
• •Do not bind the sauce the day before. The matelote reheats more cleanly when the reduced liquor and fish are held separately and the liaison is made shortly before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)