Sole Marguery

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Shallow 9 by 13-inch (23 by 33 cm) ovenproof poaching dish
• •Broiler-safe oval serving dish or shallow gratin dish, about 12 inches (30 cm)
• •3-quart lidded saucepan
• •Small saucepan for the roux blanc
• •Fine-mesh sieve with damp cheesecloth or a coffee filter
• •Fish spatula
• •Whisk
• •Parchment paper

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready the shellfish

   Tap any open mussel against the counter and discard it if it does not close. Put the mussels in a lidded saucepan with ¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g) of the wine. Cover and cook over medium-high heat, shaking the pan once, until the shells open, 3 to 5 minutes. Discard any that remain closed. Lift out the mussels, remove the meats from their shells, and strain the released liquor through a fine sieve lined with damp cheesecloth or a coffee filter. Bring that liquor to a bare simmer, add the shrimp, and cook for 45 to 60 seconds, just until their edges turn opaque while the centers remain slightly translucent. Lift them out immediately; the final glaze will finish them. Reserve the shellfish and up to ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g) of the strained liquor.

   Taste the mussel liquor before using it. If it is fiercely salty, use ¼ cup rather than ½ cup; reduction concentrates salt as faithfully as flavor.
2. 2

   Make the roux blanc

   Melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the paste looks ivory and no longer smells raw but has taken no brown color. This is a roux blanc, a white roux, and it gives the finished sauce its quiet body. Take it off the heat and leave it in the saucepan.

3. 3

   Poach the sole gently

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter a shallow 9 by 13-inch (23 by 33 cm) poaching dish and one side of a sheet of parchment with 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of the butter. Season the fillets lightly with about half the salt and white pepper, then fold each loosely in half so its thin tail is protected inside. Arrange them in a snug single layer. Pour over the remaining ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g) wine, the fish fumet, and up to ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g) reserved mussel liquor. Cover directly with the buttered parchment. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, until the liquid barely trembles and the fish is almost opaque but still supple at its center. A hard boil tightens the fish and muddies the liquor, so lower the oven at once if the liquid bubbles vigorously. The brief glaze will complete the cooking.

4. 4

   Drain and arrange

   Lift the sole carefully with a fish spatula and arrange it in a warm, broiler-safe oval serving dish. Place the mussels and shrimp in a generous border around the fish, exactly as the source directs, then cover the dish loosely with parchment while you make the sauce. Strain the fish poaching liquor into a wide saucepan. Handle the fillets from underneath, never with tongs; properly poached sole is tender enough to split under pressure.

5. 5

   Reduce the liquor

   Boil the strained poaching liquor steadily until it measures about 1½ cups (360 ml / 360 g), usually 6 to 10 minutes. Taste as it reduces. If the mussel liquor has made it sufficiently seasoned before it reaches that volume, stop reducing rather than chasing the measuring mark. Reserve ¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g) of the reduction for adjusting the sauce, and keep the remainder hot. Position an oven rack about 6 inches (15 cm) below the broiler and heat the broiler to high.

6. 6

   Build the white wine sauce

   Set the roux blanc over low heat and whisk in 1¼ cups (300 ml / 300 g) of the hot reduced liquor a little at a time, making each addition smooth before adding the next. Bring it to a gentle simmer and whisk for 3 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon. In a bowl, whisk the yolks with 7 tablespoons (105 ml / 105 g) of the cold cream, holding back 1 tablespoon. Whisk about ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g) of the hot sauce into this liaison, a cream-and-yolk thickener, then return it to the saucepan. Cook over the lowest heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce becomes nappé, thick enough to leave a clean line when you draw a finger across the coated spoon. Do not let it boil. If the first fine grains appear, take the pan off the heat, whisk firmly, and pass the sauce through the fine sieve. Ça se rattrape before those yolks become a full scramble.

7. 7

   Monter au beurre

   Take the sauce completely off the heat. Monter au beurre means whisking in cold butter to give the sauce its final gloss and richness. Add the remaining 5 tablespoons (75 ml / 71 g) chilled butter one cube at a time, whisking each nearly smooth before adding the next. If the sauce tightens too far, loosen it with the reserved poaching reduction. If it turns oily, put the reserved tablespoon of cold cream in a clean bowl and whisk in the broken sauce one spoonful at a time until it comes together again. Never pour it out. Taste before adding the remaining salt or pepper, since the mussels have already spoken.

8. 8

   Glaze under the broiler

   Spoon the white wine sauce over the sole, mussels, and shrimp, covering everything in an even ivory coat. Set the dish under the fully heated broiler for 45 to 90 seconds, watching without interruption, until the sauce gleams, its edges bubble, and a few pale butter-gold freckles appear on top. This household broiler is the honest equivalent of the salamander. Do not chase a dark crust; glazing is a quick finish, and another minute only overcooks the sole. Bring the dish straight to the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Dover sole has the fine grain and delicacy the dish was built around. If it is unavailable, lemon sole or a thin fillet of flounder will follow the same method honestly, though the texture will be softer. Technique first: even fillets and gentle heat matter more than an impressive label.
• •Use a clean, lightly seasoned fish fumet. A dark stock or one dominated by oily fish overwhelms the white sauce, and ordinary chicken stock changes the dish rather than adapting it.
• •Choose a dry white wine with clear acidity and little oak. Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine is very good with the shellfish and can go into both the pan and the glasses.
• •The broiler is a finishing tool here, not a second cooking stage. Have the serving dish assembled, the sauce finished, and the table ready before it goes underneath; Sole Marguery waits for no one.

Advance Preparation

• •The roux blanc can be cooked several hours ahead and left covered in its saucepan at cool room temperature. Measure the wine and fumet, prepare the parchment, and check the sole for bones before guests arrive.
• •The mussels and shrimp may be cooked up to 1 hour ahead. Chill them and their strained liquor separately, then bring the liquor back to a simmer before proceeding.
• •Finish the liaison, butter emulsion, assembly, and glaze immediately before serving. A fully sauced Sole Marguery does not improve by waiting, and reheating asks the fish and emulsion to endure the same heat twice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 315g)