Chef Juliette
John Dory (St. Pierre)
John Dory has the delicacy of sole and the firmness of turbot. A light flouring, a quick butter sauté, and nut-brown beurre noisette show exactly why looks never mattered.
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Turbotin Commodore
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 929, Turbotin Commodore, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Whole young turbot, gently poached and circled with five precise garnishes, served with sauce Normande sharpened by anchovy butter: a celebration dish whose grandeur comes from timing.
Main Dishes
French
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
Celebration
1 hr 15 min
Active Time
1 hr 15 min cook•3 hr total
Yield4 servings
Turbotin Commodore (whole young turbot with its five-part garnish) teaches orchestration. Every element is manageable alone, but the dish lives or dies by whether the turbot, potatoes, crayfish, quenelles, croquettes, oysters, and sauce arrive together. The one true thing to know before touching a pan is this: prepare everything before the fish begins to poach.
The original service assumed a poissonnier at the turbot kettle, a saucier with fish stock never off the fire, another pair of hands at the frying pan, and a salamander ready for dishes that needed its fierce top heat. This one does not, so we won't invent a gratin. At home, an oval roasting pan becomes the fish kettle, a heavy saucepan becomes the frying station, and one fish velouté foundation divides into three distinct finishes. Separate saucepots and formal crayfish trussing were brigade scaffolding; the salted-water poach, five garnishes per person, oyster à la Villeroy, and sauce Normande finished with anchovy butter are the dish, and they stay.
Four naturally curled cooked crayfish replace the banquet trussing, and the garnish is scaled exactly to four diners: three potato balls, one crayfish, one fish quenelle, one lobster croquette, and one Villeroy oyster each. Once the breaded garnishes are chilled, the velouté is divided, and the potatoes are cut, the final service becomes one cook, one stove, one evening. Don't lower the turbot into its water before you reach that point.
Turbotin Commodore belongs to the grand-kitchen repertoire practiced in Paris, where a named garnish functioned as precise culinary vocabulary; in this formula, Commodore means crayfish, fish quenelle, lobster croquette, oyster Villeroy, and potatoes à l'anglaise surrounding a small whole turbot. Turbotin means a young, table-sized turbot, while the old market term chicken-turbot describes its size and tenderness, not poultry. Sauce Normande carries Normandy's marine larder of fish stock, mushrooms, oysters, cream, and butter into the composition, but the crowded Commodore arrangement belongs to ceremonial dining rather than the Norman household table.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
whole young turbot
Quantity
1 whole, 3 to 3½ pounds (1.35 to 1.6 kg)
gutted, with gills removed and fins trimmed
water for the turbot
Quantity
3 quarts (2.8 L / 2.8 kg)
or enough to cover the fish by ½ inch
water for the garnishes
Quantity
2 quarts (1.9 L / 1.9 kg)
fine sea salt for the poaching waters
Quantity
3 tablespoons (45 ml / 54 g)
divided
waxy potatoes
Quantity
2 medium (about 12 ounces / 340 g)
peeled
whole cooked crayfish
Quantity
4 medium (about 10 ounces / 280 g total)
shells intact and tails naturally curled
firm skinless white fish
Quantity
¾ cup diced (4 ounces / 115 g)
kept very cold
large egg white
Quantity
1
heavy cream for the fish quenelles
Quantity
¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g)
very cold
fine sea salt for the fish quenelles
Quantity
¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml / 1.5 g)
ground white pepper
Quantity
to taste
large oysters
Quantity
4 (about 4 ounces / 115 g shucked)
liquor reserved
unsalted fish stock
Quantity
3 cups (720 ml / 720 g)
dry white wine
Quantity
½ cup (120 ml / 120 g)
button mushrooms
Quantity
1½ cups sliced (4 ounces / 115 g)
unsalted butter for the roux
Quantity
4 tablespoons (60 ml / 56 g)
all-purpose flour for the roux
Quantity
⅓ cup (80 ml / 40 g)
cooked lobster meat
Quantity
¾ cup finely chopped (4 ounces / 115 g)
heavy cream for the sauces
Quantity
¾ cup (180 ml / 180 g)
divided
large egg yolks
Quantity
3
divided
cold unsalted butter for sauce Normande
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g)
diced
softened unsalted butter for anchovy butter
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g)
oil-packed anchovy fillets
Quantity
4 fillets (about ½ ounce / 14 g)
drained and mashed
all-purpose flour for breading
Quantity
½ cup (120 ml / 60 g)
large eggs for breading
Quantity
2
water for breading
Quantity
1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g)
fine dry breadcrumbs
Quantity
1½ cups (360 ml / 150 g)
neutral frying oil
Quantity
4 cups (960 ml / 880 g)
fine sea salt
Quantity
to taste
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| whole young turbotgutted, with gills removed and fins trimmed | 1 whole, 3 to 3½ pounds (1.35 to 1.6 kg) |
| water for the turbotor enough to cover the fish by ½ inch | 3 quarts (2.8 L / 2.8 kg) |
| water for the garnishes | 2 quarts (1.9 L / 1.9 kg) |
| fine sea salt for the poaching watersdivided | 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 54 g) |
| waxy potatoespeeled | 2 medium (about 12 ounces / 340 g) |
| whole cooked crayfishshells intact and tails naturally curled | 4 medium (about 10 ounces / 280 g total) |
| firm skinless white fishkept very cold | ¾ cup diced (4 ounces / 115 g) |
| large egg white | 1 |
| heavy cream for the fish quenellesvery cold | ¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g) |
| fine sea salt for the fish quenelles | ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml / 1.5 g) |
| ground white pepper | to taste |
| large oystersliquor reserved | 4 (about 4 ounces / 115 g shucked) |
| unsalted fish stock | 3 cups (720 ml / 720 g) |
| dry white wine | ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g) |
| button mushrooms | 1½ cups sliced (4 ounces / 115 g) |
| unsalted butter for the roux | 4 tablespoons (60 ml / 56 g) |
| all-purpose flour for the roux | ⅓ cup (80 ml / 40 g) |
| cooked lobster meat | ¾ cup finely chopped (4 ounces / 115 g) |
| heavy cream for the saucesdivided | ¾ cup (180 ml / 180 g) |
| large egg yolksdivided | 3 |
| cold unsalted butter for sauce Normandediced | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) |
| softened unsalted butter for anchovy butter | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) |
| oil-packed anchovy filletsdrained and mashed | 4 fillets (about ½ ounce / 14 g) |
| all-purpose flour for breading | ½ cup (120 ml / 60 g) |
| large eggs for breading | 2 |
| water for breading | 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) |
| fine dry breadcrumbs | 1½ cups (360 ml / 150 g) |
| neutral frying oil | 4 cups (960 ml / 880 g) |
| fine sea salt | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •18-inch (46 cm) oval roasting pan or fish kettle
- •Broad fish spatulas or a removable fish-kettle rack
- •Small food processor
- •½-inch (1.25 cm) melon baller
- •3-quart (2.8 L) saucepan for the garnishes
- •4-quart (3.8 L) heavy saucepan for frying
- •Instant-read thermometer and frying thermometer
Instructions
- 1
Build the velouté
Mash the softened butter and anchovies into a smooth anchovy butter, then keep it cold. Put the oysters in a small saucepan with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) each of the wine and fish stock. Bring the liquid just to a tremble and cook for 30 to 45 seconds, until the oyster edges tighten; lift them out, blot them dry, and chill them. Add their cooking liquid and reserved liquor to the remaining stock and wine with the mushrooms. Boil until reduced to 2 cups (480 ml), then strain. Melt the 4 tablespoons butter without browning, stir in the ⅓ cup flour, and cook this roux for 2 minutes. Whisk in the hot reduction gradually and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, until the velouté coats a spoon. If it catches a few lumps, strain it while hot. Ça se rattrape. Reserve ⅓ cup (80 ml) for the croquettes, ½ cup (120 ml) for the Villeroy oysters, and the remainder for sauce Normande.
Keep the stock unsalted. Oyster liquor and anchovy butter bring their own salt, and the finished sauce should be seasoned only after they join it. - 2
Set the croquettes
Mix the chopped lobster with the reserved ⅓ cup velouté and a touch of white pepper. Spread the mixture on a cold plate and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes, until firm enough to handle. Divide it into four portions and shape each into a small oval croquette. If the mixture clings to your fingers, chill it longer rather than packing it with breadcrumbs; cold gives structure without dulling the lobster.
- 3
Coat oysters Villeroy
Warm the reserved ½ cup velouté over gentle heat. Whisk 1 egg yolk with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the sauce cream, temper it with a spoonful of hot velouté, then whisk it into the pan. Stir over low heat until the Villeroy coating is thick enough to leave the pan floor visible for a moment behind the spoon. Coat each chilled oyster completely and place it on parchment. If the coating slides away, reduce it for another minute, cool it slightly, and coat again. Chill until firm.
- 4
Form the quenelles
Process the cold white fish with the egg white, ¼ teaspoon salt, and a little white pepper until sticky and smooth. With the machine running, add the ¼ cup cold cream in a thin stream. Scrape the mixture into a bowl set over ice and chill for 10 minutes, then shape four small quenelles between two wet teaspoons. If the mixture turns loose or looks oily, stop and chill it thoroughly before pulsing again. Warmth is the culprit, and cold is the rescue.
- 5
Bread and chill
Set the ½ cup flour, the 2 eggs beaten with 1 tablespoon water, and the breadcrumbs in three shallow dishes. Coat the four lobster croquettes and four Villeroy oysters first in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, pressing gently so no bare patches remain. Place them on a parchment-lined tray and chill for at least 20 minutes. This rest fixes the coating to the soft centres, so the frying fat browns the outside instead of finding a seam and emptying the garnish.
- 6
Prepare fish and potatoes
Cut twelve hazelnut-sized balls from the potatoes with a small melon baller and keep them in cold water. Rinse the turbot inside and out, then set it white-side down in an oval roasting pan or fish kettle. Add 3 quarts water, or enough to cover it by ½ inch, and 2 tablespoons (36 g) of the poaching salt. At this point every garnish should be shaped, breaded, and cold, with the sauce portions waiting. Only now does the fish meet the heat.
- 7
Poach the turbot
Warm the turbot gradually until the water reaches 170 to 175°F (77 to 80°C), then hold it there without boiling. If the roasting pan cannot sit safely over two low burners, cover it and transfer it to a 300°F (150°C) oven once hot water has been added. Poach for 18 to 25 minutes, depending on thickness, until the flesh beside the backbone is opaque, releases cleanly from the cartilage, and reaches about 140°F (60°C); carryover heat will finish it. If the water begins to boil, lower the heat and add a cup of cold water at the edge. A quiet poach keeps the flesh in broad, moist flakes.
- 8
Cook garnishes anglaise
While the turbot poaches, bring the remaining 2 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to a bare simmer. Cook the potato balls à l'anglaise, plainly in salted water, for 7 to 9 minutes until a knife enters cleanly but the balls still hold their shape. Lift them out and keep them covered. Poach the quenelles in the same barely trembling water for about 6 minutes, turning once, until they feel lightly springy. Lift them out, then warm the cooked crayfish for 2 minutes. Keep every garnish covered and warm, never boiling.
- 9
Finish sauce Normande
Warm the reserved velouté with ½ cup (120 ml) of the remaining sauce cream and simmer gently for 3 minutes. Whisk the last 2 egg yolks with the final 2 tablespoons (30 ml) cream, temper them with hot sauce, and return everything to the pan. Stir over very low heat until sauce Normande naps the back of a spoon, but never let it boil. Off the heat, whisk in the cold diced butter and then the anchovy butter. Taste before adding salt. If the sauce splits, put 1 tablespoon cold water in a clean bowl and whisk in the broken sauce a spoonful at a time. Ça se rattrape. Hold it over warm water.
- 10
Fry the garnishes
Heat the oil in a deep, heavy saucepan to 350°F (175°C). Fry the lobster croquettes first, turning them until evenly golden, about 2 minutes, then drain on a rack and season lightly. Fry the Villeroy oysters for 60 to 90 seconds, just until their coating is crisp and bronze. Keep the oil near 350°F between batches; cooler oil soaks into the crumbs, while excessive heat colours them before the centres are warm.
- 11
Arrange and serve
Lift the turbot carefully with two broad spatulas, let it drain for a minute, and settle it on a warmed oval platter. Surround it with four repeating arrangements, each holding three potato balls, one crayfish, one quenelle, one lobster croquette, and one oyster Villeroy, alternating pale poached pieces with the bronze fried garnishes and coral shells. Bring sauce Normande to the table separately in a warmed sauceboat so each diner receives it at the last moment. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Chicken-turbot contains no chicken. It is an old market description for a young, table-sized turbot, prized because its flesh is tender while the whole fish remains large enough to present handsomely.
- •Ask the fishmonger to gut the turbot, remove the gills, and trim the fins while leaving the fish whole. This dish depends on turbot's broad flakes and gelatinous bones; a platter of fillets would be easier, but it would no longer be Turbotin Commodore.
- •Whole cooked crayfish are often easier to find frozen than fresh. Thaw them slowly in the cold and warm them gently at service. Their natural tail curl gives the composed shape once achieved by trussing, without tying shellfish at the stove.
- •The shared fish velouté is the honest home equivalent of three prepared saucepans in a brigade kitchen. Dividing it does not make the finishes identical: lobster turns one portion into croquette binder, yolk and cream turn another into Villeroy coating, and anchovy butter completes sauce Normande.
- •Serve a mineral white Burgundy or a dry Champagne. The wine needs enough body for the cream and butter, with sufficient freshness for oysters, anchovy, and poached turbot.
Advance Preparation
- •The velouté foundation and anchovy butter can be prepared one day ahead and kept covered in the cold. Reheat the velouté gently before dividing or finishing it.
- •The lobster croquettes can be shaped and breaded one day ahead. Keep them covered and cold so the coating stays dry.
- •The oysters may be poached, coated à la Villeroy, and breaded up to 6 hours ahead. Keep them refrigerated until the oil is ready.
- •Shape the potato balls and hold them submerged in cold water for up to 4 hours. Make the quenelle mixture no more than 6 hours ahead and keep it thoroughly chilled.
- •Do not poach the turbot ahead. Its broad flakes are at their finest directly from the water, and the entire preparation is arranged around that final poach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 625g)
Calories
1055 calories
Total Fat
72 g
Saturated Fat
32 g
Trans Fat
2 g
Unsaturated Fat
38 g
Cholesterol
480 mg
Sodium
1500 mg
Total Carbohydrates
44 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
4 g
Protein
58 g
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