Turbotin à la Mode de Hollande

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •8-quart narrow stockpot
• •Deep roasting pan large enough to hold the whole turbot
• •Clean cheesecloth for a lifting sling
• •Heatproof pitcher
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Sturdy kitchen shears
• •Oval serving platter
• •Deep serving bowl or timbale for the potatoes
• •Sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the court-bouillon

   Combine the court-bouillon water, wine, onion, carrot, celery, lemon, parsley stems, bay leaf, peppercorns, and salt in a narrow stockpot large enough to hold the lobster. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes. The brigade held this liquid ready all day; this short infusion gives tonight's lobster the aromatic poach the dish requires without keeping a stockpot on the fire.

2. 2

   Poach and dress lobster

   Return the court-bouillon to a lively simmer and lower in the lobster headfirst. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, adjusting for size, until the shell is scarlet and the thickest part of the tail reaches 145°F (63°C). Lift it out and let it stand for 5 minutes. With sturdy kitchen shears, open the upper tail shell lengthwise without cutting through the fan. Lift out the tail meat, remove the dark intestinal vein, slice the meat crosswise into thick medallions, and return them promptly to the opened shell in their original order. Keep the dressed lobster covered. If the flesh has become slightly firm, slice it a little thinner and moisten it with a spoonful of court-bouillon. Ça se rattrape.

3. 3

   Set the turbot bath

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Rinse the turbot cavity, pat the fish dry, and lay it white-side down on a clean cheesecloth sling inside a deep roasting pan that holds it snugly. Heat the fish-poaching water and salt to 185°F (85°C). Set the roasting pan on a partially pulled-out oven rack, then pour the hot water around the fish with a heatproof pitcher until the turbot is just covered. Lay a sheet of parchment directly over the water and slide the rack in carefully.

4. 4

   Poach without boiling

   Poach the turbot for 20 to 28 minutes, depending on its thickness. Keep the liquid between 175°F and 185°F (79°C and 85°C), with only an occasional movement at the edge. The fish is ready when its thickest flesh reaches 145°F (63°C), looks pearly rather than glassy near the backbone, and releases cleanly when tested with the tip of a knife. If the bath begins to boil, pull the pan from the oven and add 1 cup of cool water from the measured bath allowance. Return it only when the surface is quiet. You cannot reverse a hard boil, but stopping it quickly prevents the rest of the fish from tightening.

5. 5

   Boil floury potatoes

   While the turbot poaches, keep the finished Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174) separate. The printed cross-reference names that egg preparation, but the potatoes in this entry are cooked à l'anglaise in the separate boiling sense; coating or frying them would change the dish. Put the potatoes into the cold potato-cooking water with its salt, bring to a measured boil, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until a knife enters without resistance. Drain thoroughly, return them to the dry pot, and shake once over low heat until their surfaces turn floury. Transfer them to a warmed deep serving bowl and cover with a folded towel, not a lid, so they stay dry.

6. 6

   Warm the egg sauce

   Set the freshly made Egg Sauce with Melted Butter (No. 117) in its sauceboat over a bowl of barely hot water, stirring it once or twice with a spoon. Warm it gently without boiling or beating it into an emulsion; the loose melted-butter character belongs here. If butter begins to set around the edge, remove the sauceboat from the bath and swirl it until fluid again. Ça se rattrape.

7. 7

   Drain and assemble

   Leave the roasting pan in place and lift the turbot with its cheesecloth sling, allowing it to drain for a full minute. Transfer it carefully to a hot oval platter, draw away the cloth, and blot any water gathered around the fish. Lay the whole dressed lobster lengthwise upon the turbot, with the opened tail and its medallions visible. If the fish skin tears during the transfer, bring the torn edges together and place the lobster over the seam. The crown conceals the repair honestly.

8. 8

   Serve in three parts

   Carry the turbot and lobster to the table at once. Send the floury potatoes in their warm bowl and the Egg Sauce with Melted Butter (No. 117) in its sauceboat at the same time, exactly as the dish intends. Serve a leaf of turbot, a lobster medallion, and potatoes to each person, then let everyone take the butter-rich sauce for themselves. Plain and generous. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the fishmonger for a whole young turbot that fits your roasting pan, and have it gutted and the sharp fringe of fins trimmed. If turbot isn't available, a small whole brill follows the same method honestly, though the dish will no longer be Turbotin à la Mode de Hollande.
• •Chicken-turbot is an old market description for a small, young turbot. It has nothing to do with poultry. The smaller fish is useful at home because it fits an ordinary roasting pan and serves four without brigade quantities.
• •Do not replace Egg Sauce with Melted Butter (No. 117) with hollandaise. The linked sauce is looser, filled with pieces of egg, and served apart; a smooth yolk emulsion changes both the texture and the character of the entry.
• •Keep the lobster whole for the crown. Tails alone taste perfectly good, but the red shell against the pale turbot supplies the generous table presentation intended by the source.
• •Pour a dry, mineral white such as Muscadet or Chablis. The wine should clear the butter from the palate, not add perfume to a dish deliberately built on clean fish, lobster, egg, and potato.

Advance Preparation

• •The court-bouillon can be made one day ahead, cooled promptly, covered, and refrigerated. Bring it back to a lively simmer before the lobster goes in.
• •The potatoes may be peeled and cut up to 4 hours ahead. Keep them fully submerged in cold water, then drain and cover with fresh measured cooking water before boiling.
• •Have the turbot cleaned and trimmed earlier the same day, then keep it well covered over ice in the refrigerator. Take it out only while the salted poaching water heats.
• •Prepare Egg Sauce with Melted Butter (No. 117) close to serving and hold it only briefly over warm water. The lobster and turbot are best cooked in sequence and brought to the table without refrigeration between them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 475g)