Cold Chicken-Turbot

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •16 by 12 inch (40 by 30 cm) roasting pan with a tight foil cover
• •Clean muslin sling or flat fish rack
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Large basin or cleared sink for an ice bath
• •Fine-mesh strainer and damp muslin or coffee filter
• •Pastry brush
• •Long oval platter that fits inside the refrigerator
• •Fish server

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the court-bouillon

   Combine the water, wine, vinegar, onion, carrot, leek, bouquet garni, peppercorns, and salt in a large saucepan. Bring just to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer gently for 20 minutes so the vegetables give their flavor without making the liquor muddy. Strain the court-bouillon into the roasting pan and let it cool until barely warm, about 20 minutes. Starting the fish in fiercely hot liquid would tighten its surface before the center cooks.

2. 2

   Prepare the whole turbot

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Check that the cavity is clean, then pat the fish dry without soaking it. Set a clean muslin sling or fish rack inside the roasting pan and lay the turbot on it dark side up, keeping the head and tail intact. The sling is the honest replacement for the removable rack of a turbotière, and it prevents a cooked four-pound fish from breaking when lifted.

   Measure the roasting pan and refrigerator shelf before ordering the fish. If space is tight, ask the fishmonger to trim the fins closely; remove the head only as a last resort, since the whole outline is part of the cold presentation.
3. 3

   Poach at a tremble

   Pour the barely warm court-bouillon around the fish. It should reach at least halfway up the sides in a snug pan. Lay a sheet of parchment directly over the turbot, seal the pan with foil, and poach in the oven for 25 to 35 minutes, basting once halfway through. The liquid should tremble but never bubble hard. Cook until the thickest flesh beside the backbone reaches 145°F (63°C), looks opaque, and parts from the bone with gentle pressure. If the liquor begins bubbling, uncover the pan for a minute and lower the oven to 275°F (135°C). Ça se rattrape, provided you calm it promptly.

4. 4

   Chill it moist

   Ladle 3 cups of the hot cooking liquor through a fine strainer into a saucepan for the aspic, reserving another cup separately for adjustments. Set the covered roasting pan into a larger basin of ice water and stir the court-bouillon gently around the fish without disturbing its flesh. Refresh the ice until the liquor falls below 70°F (21°C) within an hour, then refrigerate the fish in its liquor until thoroughly cold, about 2 hours. Moist chilling is not brigade scaffolding; it keeps the fine flesh from drying as it firms.

5. 5

   Set the clear aspic

   While the fish chills, skim the reserved cooking liquor and simmer it gently until reduced from 3 cups to 1 1/2 cups. Pass it through damp muslin or a damp coffee filter without pressing on the sediment. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and leave it for 5 minutes, then whisk the swollen gelatin into the hot reduction off the heat. Spoon a little onto a cold saucer and refrigerate it for 5 minutes: it should set softly enough to cut, not bounce. If it remains loose, rewarm it and add the extra teaspoon of gelatin after blooming it in a spoonful of cold water. If it sets rubbery, melt it and loosen it with reserved court-bouillon. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Whisk the mayonnaise

   Whisk the egg yolk with the Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, the salt, and white pepper until smooth. Add the oil first by drops, then in a thin steady thread once the emulsion has taken, whisking constantly. Finish with the remaining lemon juice and taste it cold; the sauce should be bright and firmly seasoned because cold fish quiets everything. If the mayonnaise splits, put a teaspoon of cold water in a clean bowl and whisk the broken sauce into it a spoonful at a time. Don’t throw it out. Ça se rattrape. Cover and refrigerate.

7. 7

   Skin the cold fish

   Lift the cold turbot by its sling and let it drain for 10 minutes. Transfer it dark side up to a chilled oval platter. Starting near the tail, loosen and peel away the dark skin, working toward the head without digging into the flesh. Trim away any grey fringe with the back of a small knife. If the skin tears, scrape off the remaining patches gently; the aspic will smooth small blemishes, and the fish need not suffer for vanity. Pat the surface dry and chill it uncovered for 15 minutes so the glaze can grip.

8. 8

   Glaze and decorate

   Cool the aspic over ice, stirring occasionally, until it has the body of light syrup but has not set. Brush a thin coat over the exposed flesh and chill for 10 minutes. Arrange a restrained band of overlapping cucumber and egg slices along the center line, with parsley leaves between them, leaving most of the pale turbot visible. Brush with two more thin coats of aspic, chilling briefly between coats. If the glaze runs straight off, the fish or aspic is too warm; chill both for 10 minutes, stir the aspic smooth, and begin again. Chop any remaining set aspic and spoon it loosely around the fish with the lemon wedges.

9. 9

   Serve from the platter

   Take the turbot from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving, but keep the mayonnaise cold until the table is ready. Cut along the backbone and lift the two upper fillets with a fish server; remove the skeleton in one piece, then serve the lower fillets. Pass the lemon mayonnaise separately so each guest can take what the fish asks for. Never apologize at your own table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The source fixes two things plainly: serve the turbot cold, and choose a fish of four pounds or more. That size is not excess. Its thicker fillets stay succulent through poaching and chilling, while the broad surface gives the decoration somewhere to sit.
• •The source prescribes tasteful arrangement but no compulsory pattern. Cucumber, egg, parsley, and chopped aspic are a restrained home arrangement chosen to frame the white flesh rather than bury it. Decoration is scaffolding; don’t let it become architecture.
• •Buy the turbot from a fishmonger who will gut it, remove the gills, and trim the fins while leaving the head and tail intact. The skin should look moist rather than dry, the eyes clear, and the flesh should spring back when pressed.
• •Serve with a mineral Chablis or another dry, restrained white wine. Sweetness fights the lemon mayonnaise, and heavy oak overwhelms the turbot’s fine flesh.

Advance Preparation

• •The court-bouillon can be made a day ahead, strained, chilled, and kept covered. Warm it only to lukewarm before beginning the poach.
• •The turbot may be poached, chilled, skinned, decorated, and glazed up to one day before serving. Once the final glaze has set, cover it without letting the wrapping touch the surface and keep it below 40°F (4°C).
• •The lemon mayonnaise keeps for up to two days when made with a pasteurized yolk and refrigerated promptly. Whisk in a teaspoon of cold water before serving if it tightens in the cold.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 375g)