Now even if I say so myself, not only is this a stunningly delicious compilation, but also the height of subtlety and sophistication … frankly I have not made a classic beurre blanc as an accompaniment to a fillet of fish since cooking school …
… and can’t believe how foolish I have been, since in this particular case, ‘old is most definitely gold’, even with the unconventional addition of seaweed pearls.
Moreover, our very own Bhekti, aka Asian Sea Bass or Barramundi, submits to the beurre blanc beautifully, permitting it to shine whilst making its own presence felt.
Feel free to order your bhekti fillets (125g per portion and approximately 3/4 inch thick in the centre) from your preferred fish monger; I just happened to use online Licious meat and fish shop, and can vouch for the very good quality of their fish … and on with the recipe I go …
… first gather the principal components of the dish i.e. the fish and ingredients for the beurre blanc (STEP 1). IMAGE 2 is a close up of the seaweed pearl bottle.
Beurre Blanc Recipe
YIELD: 4 PORTIONS
- 30ml white wine
- 30ml apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
- 40grams imported double (aka whipping) cream
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 115g imported unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons seaweed pearls (or any fish roe you wish to use).
Dry your fish completely using a cloth towel (STEP 3) and if necessary, portion; I had a 250g fillet which I cut into 2 pieces (STEPS 4 & 5).
Then cut your butter into cubes and refrigerate (STEP 6).
Then wash and dry your roquette leaves, (I buy organic roquette from Pindi Fruit Mart, Defence Colony Market, New Delhi 110024), in water diluted with apple cider vinegar (4 parts water to 1 part apple cider vinegar), toss with a little vinaigrette (please refer to the Hung yoghurt Bocconcini Caprese recipe for instructions in how to make a vinaigrette, or else use your preferred one) and refrigerate until use (STEPS 7 TO 10).
Then put the finely chopped onion, white wine and apple cider vinegar into a heavy bottom pot (STEP 11), bring it to a boil until the liquid has reduced to 1.5 tablespoons (STEP 12); please watch it carefully and do not let it reduce to more than that. Then lower the heat, add your cream (STEP 13), bring it to a boil (STEP 14), let it boil for 30 seconds and then take off the heat (STEP 15), add a few cubes of butter (STEP 16), turn the heat to low and return the pot to the heat and whisk in the butter (STEP 17). Once the butter has fully melted and incorporated (STEP 18), take the pot off the heat again , add a few more cubes of butter (STEP 19), return to the heat and whisk again until melted and incorporated (STEP 20).
Continue to do this until you have used up all the butter (STEP 21). Then turn off the heat. Add two tablespoons of the Seaweed pearls and mix in with a wooden spoon (STEPS 22 TO 24). This will wait nicely until you pan fry the fish, but please note it will not wait too long. You cannot make this sauce in advance. The only part you can do in advance, by a couple of hours, is up to the addition of the cream. Then later you will have to bring the cream to a boil, and do the butter addition process, just before pan frying the fish. In fact the traditional beurre blanc recipe does not have any cream and is thus very delicate and difficult; the cream not only helps stabilize the sauce but also prevents it from quickly solidifying.
And now onto the fish and assembly we go. I will show the cooking process with one fillet and the plating with another, since I didn’t like my first presentation.
In a non-stick frying pan, heat some oil and butter (STEP 1 – 1 tablespoon of each is enough for 2 fillets at a time), on medium heat until foaming, then turn down the heat to low, add the fish and cook for two minutes (STEP 2), then flip and cook for 2 minutes on the other side (STEP 3), then flip again and cook for one more minute (STEP 4), then remove (STEP 5) and place on a plate or clean chopping board to rest (STEP 6).
Give the sauce a whisk (STEP 7), then place the roquette leaves in a circle around your serving plate (STEP 8), scatter with micro-herbs (STEP 9).
Then place the fillet in the centre (STEP 10), and top with a generous amount of the sauce, about 2.5 to 3 tablespoons per fillet (STEPS 11 & 12). Crown with a teaspoon of seaweed pearls (STEP 13), and there you have it, a dreamy and delicious dish (FINAL IMAGE).
Above: Final Image