OK, this sounds a lot fancier than it is. Flounder was on sale at the market, so we got some. Had some myseriously un-drank wine laying about the house, and we had just planted some fresh herbs. (I also wanted to expand my repetoire a little bit.) As I was preparing it, I was somewhat hesitant, since there was little to no color, and I assumed that he flavors would be too…’subtle.’ I ordinarily favor big, bold flavors – and let me just say that this actually delivered!
If you’re intimidated by cooking fish, this is a good place to start, since you really can’t mess it up. This is also a good recipe for dipping a toe into French cooking methods. Goes well with white wine or Two Brother’s Brewing Domaine Dupage French Farmhouse Ale. The Brussels sprouts in the picture look a little dead, but let me tell you – they taste really good with some ‘browning’ on the outer leaves!
Ingredients
- 3/4 to 1 lb. of fish fillets (I used flounder – any other delicate white fish would do)
- 6 cups water
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped (including leaves)
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 lemon, sliced
- 2 tbls salt
- 2 tsp. pepper
- 1 1/2 tbls flour
- 1 1/2 tbls butter
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- Onion chives, chopped
Process
- Place all ingredients except fish, flour, butter, and lemon juice in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil, then gently simmer for 30 minutes. Strain into a large saute pan or skillet.
- Heat court bouillon to 160 F. Add fish fillets – they should be completely submerged by the bouillon. (Pro tip – if the fillets are skin-on, cut X’s into the skin to prevent the fillets from curling up.) The temperature of the bouillon should remain between 160 and 180 F – cooking time is about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare a roux by melting butter in a separate small saute pan, adding flour, and cooking while stirring. Once fillets are cooked through, remove from liquid and set aside in a warm oven. Add about 1 cup of bouillon to roux and stir. Cook sauce down to desired consistency, adding lemon juice near the end.
- To serve, spoon sauce over fish and garnish with chives. I served mine alongside roasted Brussels sprouts – rice or mashed potatoes would also be good.
