Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
Poached Fillet of Turbot with Black Chanterelle Sauce
This makes a really stunning dish with the white of the turbot against the dark grey, almost black, sauce, and is best served on a plain white plate for maximum effect. Of course, it also tastes good! Although the appearance of chanterelles may put you off—not to mention the price—do try them; they are worth it.
Yield: Serves 4
Method
Make the chanterelle paste
Put the 4 best-looking chanterelles to one side to use later as a garnish. Break up the rest into smaller pieces, wiping each one as you go to remove any dirt. Sweat the shallots in half of the butter in a small saucepan until they are soft, then add the chanterelles and continue to sweat for a further minute. Pour in the white wine and about 400ml/14 fl oz of the fish stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Place the resulting sauce in a food processor or blender and blend until it is a smooth paste.
Prepare the pepper
Remove the seeds from the pepper and cut its flesh into long and very thin strips. Blanch these in boiling salted water for a few seconds, then refresh in iced water and drain.
Poach the turbot
Using the remaining butter, grease a shallow tray or ovenproof pan large enough to take the fillets of turbot without overlapping. Lay the fish in the pan, lightly season and add the remaining fish stock. Cover the fish with buttered paper or foil and heat the stock until it just starts to tremble, then transfer to the oven and cook for 4–6 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. When cooked, drain the fillets from the stock, cover and keep warm. Turn up the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7.
Poach the garnish and reduce the stock
Set the stock over a high heat and, when it boils, drop in the whole chanterelles and poach for 30 seconds. Drain them and keep warm. Continue to reduce the stock until syrupy.
To serve
Just before serving, add the cream to the reduced stock and return to the boil, then stir in the chanterelle paste and gently reheat. Place the turbot in a hot oven for 1 minute to reheat. Pour the sauce onto the plates to form a puddle in the centre of each one. Lay the fillets of turbot on top and scatter strips of blanched pepper over the top of the fish only and not on the sauce. Lay a poached chanterelle on the edge of the sauce along with a parsley leaf.