Episode 81: Fish

Bouillabaisse a la Marseillaise
Smoked Pickerel with a Citrus Mayonnaise
Pappillote of Wild Artic Char
Arctic Char Tartare
 Luxury Fish Pie

BOUILLABAISSE À LA MARSEILLAISE
Preparation is moderate

FOR THE BOUILLABAISSE
3 kilograms of white rock fish such as rascasse, monkfish, loup de mer, St-Pierre, grondin (6 pounds)
100 grams of chopped leeks (6 ½ ounces)
10 grams of saffron (2 teaspoons)
10 grams of cayenne (2 teaspoons)
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Juice of a lemon
250 grams of diced tomatoes (8 ounces)
150 millilitres of finely chopped garlic (5 fluid ounces)
150 millilitres of chopped onions (5 fluid ounces)
1 bouquet garni
100 millilitres of olive oil (3 ¼ fluid ounces)
Black pepper and salt
3 litres of fish stock (3 quarts)

FOR THE ROUILLE
1 egg yolk
50 grams of garlic (1 ¾ quarter ounces)
250 millilitres of olive oil (1 cup)
10 grams of cayenne (2 teaspoons)
10 grams of saffron (2 teaspoons)
Salt and pepper
8 slices of baguette

Preparation time is 2 hours, with 12 hours marinating time
Pre heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

To make the bouillabaisse, clean the fish and cut in it into large pieces.
Put the fish into a large stainless steel bowl and add the onions, leeks, garlic, tomatoes, cayenne pepper, bouquet garni and the olive oil.
Add a good screw of pepper from the mill. Cover and let the fish sit in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours, or better overnight.

After the fish has marinated, pour the juices, including any pieces of tomato, leek, garlic etc., into a hot sautéing pan and add the fish stock and salt.
Bring the stock to a simmer over a medium heat and skim it. Let it simmer for 15 minutes then pass the liquid through a sieve and add the saffron.
Put the liquid back into a saucepan and bring it to a boil over a medium heat. Add the fish pieces, starting with the firmest and moving towards the softest.
Cook them for a couple of minutes, then add the lemon juice and zest. Remove the fish from the pan and set it aside in a warm place.

To make the rouille, beat the egg yolks together with the garlic. Whisk in the olive oil in a steady stream and add the cayenne and saffron.
Brush the slices of baguette with olive oil and toast them until golden. Cut a garlic clove in half and rub each toast with garlic.

Divide the fish among the bowls. Pour the bouillon over the top and float the baguette toasts on top with a dollop of rouille.

Yield: 8 servings.
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SMOKED PICKEREL WITH A CITRUS MAYONNAISE
Preparation is easy

For the brine:
3 litres of water (3 quarts)
250 millilitres of kosher salt (1 cup)
250 millilitres of demerara sugar (1 cup)
10 millilitres of champagne vinegar (2 teaspoons)
10 millilitres of pickling spices (2 teaspoons)
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Juice of a lemon
50 millilitres of finely chopped garlic (1 ¾ ounces)
10 peppercorns

For the smoking:
4 pickerel fillets
Hickory wood chips

For the mayonnaise:
1 egg yolk
1 cup olive oil (250 millilitres)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (15 millilitres)
Juice and zest of one lemon
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon (15 millilitres)
Salt and pepper

Preparation time is 2 hours plus 12 hours marinating

Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring the liquid to a boil over a medium heat. Remove it from the heat and let it cool.
Slide in your pickerel fillets and marinate for 12 hours, overnight in the fridge.

Soak your wood chips for at least 30 minutes. Drain the fillets, pat them dry and smoke them over hickory wood chips for 40 minutes.
Set aside to cool.

To make the mayonnaise, in a small bowl beat your egg yolk, lemon juice and Dijon mustard together.
Then begin adding the olive oil by the teaspoonful to start with, then by the tablespoon once it starts to absorb it and stiffen.
Adjust the consistency of the mayonnaise with a very little boiling water to thin it. Stir in the chopped tarragon and season.
Serve with the smoked pickerel.

Yield: 4 servings
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PAPILLOTE OF WILD ARCTIC CHAR
Preparation is easy

4 filets of wild arctic char
500 grams of chopped spinach (1 pound)
Grated zest of 1 lime
Juice of a lime
50 grams of diced tomatoes (1 ¾ ounces)
10 grams of finely chopped garlic (2 teaspoons)
10 grams of chopped shallots (2 teaspoons)
1 bunch of fresh oregano
1 bay leaf
1 bunch of parsley
Salt and pepper

Preparation time is 45 minutes
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Clean the spinach and blanch it in boiling, salted water for about one minute. Drain it, cool it and chop it coarsely into large pieces.
Spread the olive oil and the shallots on a large piece of parchment paper. Add the garlic, tomatoes and oregano. Place the char on top.
Give it a good screw of black pepper, pour over the lime zest and juice, add the bay leaf and the parsley.
Cover it with the chopped spinach and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Close the papillote and cook in the oven for 25 minutes.

Remove the arctic char fillet from the papillote and serve with the cooking juices, boiled potatoes or rice.

Yield: 8 servings.
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ARCTIC CHAR TARTARE
Preparation is easy

6 ounces Arctic Char filet (175 grams)
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (15 millilitres)
½ teaspoon finely grated lime zest
¼ teaspoon lime juice
½ teaspoon finely minced chives
1/3 teaspoon Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 Radicchio leaves
2 bunches of Mache

Preparation time is 20 minutes, marinating time is 1 hour

Clean the arctic char fillets and remove any dark blood lines down the center of the fillets. Remove any pin bones.
Coarsely dice the Arctic Char using a very sharp, clean knife.

Put the fish in a mixing bowl and add the lime zest and juice. Add the chopped chives, sea salt, pepper, cayenne, and olive oil to the diced Arctic Char.
Toss well, taste and adjust seasonings, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Place a Radicchio leaf and bunch of Mache on a plate and pile the artic char tartare into the leaf. Decorate with a lime wedge and some capers.

Yield: 2 servings
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LUXURY FISH PIE
Preparation is easy

6 ounces scallops (180 grams)
8 ounces salmon fillet (250 grams)
4 ounces haddock fillet (125 grams)
12 medium shrimp, shell off
12 mussels
1 cup fish stock (250 millilitres)
1 cup white wine (250 millilitres)
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 bay leaf
3 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled
2 ounces melted butter (60 grams)

For the sauce:
4 ounces butter (125 grams)
2 ounces flour (60 grams)
3 tablespoons crème fraiche (45 millilitres)
1 bunch fresh dill, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons capers (30 millilitres)
4 ounces grated cheddar cheese (125 grams)
Preparation time is 45 minutes
Preheat the oven to 360 degrees Fahrenheit

Put the potatoes to cook in a large pan of salted, boiling water for 12 minutes or until soft.
Drain them and mash them, adding the melted butter. Set aside.

Put the white wine, fish stock, bay leaf and onion in a medium pot over a medium heat to come to a simmer.
Slide in the mussels, salmon fillet and the haddock to poach gently for about 7 minutes. Drop the scallops and the shrimp in for the final two minutes.

Drain the fish and set it aside, keep the fish stock. Sieve the stock. Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat and stir in the flour to make a roux.
Then, over a low heat, gradually stir in the fish stock, stirring all the time so that no lumps form.
Once the stock has been combined, allow the sauce to come to a boil and thicken. Once it has done so, remove it from the heat and season to taste.
Stir in the chopped parsley, dill, capers and the crème fraiche.

Now, flake the salmon and haddock with a fork and layer the fish and the sauce in a baking dish, just large enough so that the potato layer will lie flush with the rim of the dish.

When have used all the fish, take two forks and begin to "fork on" the potato layer. Starting from the edge, smear a little of the mashed potato on top of the pie.
Work around the edge, from the outside in. The aim is to create a coherent layer so that the filling does not leak through.
Sprinkle the top of the pie with cheese and bake it in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the top is browned and crispy.

Serve with fresh green peas and mint.

Yield: 6 serving
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Recipe courtesy of Chef Georges Laurier, Executive Chef & owner of Laurier Sur Montcalm in Hull, Quebec.