This dish represents a lovely combination of easy and delicious, with distinctly French roots. It shows how sophisticated simplicity can be. As with many such dishes, quality of ingredients is key. If your fish and herbs aren't super-fresh, don't bother.
total preparation time, including cooking, 20 minutes
serves 4
ingredients
- about 1 1/4 pounds extremely fresh flatfish fillets, preferably of even thickness. I used some gorgeous turbot from Harbor Fish.
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 medium or large clove garlic, sliced very thin
- about 1/4 cup chopped very fresh herbs. I used a combination of roughly 2 parts Italian parsley, 2 parts chives, and 1 part tarragon.
- 2 - 4 Tb unsalted butter, at room temperature
- salt
- freshly ground pepper - white if you have it
special equipment
- large non-reactive skillet with lid
- large slotted spatula
- whisk
Put your dinner plates in a 175 degree oven to heat. Place the wine and garlic in the skillet and bring to a simmer, covered, over moderate heat. After a few minutes of cooking to blend flavors, place the fish in the skillet in a single layer. Cover and bring back just barely to a simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to low. Poach for about 10 minutes per inch of thickness, or until just opaque. My turbot was 3/4 of an inch thick and was done in 7 minutes.
With the spatula, remove the fillets carefully to the hot plates, leaving the accumulated fish juices and wine behind. Off heat, whisk 2Tb butter and the herbs into the poaching liquid. Season to taste with salt and pepper, adding more butter if needed. Pour the sauce over the fish and serve immediately with some excellent bread and a green salad.
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