Sandre au beurre blanc
Crisp-skinned pike-perch with the Loire's buttery shallot sauce
Beurre blanc was first whisked up on the banks of the Loire near Nantes, and riverside restaurants from Anjou to the Muscadet vineyards still serve it with sandre, the firm, mild pike-perch of the river. The sauce is nothing but shallots reduced in white wine and vinegar, then mounted with cold butter into a pale, foamy emulsion that tastes sharp and creamy at once. The crisp-skinned fish sits on top, with steamed potatoes or leeks alongside. The reduction uses dry white wine; an alcohol-free option is in the notes. If you can't find pike-perch, sea bass or hake fillets are good substitutes. Chef's tip: keep the butter fridge-cold and add it a few cubes at a time, and the sauce will never split.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the beurre blanc
For the fish
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Fresh ingredients (4)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put 3 shallots, ½ cup dry white wine (Muscadet) and 3 tbsp white wine vinegar in a small heavy pan and simmer over a medium heat until only about 2 tablespoons of syrupy liquid remain.
8 minStep 2: Turn the heat to its lowest. Whisk in 7 oz cold unsalted butter a few cubes at a time, adding more only as the last ones melt into the sauce. The most common mistake is letting it get too hot: if it bubbles the butter turns oily and the sauce splits.
6 minStep 3: Season with salt and, if you like, 1 tsp lemon juice, and strain it if you want it very smooth. Keep it warm, off the heat, in a bowl set over warm water.
Step 4: Pat 4 pike-perch fillets, skin on (or sea bass or hake) dry, score the skin lightly and season with ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp white pepper.
Step 5: Heat 1 tbsp sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat and lay the fillets in skin-side down, pressing them flat with a spatula for the first 20 seconds.
4 minStep 6: When the skin is crisp and golden and the flesh has turned opaque two-thirds of the way up, add ½ oz butter, flip and cook 1 more minute until the fish is opaque all through and flakes easily.
1 minStep 7: Spoon the beurre blanc onto warm plates and set the fish on top, skin-side up, so it stays crisp.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 31 g
- Carbs
- 3 g
- Fat
- 43 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sandre au beurre blanc take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
- What can I use instead of dry white wine (muscadet)?
- Stock with 1 tsp white wine vinegar per 120ml (½ cup).
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