21 Feb Trout Filets with Hot Buttered Champagne Sauce
Sauces are made by different methods, depending on the type of sauce required, and each can become the basis from which other sauces are made. The traditional Beurre Blanc is the inspiration for this delicious and delicate sauce made with champagne. We have chosen to showcase this sauce with trout, but it would do equally well atop a salmon filet, or with your preference of poultry.
4 servings
Ingredients
For the Champagne sauce:
4 shallots, minced
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup Champagne
1 cup unsalted chilled butter, cut in pieces
Kosher salt and white pepper to taste
For the vegetables:
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups fresh, cleaned vegetables (broccoli, carrots, baby potatoes, etc.), chopped
½ cup Champagne
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon sugar
For the fish:
1 pound trout or salmon filets
Freshly ground pepper and salt to taste
Preparation
For the sauce:
Place shallots, vinegar and wine in a heavy skillet and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook vigorously to reduce the liquid by half, then lower heat and continue to reduce until almost evaporated. Beat in butter quickly to make a smooth sauce. Season with kosher salt and white pepper to taste. Makes about 1 cup.
For the vegetables:
Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cut the vegetables and add them to the pan, then sauté for 2 minutes. Add the Champagne to the hot pan to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits. Add one tablespoon of water and cook for 3-5 minutes until reduced. Season with salt, sugar, thyme leaves, and pepper. Stir, then cook for 2 more minutes or until crisp-tender, and set aside.
[Chef’s Note: Deglazing is simply the process of using a hot liquid to remove the browned bits (known as fond in French) from the bottom of the cooking pan, and using the resulting liquid as the foundation for a sauce or to bring the caramelization back into the food.]
For the fish:
In a nonstick pan over medium-high heat, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter. Add the fish filets and cook until browned, about 3 minutes on each side. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the pan.
Service
Transfer the fish to a warmed plate or serving platter and arrange the vegetables around it. Top the fish with the Champagne sauce and serve immediately.
[Chef’s Note: You may also choose to pass the sauce into a heated serving dish or gravy boat, and sauce the fish at the table to taste.]
Recipe and photo by Melissa De Leon Douglass