| Ingredients | Image |
The brunoise of aromatic vegetables (All vegetables cut to 1/16" dice): 2 medium onions 2 medium carrots 1 medium celery stalk 8 parsley stems 2 tbsp butter ½ bay leaf ¼ tsp tarragon ⅛ tsp salt ¼ lb mushrooms pinch of pepper The fish: 8 5 ounce filets of sole 1 cup dry white French vermouth salt and pepper The sauce: 1 tbsp butter 1 tbsp flour 1 tbsp tomato paste 4 tbsp butter for finishing the sauce |
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After cutting the onions, carrots, celery and parsley into the finest possible dice, cook them over low heat with the butter, herbs and seasonings for about 20 minutes. They should be perfectly tender and the palest golden color.
Add the mushrooms (also diced to 1/16") and cook slowly for 10 minutes more
Preheat the oven to 350º.
Score the fish lightly on the side which was next to the skin; this is the rather milky side, and drawing a knife over it cuts the surface membrane, thus preventing the fillet from curling as it cooks (I ignored this step for the cod)
Lightly salt and pepper the fillets, place one eighth of the vegetables over the scored side of each and fold in two, wedge-shaped.
(I used cod fillets which are much thicker than fillets of sole or flounder. I cut each through the thickness to make essentially two fillets of half the thickness)
Arrange the fish in one layer in a buttered baking dish, pour on the vermouth and add enough cold water to almost cover the fish, and cover with waxed paper.
If your baking dish is flameproof, bring barely to the simmer on the stove top, then set in the lower third of the preheated oven for 8 minutes. Otherwise, set the dish directly in the oven for about 12 minutes. (I used a small au gratin dish and found that 15 minutes in the oven was required to fully cook the fish). Fish is done when a fork pierces the flesh easily and the flesh barely flakes. Do not overcook.
Pour cooking juices into a small saucepan, and return the fish in the baking dish to the turned-off oven with the door ajar to keep warm while preparing the sauce.
Bring the reserved cooking juices to a rapid boil and cook until reduced to about 2/3 cup.
In another saucepan, melt 1 T butter, blend in the flour and cook slowly without coloring for about 2 minutes.
Remove the roux from the heat and vigorously beat in the reduced cooking liquid and the tomato paste.
Beat in the 4 T butter, 1/2 T at a time. (Sauce cannot be reheated once the butter has gone in)
Drain the fish again, adding the liquid to the sauce
Spoon sauce over the fish and serve immediately.