Filet De Vivaneau Sauce D'Algues

This is classical French seafood cooking at its core. Red snapper fillets are broiled (or baked, or steamed) and served with a velvety sauce made from a slow-simmered stock of fish scraps, lobster head, seaweed, and a bouquet garni.

The two-hour simmer extracts every bit of flavor from the bones, shells, and aromatics. Skimming the scum as it rises keeps the stock clean and clear. Rushing this or boiling it hard makes the stock cloudy and bitter.

Straining through a fine sieve or tea towel is not optional for a smooth sauce. The optional cornstarch and milk thickener gives you a lighter liaison than cream would, letting the briny seaweed and shellfish flavors come through.

Chef Tips

• Ask your fishmonger for snapper or halibut heads and bones. They’re usually free or very cheap and make stock far superior to anything from a box.
• Keep the stock at a bare simmer, never a rolling boil. Gentle bubbles = clean flavor.
• When broiling, oil the grill rack well. Snapper skin sticks aggressively to dry metal.
• The fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork but still looks moist in the center. Overcooked snapper turns dry and chalky.

Variations

• Substitute halibut or sole fillets if red snapper isn’t available. Adjust broiling time for thinner fillets.
• Skip the cornstarch thickener and finish the sauce with a knob of cold butter swirled in for a classic beurre monte richness.
• Add a splash of dry white wine to the stock in the first 30 minutes of simmering for more acidity and depth.