Braised Whole Fillet of Salmon in Wine & Aromatic Vegetables
Submitted by BethC
A whole salmon fillet braised on a bed of buttery carrots, onions, and celery in dry vermouth with tarragon. Three sauce options from simple pan jus to a rich winey cream veloute.
YIELD
6 to 8 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
40 minThis is old-school French technique at its most elegant, and it’s far simpler than it sounds.
A whole salmon fillet rests on a pillow of butter-softened carrots, onions, and celery, scented with dried tarragon, then gently braises in dry French vermouth until the flesh is just springy to the touch.
Twelve to fifteen minutes in the oven. That’s it.
The real beauty is in the three sauce options: serve the salmon au naturel in its own reduced juices, whisk in butter for a silky beurre blanc, or go all out with a winey cream veloute that turns a weeknight fish into a dinner party centerpiece.
Pro Tips
- Run your fingers over the fillet to find pin bones and pull them with tweezers. This takes two minutes and saves someone at the table from an unpleasant surprise.
- Score the skin side so the fish doesn’t curl during cooking. A few shallow diagonal cuts will do.
- Baste the salmon with the braising liquid a few times during baking. This keeps the surface moist and builds flavor with each pass.
- You can assemble the whole dish hours ahead and refrigerate. Just add a few extra minutes of oven time when cooking from cold.
Variations
- Au Naturel: Boil down the braising juices until syrupy and spoon them over the fish. Clean, pure, stunning.
- Aromatic White Butter Sauce: Beat cold butter into the reduced braising liquid for a classic beurre blanc. Use as little as 3 tablespoons or go lavish with half a pound.
- Winey Cream Veloute: Make a light roux, whisk in the hot braising juices and a cup of heavy cream, and reduce until thick and luscious. Fold the vegetables into the sauce or serve it alongside.
Ingredients
Directions
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT SUGGESTED: A no-stick frying pan for the diced vegetables; tweezers or pliers to remove bones; a lightly buttered baking dish that will just hold the fish comfortably (or an ovenproof baking and serving platter, or, lacking either, cut the fish in half crosswise, and reassemble it after cooking- the vegetables will mask the surgery); buttered wax paper to cover fish.
THE AROMATIC VEGETABLES: Cook the diced vegetables slowly in the butter until quite tender but not browned- about 10 minutes.
Season lightly with salt, pepper, and a big pinch of dried tarragon.
PREPARING THE FISH: Go over the salmon carefully with your fingers to detect any little bones; pull them out with tweezers or pliers.
Score the skin side of the fish. Dust with salt and pepper, and place best side up in the baking dish.
ASSEMBLING: Spread the cooked diced vegetables over the fish, and pour ½ inch of vermouth around it.
Cover the fish with the wax paper, buttered side down.
*Ahead-of-time note: May be assembled an hour or more ahead to this point; cover and refrigerate.
BAKING: 12 to 15 minutes at 350F: Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃). Set the fish in the lower middle level, and, when beginning to bubble lightly, baste the surface with the liquid in the dish, basting several times again until the flesh feels lightly springy to the touch.
Remove from the oven, and, holding the fish in place with a pot cover, drain the cooking juices into a saucepan. Slide the fish onto a hot platter; cover and keep warm while making the sauce.
VARIATIONS: AU NATURAL: Braised Salmon Served in Its Own Juices: Rapidly boil down the cooking juices in the saucepan until almost syrupy. Pour them over the fish and vegetables, and serve.
AROMATIC WHITE BUTTER SAUCE: The usual and lovely butter sauce of modern cookery can be as rich and buttery as you wish-from 3 or 4 tablespoons to half a pound. Using the preceding boiled-down juices as a base, proceed to beat in the butter.
WINEY CREAM SAUCE: A reasonable and equally delectable compromise is a light veloute sauce made with the cooking juices, then boiled down with cream, as follows. Cook together 2½ Tbs butter and 3 Tbs flour 2 minutes without coloring; off heat whisk in the hot braising juices and 1 cup heavy cream. Boil slowly until reduced to 2½ cups; season carefully.
Either serve the fish cloaked in its vegetables and accompany with the sauce, or fold the vegetables into the sauce and spoon over the fish.
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