Don’t fear the fish: How to poach a fillet like a famous French chef
The cover image on Eric Ripert’s latest cookbook, “Seafood Simple,” is about as simple as can be. A piece of rosy salmon sits on a white plate on a white surface. The chef’s hands hover on either side: one holding a small dish of salt, the other sprinkling a delicate shower of crystals on the fillet. the Ripert, storied co-owner Le Bernardin and restaurant chef at in New York City, wants this cookbook - his eighth to take you on a journey and “convert you into a competent and confident seafood cook.” To that end, he has written a concise, thoughtful guide to selecting seafood, determining whether it is fresh and storing it safely. Step-by-step photos demonstrate how to fillet and skin fish, how to shuck oysters and clams, clean shrimp and split lobster.
Ripert then takes home cooks by the hand and guides them through nine major techniques applied to 85 recipes. The goal: “to take seafood from daunting to rewarding.”
Despite the book’s title, Ripert admits that “cooking seafood, in truth, is not always that simple.” Two keys to success are securing the highest-quality seafood possible, which can be challenging depending on your budget and your proximity to water, and preparing it simply and carefully.
“All seafood is not equal,” he said. “If you buy mediocre products, the outcome, even if you are a genius, is going to be a mediocre result. Cooking for me starts with shopping, and then you have to know how to handle it.”
The next step is to select the proper cooking method.
For example, poaching is not a good technique when cooking a meaty fish, such as tuna or swordfish, but it is great for flaky, lean, delicate fish, such as halibut.
One decidedly American recipe is a pantry-friendly, sweet, bold sauce that you can whisk together in minutes to make his Barbecue Glazed Striped Bass: A broiled fillet is finished with a brush of sauce and given a quick second pass under the broiler. He serves that with a lightly dressed slaw. (That recipe works with cod, grouper and swordfish, as well.)
“I just want people not to be intimidated, but to be inspired. I want people to say, ‘Duh, it was not so difficult.’”
HALIBUT WITH AN HERB
VINAIGRETTE
4 servings
Total time: 35 minutes Chef Eric Ripert recommends making a velouté, a poaching liquid of flour and water, for gently cooking halibut fillets, which he then serves topped with an herb vinaigrette. To test for doneness, he inserts a metal skewer through the thickest part of the fish until it meets a slight resistance. He leaves it for 5 seconds and then touches the skewer against his wrist. It should be just warm; if it’s hot, the halibut is overcooked, if cold, the fish is not done. FOR THE VELOUTE AND FISH
8 cups water, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
Juice of 2 lemons
Fine salt
4 halibut fillets (6 ounces each), skinned
Freshly ground white pepper
FOR THE VINAIGRETTE
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Fine salt
Freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lightly packed chopped fines herbes, fresh chives, parsley, tarragon and/ or chervil
Make the velouté: In a wide, shallow pot over high heat, bring 7 cups of water to a boil.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl or large measuring cup, whisk the flour and 1 cup of water until smooth, then whisk the slurry into the boiling water to thicken; it should be the consistency of a milkshake. Add the lemon juice and a generous pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to low. The velouté should be hot but not simmering, about 150 degrees.
Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with a kitchen towel and place it near the stove. Sprinkle the halibut fillets lightly with white pepper, then gently place them in the velouté. Cook, turning the fish halfway through, until a metal skewer inserted into the thickest part of the fish for 5 seconds feels warm when touched to your wrist, 8 to 9 minutes.
Make the vinaigrette: While the fish is poaching, in a medium bowl, whisk together the sherry vinegar, a pinch of each salt and white pepper, and the mustard until combined. Slowly whisk in the oil to emulsify. Stir the chives, parsley, tarragon and chervil into the vinaigrette.
Using a slotted spatula, transfer the fillets to the prepared sheet pan to allow them to drain a bit. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then transfer the halibut to warm plates.
Spoon the vinaigrette over
and around the fish, and serve immediately.
Adapted from “Seafood Simple” by Eric Ripert (Random
House, 2023).
BARBECUE GLAZED STRIPED
BASS
4 servings
Total time: 40 minutes This glazed fish dish gets the broiler treatment, making it a great year-round way to enjoy the flavors of a backyard barbecue.
FOR THE COLESLAW
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1/2 head green cabbage (about 1 pound total) quartered, cored and very thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, coarsely grated
3 scallions, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves
FOR THE FISH
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt, plus more as needed
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper, plus more as needed
4 striped bass fillets (7 ounces each), skinned, patted dry
Make the coleslaw: In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, granulated sugar, salt and pepper. Add the cabbage, carrot, scallions and tarragon and gently toss together until the pieces are coated with dressing. Taste a piece of cabbage, and season with more salt and/or pepper, as needed. Refrigerate while you prepare the fish.
Make the fish: Position an oven rack 6 inches from the broiling element and preheat to 450 degrees.
In a small bowl, whisk together the ketchup, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, mustard powder, salt and pepper until well combined. Taste, and season with more salt and/or pepper as needed.
Lightly season the striped bass fillets on both sides with salt and white pepper. Place on a large, rimmed baking sheet and broil for 2 minutes. Gently turn the fish over and broil for another 2 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Using a spoon or pastry brush, cover the top and sides of the fish with the sauce and return it to the broiler. Cook for another 2 minutes, watching carefully until the sauce starts to caramelize slightly and a skewer inserted into the thickest part of the fish for 5 seconds feels warm when touched to the wrist. The fish should be opaque throughout.
Transfer the fish to plates and serve with the coleslaw on the side.