12336 Fish Fillets in Red Wine and Cocoa Sauce Serves 4 Wed Aug 06 01:04:14 -0700 2008 Tue Feb 03 02:38:33 -0800 2009 Licensed http://www.chow.com/recipes/12336 Tue, 03 Feb 2009 10:38:33 GMT Fish from the Gironde River, such as lamprey, trout, and shad, are often served with a red wine sauce in Bordeaux. The sauce served with lamprey is thickened with its blood—a very popular spring dish served at the Brasserie de Noailles just across from the Grand Thèâtre. Out of season, the Bordelais will continue to order it, knowing it comes directly from a can. Many gastronomes prefer it aged in the can!

In the neighboring Landais region, eel is cooked with prunes and leeks, and the red wine sauce is thickened with bitter chocolate, which, though not evident to the taste, deepens its flavor and color. This modern version of that sauce can be used for fillets of any of the fish listed above, as well as for bass or mullet.

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  • In a nonreactive saucepan, slowly simmer the red wine with the shallots until reduced to ¼ cup, about 40 minutes. Add the reduced stock and boil over moderately high heat until reduced by half. Stir in the fish glaze. (This fish sauce base can be prepared to this point up to 1 day in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Reheat before using.)
  • In a steamer or the top half of a couscous cooker, steam the leeks until soft, 12 to 15 minutes. Shake off excess moisture; place in a wide saucepan and cook away all moisture. Add half the cream and cook, uncovered, until thick, about 2 minutes. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Remove the leeks from the heat.
  • Cut the fish into 4 pieces of approximately equal size, slicing each slightly on the diagonal. Lightly season with salt and pepper.
  • In a wide, deep skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter; add the fish in a single layer. For extra moisture, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon water. Cover the pan tightly and cook over low heat for 2 minutes. Spoon the reserved fish sauce base around the fish so that the flavors mix with the pan juices. Cover and cook, basting once over low heat, for 2 minutes longer, or until just cooked. With a slotted spatula, transfer the fish pieces to a warmed serving platter.
  • Quickly bring the pan juices to a boil, add the remaining 2 tablespoons cream, and boil until reduced by half. Gradually swirl in the remaining 7 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks, and allow the sauce to thicken without boiling.
  • Mix the cocoa paste and vinegar until smooth; stir into the sauce in the skillet. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • To serve, mound a bed of leeks on 4 warmed plates. Set a piece of fish on each. Coat with the sauce and sprinkle with chives. Serve at once.
  • If a whole fish is purchased (about 2½ pounds), have the backbone and head cut up to use in making the fish fumet.
  • It's important to use an intense red wine for this dish, because the sauce is mounted with butter, which dilutes the color. The best wines for this kind of sauce are a California Petite Sirah, a French Côtes-du-Rhône, or Cahors.
  • The initial reduction of the wine should be slow so that it has a chance to mellow; and the shallots need the long cooking to soften. If the wine evaporates before the 40-minute cooking time, add a little water and cook down slowly until the shallots are soft, then let the water evaporate.
    • ]]>     http://www.chow.com Paula Wolfert 50 Main 1½ cups full-bodied red wine (see Notes, page 128)

    ]]>     2 tablespoons minced shallots

    ]]>     1½ cups unsalted chicken stock (storebought or homemade—page 405), boiled until reduced to ½ cup

    ]]>     1½ cups Fish Fumet (page 413), made with red wine and reduced to ¼ cup glaze

    ]]>     4 leeks (white part and ½ inch of pale green), well washed and thinly sliced crosswise

    ]]>     ¼ cup heavy cream

    ]]>     Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper

    ]]>     1 pound boneless fish fillets, such as trout, bass, or mullet

    ]]>     8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

    ]]>     1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa dissolved in 1½ teaspoons water

    ]]>     1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

    ]]>     2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

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