Three Fish with Choucroute (Choucroute de la Mer)
- Level: Advanced
- Total: 32 hr 20 min
- Active: 1 hr 20 min
- Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
Sauerkraut:
9 ounces sauerkraut cabbage, sliced
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch ground coriander
Pinch ground cumin
Pinch ground nutmeg
2 cardamom pods
Poached Salmon and Halibut:
2 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
2 ounces halibut
2 ounces salmon
Poached Haddock:
1 cup milk
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs thyme
2 ounces smoked haddock
Poached Mussels:
1/2 cup white wine
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
1 slice shallot
2 ounces mussels (about 4)
Beurre Blanc:
1/4 cup Riesling
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 shallots, diced
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 1/2 ounces French butter
Tomato, blanched, peeled and diced, for serving
Chopped fresh chives, for garnish
Fresh dill, for garnish
Directions
- For the sauerkraut: Cover the cabbage with the salt, sugar, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, nutmeg and cardamom. Mix together, then place in a sterilized jar, and then seal it, so it's airtight. Store the cabbage in a cool place and cure for 3 months.
- Preheat a steam oven to 350 degrees F.
- Remove the cabbage and then rinse under hot water until all the spices are dissolved and the cabbage is clean. Steam in a baking tray in the oven until softened, 1 hour. Keep warm until ready to serve.
- For the salmon and halibut: Bring 2 cups water with the thyme and bay leaf to a simmer. Add the salmon and halibut to the poaching liquid, and poach until cooked, 3 minutes.
- For the haddock: Bring the milk, 1 cup water, the thyme and bay leaf to a simmer. Add the haddock and poach until cooked, 3 minutes.
- For the mussels: Bring the wine, bay leave, thyme and shallots to a simmer. Add in the mussels and cook until they open, 3 minutes.
- For the beurre blanc: Heat the white wine, vinegar, shallots, bay leaf and thyme. Reduce the liquid by half. Add the cream, and reduce by half again. Whisk the butter into the cream reduction. Remove from the heat, then reserve.
- Assemble the warmed sauerkraut on the center of each plate in a circular mound. Arrange the fish across the top of the sauerkraut: first the haddock, then the salmon and finally the halibut. The two mussels are place on opposite sides of each other, beside the fish. Drizzle the beurre blanc sauce around and over the fish. Garnish each plate with the diced tomato, chopped chives and dill.
Cook’s Note
You will need to begin this recipe 3 months ahead to cure the sauerkraut, or use store-bought sauerkraut. If possible, prepare the poaching liquids at the same time in three separate pans.
