Fillets of sole Saint-Germain

“Saint-Germain” refers to the method of cooking sole or brill in which the fish is painted with butter, covered in breadcrumbs and then grilled.  It is them served with a garnish of Béarnaise sauce and noisette potatoes.

Preparation Time: 20 Mins

Cooking Time: 40 Mins

Total Time: 1 Hr

Ingredients

For 2 portions

                      Béarnaise sauce       

                      Breadcrumbs  - fresh white      

30 gms            Butter  - melted       

12 balls           Potatoes  - noisette  

2                    Sole  - Dover, filleted

For the Béarnaise sauce

80 gms            Butter       

1 sprig            Chervil      

½ tsp             Chervil  - fresh - finely chopped

2                    Egg yolks   

3                    Peppercorns  - white 

1 tbs               Shallot  - chopped finely         

1 strig             Tarragon   

½ tsp             Tarragon  - fresh - finely chopped          

2 tbs               Vinegar  - tarragon   

2 tbs               Wine  - dry white     

For the noisette potatoes

60 gms            Butter       

1 tbs               Parsley  - chopped    

                      Pepper  - freshly ground, black 

6                    Potatoes    

                      Salt          

Method

To prepare the Béarnaise sauce….

Put the wine, wine vinegar, peppercorns and shallot into a small saucepan.  Add the chervil and tarragon sprigs, cut into small pieces, then boil gently until the liquid has reduced to about a third.  Strain the reduced liquid through a sieve, pressing the herbs to extract all the flavour.  Leave to cool.

Cut the butter into nut-sized pieces. Put the cooled reduction and the yolks into a heavy-based saucepan.  Whip the mixture unto it has amalgamated and mix in the salt.

Add a piece of butter to the sauce, put the pan over a very low heat and mix well.  The butter will become incorporated and the sauce will thicken.  Add the remaining pieces of butter, one by one mixing well so that the butter is amalgamated and the sauce thickened.

Add the chopped herbs.

To cook the noisette potatoes…

Preheat an oven to 200°C. 

Use the small end of a melon baller to scoop out 12 nut-size balls of potato flesh.  Heat the butter in an ovenproof pan and sauté the potato balls over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.

Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden-brown all over.  Season with salt and pepper.

To cook the sole fillets…

Sprinkle the fillets with salt and pepper.  Brush them with some of the melted butter and cover them with the breadcrumbs.  Pour over the remaining butter and grill them under a gentle heat for 5 minutes on each side.

Arrange the fillets on plates surrounded by the noisette potatoes and the Béarnaise sauce.

Wine recommendations

Conventional

     Pouilly-Fussé

Interesting

     Menetou-Salon

     Montlouis

     Pinot Gris