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Pickerel with saffron butter sauce
A pickerel dish with bold flavours thanks to the saffron.
YIELDS
4
Ingredients
Saffron Beurre Blanc
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) dry white wine
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) white wine vinegar
- 2 shallots, peeled and very finely diced
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) cold salted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized chunks
- Salt and black pepper
Fennel
- 1 bulb fennel, cut into 8 wedges (base intact, reserve some fronds to garnish)
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) white wine
- Salt and pepper
Pickerel
- 4 pickerel fillets, skin on, pin bones removed, tail end and belly cut away
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- Butter, for basting
Serve
- Fennel fronds, to garnish
Directions
Saffron Beurre Blanc
- Have the butter ready (cut and in a small bowl).
- In a medium saucepan, bring wine and vinegar to a boil. Add the shallots and saffron. Lower heat to a simmer and cook until reduced to about three to four tablespoons.
- Remove the pan from heat and whisk in a couple of pieces of the cold butter.
- Set pan over very low heat and continue whisking butter into sauce one chunk at a time, allowing each piece to melt before adding more, maintaining low heat and never allowing the sauce to come to a boil; move the pan on and off the element if needed.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Keep warm (not hot).
Fennel
- Heat olive oil in a cast iron pan over medium-high heat.
- Sear the fennel in olive oil until golden brown, two to three minutes, flip and season with salt and pepper. Cook for two minutes more.
- Add the white wine to the pan. Cover the pan with a lid and turn off the heat under it.
Pickerel
- Season fish with salt and pepper on the flesh side.
- In a non-stick pan over medium-high heat, sear the pickerel fillets in olive oil, skin side down, until a crust forms, two to three minutes.
- Flip the fillets, add butter to the pan and start basting the fish. Continue cooking until just cooked through, three to four minutes (may vary depending on the thickness of the fillets) – finish in oven if needed.
Serve
- Serve the Pickerel with Saffron Beurre Blanc and Fennel.
- Garnish neatly with fennel fronds and serve immediately. Enjoy!
