2 salmon or trout fillets, about 2 cm thick, skinned
1 bunch sorrel, washed, stalks trimmed
15g cold unsalted butter, cubed
Lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
You can alternatively use trout fillets in this recipeSea Wave/Shutterstock
Method
1. Put the diced shallot and wine in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce until syrupy, then add the fish stock and bring back to a simmer. Reduce by half, then whisk in the crème fraîche. Season with salt and a little white pepper. Keep warm on a very low heat.
2. Slice the salmon fillets horizontally along the length to form two flat pieces about 1–1.5 cm thick. Put the pieces of salmon between two pieces of baking parchment and flatten slightly to an even thickness with a flat heavy implement.
3. Get a non-stick pan hot – one big enough to fit the four slices of salmon comfortably. Add no fat. Season the salmon fillets with salt and a touch of white pepper and lay them in the hot pan. The salmon will cook for no longer than 15 seconds on each side – it will be lightly seared on the outside and brightly pink within.
4. As soon as you put the salmon in the pan, rip the sorrel leaves in half and add to the sauce along with the cold butter. Shake the sauce rather than using a whisk to avoid breaking the sorrel. Cook the sauce, shaking the pan constantly, until the sorrel melts into it. After 30 seconds your salmon will be cooked pink and the sauce will be ready. Take the pan off the heat.
5. Taste the sauce for seasoning. It should be no thicker than double cream – any thicker and it will be cloying. Add a splash of water if you need to. Give it a little squeeze of lemon juice.
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6. Spoon the sauce onto plates and arrange the sorrel so that it is nicely spaced out. Lay the cooked salmon over the top of the sauce and serve immediately.
Extract credit: from ‘Frontières: The Food of France’s Borderlands’ by Alex Jackson (Pavilion Books).
