Goujonettes de Limande Aux Deux Sauces…. or…. Fish and Chips! – Day 13

TODAY’S TIDBITS

• ROUND fish yield 2 fillets, FLAT fish yield 4 fillets (smaller of course).
• FLAT fish are born with their eyes on both sides, but one of the eyes migrates over to the other side, so they end up on the same side.
• When ‘battering’ (i.e. flour-eggs-breadcrumbs), put your seasoning (salt, pepper, etc) on the fish or in with the eggs, not in the flour or bread crumbs, so that the seasoning is even throughout. The salt also enhances the viscosity of the eggs.
• In French cuisine, fried fish is traditionally served with deep-fried parsley

Today we learned about FLAT fish. We gutted and skinned a flounder – this seemed easier than yesterday’s bass, the weirdest part being when you have to twist the head off gently and it pulls the guts out as you do it. We then filleted it yielding 4 fillets. The small fillets we chopped into goujonettes (fingers) and made the Limande (Flounder). We rolled the ‘fingers’ in our hands, dredged in flour, rolled again, dipped in egg (+water, oil and salt), then in breadcrumbs, rolled again, and then deep fry at 350.

The more interesting parts of the dish were the garnitures, a mini ‘bread basket’ which we made from deep-fried potato gaufrettes, then a remoulade (mayonnaise with mustard, anchovy, capers, mini pickles) served in a cool carved cucumber container, and also a pureed red-pepper sauce (red-peppers, garlic, butter, reduced cream) swooshed across the plate, looked fantastic….but still….. it was fish and chips. Good for lunch, but I can’t imagine paying $30 for a plate, maybe it’s good as an appetizer.

The second dish, braised flounder, tasted amazing. We used the longest 2 fillets, folded them in three, and poached over a fumet (fish stock where we added the fish bones from the earlier gutting enhancing the taste), and butter, shallots and mushrooms. We just under-cooked the flounder (‘a nickel sized part still uncooked) to be finished later. We then reduced the poaching liquid down to ‘nappant’ (you can see the bottom of the pan if you run a spoon through it). Added reduced cream, lemon, and then lightened with whipped cream, parsley, and then under the salamander (broiler) to brown and finish cooking. “No Emeril BAM parsley on the plate in my kitchen, the parsley goes in the sauce!” This tasted so good, particularly the white sauce.

Spencer chopped through his thumb while “choppin par-se-lee” and opted to leave for the day. Heal well Spencer!!!! I had a new partner today, Nina – we worked well together. Got yesterday’s exams back – I continue to be impressed by this quick turnaround on our exams. The next exam is Friday. It was fresh rye bread from the bread class, and then home in the rain. Potato cocottes for homework.