Name: Breton turbot braised in champagne with crayfish (Turbot de Bretagne braisé au Champagne et écrevisses)
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 2 h 10 min
Total time: 2 h 50 min
Yield: Serves: 6
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 115 g (4 oz) shallots, sliced into rings; 85 g (3 oz) carrots, cut into sticks; 30 ml (1 fl oz) fine brandy; 5 garlic cloves, crushed in skins; 1 tsp dried fennel seeds; 3 garlic cloves, crushed; 3 peppercorns; 100 ml (3½ fl oz) olive oil; 24 large orange-legged crayfish; olive oil, for drizzling; fleur de sel; freshly ground black pepper; 115 g (4 oz) shallots, sliced into large rings; 3 garlic cloves, crushed in skins; 1 turbot about 6 kg (12 lb), gutted; 50 g (2 oz) salted butter; 115 g (4 oz) butter; 350 ml (12 fl oz) Champagne; 400 ml (14 fl oz) Champagne; 4 egg yolks; sprig of fresh parsley; juice of ½ lemon; 24 asparagus spears, trimmed; splash of olive oil; about 500 ml (18 fl oz) chicken stock; salt, to taste; 75 ml (2½ fl oz) clarified butter; 115 g (4 oz) white button mushrooms, sliced; 5 black peppercorns

Preparation info

Serves:
6

Difficulty
Complex
Ready in
3 hr

Appears in

New Bistro

By Fran Warde

Published 2009

About

This recipe is not for the faint hearted; it is for the more experienced cook, but needs to be included as it demonstrates the diversity of bistro cooking. To help you on your way in the kitchen (unless you are a dab hand at preparing fish) instruct and watch your fishmonger prepare the turbot into gleaming white, trimmed turbot steaks. Ask to keep all the trimmings, except the guts, for the stock.