Anne Willan

Merlan des Mareyeurs

Fishmonger’s whiting

Preparation info
  • Serves

    4-6

    • Difficulty

      Easy

Appears in
top 1000French Regional Cooking
French Regional Cooking

By Anne Willan

Published 1981

  • About

Whiting is caught off the coast of Lorient in southern Brittany where this simple dish is common. It is often made with herrings, known locally as ‘gendarmes’. Fillets of plaice, flounder or haddock can be used, too.

Ingredients

3 shallots, finely chopped

Method

Set the oven at hot (200°C/400°F). Butter a shallow baking dish and put in the shallots, wine and water. Rinse and dry the fillets, fold them in half, skin side inwards, and lay them on top; season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Cover them with greaseproof/waxed paper and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the flesh is no longer transparent. Drain the cooking liquid into a