Poached John Dory
A simple but luxurious celebration of John Dory poached in champagne and herbs – and nothing goes to waste as the poaching liquid is transformed into a rich sauce.
Ingredients
- 3 sprigs tarragon, bruised
- 3 sprigs parsley, bruised
- 300ml/10fl oz champagne
- 4 John Dory fillets
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú butter
- 1 shallot, very finely chopped
- 75ml/5 tbsp double cream
- 1 tbsp finely chopped tarragon
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- few lemon thyme leaves
For the garnish
- 500g/1lb 2oz broad beans (150g/5½oz when podded and skinned)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú capers, drained
- ½ lemon, zest only
Method
First prepare the broad beans for the garnish. Pod the beans and blanch in boiling water for 1 minute, then drain and refresh under cold water. Slip off the skins and set aside.
Put the tarragon and parsley in a wide, lidded frying pan, add the champagne and bring to the boil. Season the fish with salt and pepper, and lower into the champagne. Turn down the heat, cover and leave to simmer very gently until just cooked through, around 5 minutes – this will depend on the thickness of the fish. When it is just cooked through, remove from the heat and ladle off about 150ml/5fl oz champagne for the sauce. Cover the pan and set aside.
While the fish is cooking, start the sauce. Melt the butter in a small wide pan over a low heat, then add the shallot and cook very gently until softened.
Add the 150ml/5fl oz champagne from cooking the fish and bring to the boil. Simmer until the volume of liquid has reduced by a third. Add the cream and simmer until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly. Season to taste and stir in the herbs.
To finish the garnish, heat the olive oil in a small frying pan over a high heat and add the skinned broad beans and capers. Fry for 30 seconds, then stir in the lemon zest.
Carefully remove the fish from the pan to warmed plates and spoon over the sauce. Garnish with broad beans and capers.
Recipe Tips
Chervil is a good alternative to tarragon and a few chervil leaves make a lovely garnish.
