Noilly Prat sauce is a sauce used in french cuisine mostly to accompany grilled and roasted fish, but there are also versions that go great with fowl.
This vermouth from the area of Marseille in the south of France has been made for 200 years. It is using white grapes and a variety of proprietary herbs thereby giving this product the special properties that brings its sauces to its next gastronomic level.
It easily substitutes white wine in sauces and thereby delivers a more complex result.
The art of making Noilly Prat sauce for fish
Noilly Prat sauce is generally made with this vermouth, a broth and some form of cream.
I prefer to make a sauce for especially white fish using a concentrated fish broth, Noilly Prat and some butter.
The butter aids in thickening the sauce and giving it a velvety and smooth taste, but the cream or butter should preferably not be excessive. Also be careful when and how to add the cream of butter. The best results are achieved when adding butter or cream in small portions at the last stage before serving.
Finally -as with any reduction- ensure that the fish broth has very little added salt, as upon reduction, the salt taste could become overwhelming.
Special equipment
A fine mesh strainer
Noilly Prat sauce for fish
Ingredients
for the fish stock
- 4-6 oz (110-170 g) fish bones or skin with fish meat
- 0.6 pt (0.3 L) water
- 1 knife point salt
- 1 tsp dragon leaves
- 1 tbsp cut shallots
For the sauce
- 4 oz (100 ml) of the strained fish stock
- 2.5 oz (70 ml) Noilly Prat
- 1 oz (28 g) unsalted butter in pieces
Instructions
Making the fish stock
- place the fish bones, skin and fish meat in a sauce pan
- add the water, a tiny amount of salt, the herbs and shallot
- slowly heat up the mixture and let it simmer for about 20 minutes
- thereafter strain through a fine mesh siff and discard the solids
- Then continue to boil off the stock and reduce until about 3.5 oz (100 ml) is left
Making the sauce
- Take the concentrated fish stock, add the Noilly Prat and bring the mixture to a simmer
- Cook off the vapors for 5 minutes, there by reducing the volume further; continue to cook another 5 min if you want to eliminate virtually all alcohol
- just before serving, place the hot mixture on the lowest fire, add the butter in small pieces, letting it melt and come together while slowly whisking
- taste and if necessary make any adjustments (often only in the amount of salt)
- immediately serve or pour over the fish when plating
Notes
Food allergy & intolerance information: fish
Remarks
As wilfriedscooking.com does not advertise or promote brands, in this case we use the brand name Noilly Prat as this vermouth is unique for use in sauces in the kitchen. There is no paid or other relationship between Noilly Prat and wilfriedscooking.com
