 Sautéed Tile Fish and Vegetable Ragout
The late Chef Jean-Louis Palladin was called the definitive chef of the 20th century. Yet he expressed his cooking philosophy simply: “If you have good ingredients, I don’t see you need to be a chef!” For this dish, Chef Palladin introduced tile fish, simply sautéed (simple, except he mixed a little lemon juice into the oil to add a touch more flavor) and served with a vegetable ragout (again, simple, except that the Chef used lobster consomme instead of just fish stock for the stewing liquid). Select the best of the seasonal vegetables in the market, the best fillet of fish, and use Jean-Louis’ recipe as your template.
Ingredients
- Vegetable Ragout
- Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons
- Shallots - 2, diced
- Onion - 1, diced
- Prosciutto - 1-1/2 cups, diced
- Garlic Cloves - 3, minced
- Thyme - 3 sprigs, stemmed
- Bay Leaves - 4
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Lobster Consomme - 2 cups (alt. fish stock)
- Baby Red Beets - 16, blanched
- Baby White Beets - 16, blanched
- Baby Yellow Beets - 16, blanched
- Baby Fennel Bulbs - 4, blanched
- Baby Parsnips - 12, blanched
- Baby Artichokes - 8, blanched
- Baby Carrots - 12, blanched
- Unsalted Butter - 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons)
- Parsley - 1 cup, chopped
- Olive Oil - 4 tablespoons
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Tile Fish Fillets - Four, 6-ounce (alt. grouper or red fish fillets)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Mustard-infused oil - 1/4 cup
Instructions
To make the vegetable ragout: In a large saucepan or a pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and add the shallots, onion, prosciutto, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and lemon. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are softened but have not begun to color, 5 to 7 minutes. Add stock and cook 6 to 7 more minutes. Add the vegetables and cook 3 minutes, then add the butter and cook 4 more minutes. Set aside.
To prepare the fish: Heat the olive oil and lemon juice in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Season the fish liberally on both sides and sauté in the hot oil for four minutes on each side.
To serve: Divide the vegetable ragout among the heated plates. Place a fish fillet on top of the ragout on each. Drizzle with pan juices. Drizzle the plates with a little mustard-infused oil.
