Fillet of Turbot with Brioche, Beetroot, and Grapefruit Sauce
Kevin Thornton starts his turbot with an entire fish, and uses the portions he trims away to create his fish stock and a fish forcemeat from which he forms quenelles. You may do the same, or start with the fish already filleted and use another fish stock.
Ingredients
- Turbo
- Turbo - Four (4 oz) fillets
- Olive Oil - 3 tablespoons
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Grapefruit Juice - Juice of 1/4 pink
- Brioche - 1 slice, cubed
- Baby Beets
- Grapefruit Juice - Juice of 1/4 pink grapefruit
- Baby Beets - 12
- Beet Sauce
- Pink grapefruits - 1-1/2
- Shallot - 1, minced
- Beets - 2, skinned and cut in small dice
- Noilly Prat - 1/4 cup
- Vermouth - 1/4 cup
- Dry white wine - 1/4 cup
- Lemon Juice - Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Fish Stock - 1 cup (alt. clam juice)
- Unsalted Butter - 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Garnish
- Potato - 4, cooked
- Unsalted Butter - 3–4 tablespoons
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Chives - 1 tablespoon, snipped
- Asparagus tips - 1, blanched
- Salmon Caviar
Instructions
To prepare the fish: Rub the fish fillets with olive oil and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate.
To cook the baby beets: Preheat the oven to 300 F. Squeeze the juice of one-quarter grapefruit over the baby beets and season with salt and pepper. Wrap in foil and bake for 2 hours.
To make the beet sauce: Peel and section the whole grapefruit and chop the pulp. Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan or skillet over medium heat and saute the shallot until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the pink grapefruit pulp and saute 2 to 3 minutes. Add the diced beet, Noilly Prat, vermouth, wine, and lemon juice. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half in volume. Add the fish stock and cook until reduced by half in volume again. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve and return the sauce to the pan. One piece at a time, whisk in the cold butter, incorporating each piece completely before adding the next. Warm the pan over low heat if necessary to keep the butter blending. Remove from heat and squeeze in the juice from the remaining half grapefruit. Season to taste.
To finish the fish: Heat the oven to 300 F. Season both sides of the fillets with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof saute pan or skillet and add the turbot, presentation-side down. Sear for 1-1/2 minutes. Turn the fillets over and squeeze the juice from the quarter grapefruit over them. Remove from heat. Stud the tops of the fillets with brioche cubes, arranging them in rows. Place in the oven and bake 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, until slightly browned. Remove and keep warm.
To prepare the garnishes: Puree the potatoes with the butter and stir in the chives and seasonings. Unwrap the foil from the baby beets and slip off the skins.
To serve: Put a large ring mold in the center of each serving plate and fill with mashed potatoes, pressing them slightly to firm. Lift the molds. Place a small spoonful of roe on the tops of the potato cakes and place a turbot fillet on top of each. Cut the baby beets in half and arrange next to the fish. Cluster asparagus to one side of the plate and garnish with a small spoonful of roe. Drizzle the plates with beet sauce.
