Tournedos Sturgeon
Slices of sturgeon are turned into a sandwich with a piquant mixture of horseradish, chives, and butter between them. A strip of bacon wraps each sandwich, adding its own smoky taste. Seared and cooked with leeks, onions, and tomatoes, the sturgeon are topped with a seafood mixture bound with cream and garnished with glazed baby vegetables.
Ingredients
- Sturgeon
- Horseradish - 4 tablespoons
- Chives - 8, minced
- Unsalted Butter - 2 tablespoon
- Sturgeon - 4 pieces
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Bacon - 2 strips
- Unsalted Butter - 2 tablespoons
- Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons
- Leeks - 2, white part only, chopped
- Onion - 1, diced
- Tomatoes - 4, peeled, seeded, and diced
- Saffron Threads - 4 to 6
- Dry white wine - 1/4 cup
- Water - 1/4 cup
- Rosemary - 4 pinches
- Seafood Topping
- Unsalted Butter - 2 tablespoons
- Olive Oil - 1 tablespoons
- Scallions - 2, chopped
- Mussels - 12, scrubbed and debearded
- Dry white wine - 2 tablespoons
- Shrimp - 8 to 10 large, peeled and cleaned, tails left on
- Lump crab meat - 1/2 cup, picked over for shells
- Pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper
- Fresh lemon juice - 1 teaspoon
- Heavy (whipping) cream - 3 tablespoons
- Vegetable Garnishes
- Unsalted Butter - 2 tablespoons
- Onions - 10 to 12 pearl, peeled and blanched
- Baby Carrots - 6, peeled and blanched
- Zucchini - 1/2, sliced thin, blanched
Instructions
To prepare the fish: In a bowl, mix the horseradish, chives, and butter. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Spread one piece of the fish with half of the horseradish mixture, then top with the second piece of fish. Wrap with a bacon strip and secure in place with kitchen string. Repeat with the remaining two pieces of fish.
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Melt the butter and oil together in a medium ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Place the fish in the skillet and sear for 1 minute. Turn and sear 1 minute on the other side. Add the leek and onion. Cook until the vegetables are softened, about 1 minute. Remove the fish and set aside on a plate. Add the tomato, saffron, and a pinch each of salt and pepper to the skillet. Cook until almost no liquid remains. Add the wine, water, and rosemary, lower the heat to medium, and cook again for about 5 minutes. Put the fish back in the skillet and bake 10 to 12 minutes, until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily. Remove from heat; set the fish aside a plate, set the vegetables aside on another plate, and keep warm.
To prepare the seafood: In the same skillet used for the fish, melt the butter and olive oil together over medium-high heat. Add the scallions and cook until just softened, about 1 minute. Add the mussels and wine, cover, lower to heat to medium, and cook 4 to 6 minutes, until the shells begin to open. Add the shrimp, cover again, and cook 1 minute. Add the crabmeat and cook 2 minutes, until warmed through. Discard any mussels which do not open. Season with salt and pepper and add the lemon juice. Cook briefly until the mixture is almost dry, then stir in the cream. Stir in the reserved leeks, onions, and tomatoes. Heat 1 to 2 minutes, then take off the heat.
To prepare the vegetable garnishes: Melt the butter in a medium saute pan or skillet over medium heat and add the blanched vegetables. Cook until heated through and glazed with butter.
To serve: Heat the broiler to high. Put a sturgeon packet on each warmed serving plate and remove the string. Spoon the seafood topping over the sturgeon packets. Garnish with the glazed vegetables. Briefly place under the broiler to brown the tops.
