Name: France-Soir’s Quenelles de Perche sauce Crevette: Baked sea perch dumplings in bisque
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 85 min
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: ¼ loaf white bread (about 165gm), crusts removed, coarsely torn; 125 ml (½ cup) cold milk; 600 gm skinless sea perch fillets, pin-boned, cut into 3cm pieces; 1 egg; ¼ tsp ground cardamom; Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg; 250 ml (1 cup) thickened cream; 50 ml brandy; Prawn Bisque; 80 ml (1/3 cup) vegetable oil; 10 prawn heads; ½ onion, diced; ½ carrot, diced; ½ celery stalk, diced; ½ small fennel bulb, diced; ½ turnip, diced; ½ small red capsicum, seeds removed, diced; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 200 gm can diced tomatoes; 3 thyme sprigs; 1 bay leaf; 1 small potato, peeled, thinly sliced; 1 litre (4 cups) fish stock; 3 tsp brandy; ½ tsp saffron; 2 tsp Pernod; Finely grated zest and juice of ½ lemon

Chef Geraud Fabre, from Melbourne’s French restaurant France-Soir, shares his recipe for baked sea perch dumpings in bisque. “In the restaurant, we use a large piping bag and pipe the quenelles as long logs, slicing when cooked to portion as the traditional spooned quenelles are extremely time-consuming en masse, and more technical for the home cook,” says Fabre.

Loading the player…

Ingredients

¼ loaf white bread (about 165gm), crusts removed, coarsely torn

125 ml (½ cup) cold milk

600 gm skinless sea perch fillets, pin-boned, cut into 3cm pieces

1 egg

¼ tsp ground cardamom

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

250 ml (1 cup) thickened cream

50 ml brandy

Prawn Bisque

80 ml (1/3 cup) vegetable oil

10 prawn heads

½ onion, diced

½ carrot, diced

½ celery stalk, diced

½ small fennel bulb, diced

½ turnip, diced

½ small red capsicum, seeds removed, diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

200 gm can diced tomatoes

3 thyme sprigs

1 bay leaf

1 small potato, peeled, thinly sliced

1 litre (4 cups) fish stock

3 tsp brandy

½ tsp saffron

2 tsp Pernod

Finely grated zest and juice of ½ lemon

Method

For prawn bisque, heat half the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add prawn heads and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and shell colour deepens (10 minutes). Remove from pan. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining oil to pan; add onion, carrot, celery, fennel, turnip, capsicum, garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened (5-7 minutes). Add tomatoes and herbs; cook, stirring occasionally, until flavour develops (10 minutes). Add potatoes and prawn heads; cook for 10 minutes. Add fish stock, brandy and saffron; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer until flavour develops (30 minutes). Remove from heat; stir through Pernod, lemon zest and juice. Set aside to cool slightly, then transfer to a food processor in batches and process until smooth. Pass through a fine sieve. Reserve 500ml and refrigerate until required. Remaining bisque can be frozen to flavour sauces, soups and braises.

Place a food processor bowl in the refrigerator to chill. Place bread in a bowl and pour over milk to soak (5 minutes).

Place fish in chilled food processor bowl and process until smooth (30 seconds). Add soaked bread, egg and spices; process until just combined. Gradually add 100ml cream, in batches, processing well between each addition. Transfer dumpling mixture to a bowl, cover and refrigerate to chill (30 minutes).

Preheat oven to 240°C fan-forced. Place reserved bisque in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer until reduced by half (9-10 minutes). Add brandy and 150ml cream; simmer until reduced slightly (5 minutes). Season.

Line a large oven tray with baking paper. To blanch dumplings, bring a large shallow casserole of salted water to the boil. Using two dessert spoons, spoon quenelles of dumpling mixture, in batches, into boiling water to blanch (1 minute or until they rise to the surface). Using a slotted spoon, transfer to the lined tray. Repeat shaping and blanching with the remaining dumpling mixture. Transfer dumplings to oven and bake until golden (5 minutes).

Warm sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat. Divide among six shallow serving dishes, arrange dumplings on sauce and bake until dumplings are golden and sauce colour has deepened (4 minutes)

Scatter dumplings with dill and serve with crusty bread on the side.