Wild Striped Bass with Wild Mushroom Broth
Fish and mushrooms – the flavor of the sea and the flavor of the forest. Somehow, the two are just made for each other.
This combination is the basis of this dish, a fillet of wild striped bass seared off and served in a rich, earthy broth of different wild and cultivated mushrooms. The recipe comes from the Chanterelle cookbook, one of my favorites of the coffee-table restaurant cookbooks.
Chef David Waltuck makes his mushroom stock differently than I had been doing – he uses a mix of fresh and dried mushrooms, but rather than just adding the dried ones to the pot and letting them reconstitute, he first grinds them up in a food processor. This way, as the little pieces open up they give off all their deep flavor. Just make sure you strain the broth well, to get rid of the little bits. I liked the flavor of the fresh/dried broth very much, and will continue to add ground-up dried ones each time I make mushroom stock. For this one, I found a nice packaged mix of five types: morel, shiitake, oyster, chanterelle, and cremini.
The flesh of the fish soaks up a lot of the delicious mushroom flavor as it rests in the broth, which emphasizes the crispness of the seared skin. A delicious, inspired fish dish from one of New York’s great chefs.
Heat & Knives
The Recipe
Source: Chanterelle
kosher salt
¾ cup diced (1/4-inch) Yukon Gold potatoes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium shallots, coarsely chopped
12 ounces mixed wild mushrooms, stems trimmed and cleaned, smaller ones left whole, larger ones halved or quartered (all pieces should be a uniform size)
4 cups mushroom stock
black pepper from a mill
about 1 tablespoon medium-sweet Madeira
about ½ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
four 6- or 7-ounce wild striped bass fillets, skin on, any pin bones removed
about ½ cup Wondra or all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil
¼ cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
¾ teaspoon coarsely chopped fresh tarragon
¾ teaspoon coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
¾ teaspoon coarsely chopped fresh chives
¾ teaspoon coarsely chopped fresh chervil
fine sea salt
Bring a medium saucepan of generously salted water to a rapid boil and fill a large bowl halfway with ice water. Add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook just until tender to a knife tip, about 4 minutes. Drain and quickly transfer them to the ice water to stop the cooking process. When they are entirely cool, drain and set aside.
In a medium heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. When it is sizzling hot but before it starts to brown, add the shallots and saute for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until the liquids they release have evaporated and they begin to brown, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the varieties being used. (Note that the time will vary greatly based on size, texture, and liquid released.) Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the broth by one-third, until roughly 2 2/3 cups remain, about 10 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper, then stir in the Madeira and lemon juice and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Lay the fillets on a clean, dry surface, skin side up. Use a sharp paring knife to draw thin slashes in the skin, which will prevent the fillets from curling while cooking. Turn the fillets skin side down, season with kosher salt and pepper, and dust lightly with the flour.
Heat a large, deep, heavy-bottomed, ovenproof saute pan over high heat. Add the oil and heat until moderately hot. Put the fillets in the pan, skin side down, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Without turning the fish over, transfer the pan to the center rack of the oven and roast until the skin is nicely browned and crisp, about 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, reheat the sauce over medium-low heat. Add the potatoes and rewarm them for a few seconds. Just before serving, fold in the whipped cream, add the tarragon, parsley, chives, and chervil, and adjust the seasonings to taste.
Divide the sauce evenly among 4 wide, shallow bowls. Remove the fish from the oven and turn the fillets over in the pan, allowing them to cook in the pan’s heat for another 30 seconds. Blot the skin side with paper towels. Sprinkle each fillet with a little sea salt and place it atop the sauce. Serve.
