Home > Worldwide Recipes > Germany > Fish and Seafood > Heilbutt Unterm Sahneberg
( Halibut Under A Mountain Of Cream )
Heilbutt Unterm Sahneberg
( Halibut Under A Mountain Of Cream )
Ingredients
3 tablespoons dry white wine
¼ pint water
2 oz coarsely chopped onions
4 parsley sprigs
1 small bay leaf
6 whole black peppercorns
6 or 8 rashers of lean bacon, about 8 inches long
1½ tablespoons finely chopped onions
2 oz butter, softened
2 lb halibut fillets, cut into serving pieces, or substitute 2 lb fillets of any other firm, white fish
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
⅛ teaspoon paprika
6 tablespoons double cream
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Details
Serves: 4
Method
Bring the wine, water, coarsely chopped onions, parsley, bay leaf and peppercorns to the boil over a high heat in a small, heavy enamelled or stainlesssteel saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially uncovered, for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Cook the bacon over a moderate heat in a large, heavy frying pan, until it is lightly browned but still limp. Transfer the bacon to a double thickness of kitchen paper to drain. Pour off all but a tablespoon of fat from the frying pan, add 1½ tablespoons of finely chopped onions and cook over a moderate heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, until the onions are soft and transparent but not brown.
Preheat the oven to Mark 3: 325°F. Grease the bottom and sides of a shallow ovenproof serving dish large enough to hold the fish fillets in one layer with an ounce of the soft butter. Lay the fillets side by side in the bottom of the dish, and sprinkle them with ½ teaspoon of salt. Sprinkle the sautéed onions over the fish and lay the bacon rashers on top. Strain the wine mixture over the fish, pressing down hard on the onions and herbs with the back of a spoon before discarding them. Bake the halibut in the middle of the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until the fish is firm and opaque. Discard the bacon and pour the cooking liquid through a fine sieve into a bowl. Cover the fish and set it aside in the baking dish.
To make the sauce, measure the strained cooking liquid and pour it into a small saucepan. If there is more than 6 tablespoons, boil it briskly over a high heat until it is reduced to that amount; if there is less, add more wine.
Bring the liquid to the boil over a moderate heat. Make a paste of the remaining ounce of butter and the flour in a small bowl, and when the mixture is smooth add it bit by bit to the poaching liquid. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the lemon juice and paprika. Taste for seasoning.
Whip the cream in a chilled bowl with a wire whisk or a rotary egg beater until it forms firm peaks on the whisk when it is lifted out of the bowl. Fold the cream gently into the sauce. Then, working quickly, pour the sauce over the fish and sprinkle the top with grated cheese. Slide the baking dish under the grill about 4 inches from the heat and grill for 1 or 2 minutes, until the cheese melts and the sauce browns lightly. Serve at once, directly from the baking dish.
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