Dining and Cooking
Chefs’ Collections

Steamed Sole with Smoked Trout Consommé

Ingredients

For the onion confit

  • 2 ½ Spanish onions, 1 diced, 1 1/2 thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with kitchen string
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the consommé

  • 1 8-ounce whole smoked trout
  • 1 leek, trimmed and cleaned
  • 1 small carrot, peeled and sliced
  • 1 stalk celery, sliced
  • ½ fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 juniper berries
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 egg whites
  • 1 plum tomato, roughly chopped and crushed

For the sole

  • 1 8-ounce sole fillet, cut into 3-inch by 1-inch pieces
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 bunch ramps, trimmed and cleaned
  • Nutritional Information
    • Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

      275 calories; 10 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 20 grams protein; 38 milligrams cholesterol; 1185 milligrams sodium

      • Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.

4 to 6 appetizer servings

Preparation

  1. To prepare confit, purée diced onion and 1/2 cup water in blender. Strain liquid through a sieve into a bowl.
  2. Put a large sauté pan over high heat until very hot. Sprinkle sugar evenly over pan. As soon as it melts and begins to turn gold, add sliced onions. Reduce heat and stir until onions are golden, about 5 minutes.
  3. Deglaze pan with onion juice and olive oil. Add thyme, salt and pepper. Cut parchment paper to fit pan, making a small hole in the center to let steam escape. Place parchment on top of onions and simmer over medium-low heat until juice evaporates and onions turn amber, about 20 minutes. Discard thyme before serving.
  4. To prepare consommé, remove trout skin and discard. Remove most of the trout meat and reserve for other use; leave some meat on bone.
  5. In a medium pot over medium-high heat, combine leek, carrot, celery, fennel and garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes. Pour in 6 cups water and add bay leaves, juniper berries, salt and trout bones. Bring to bare simmer and cook over low heat for 45 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Return broth to pot and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes. Strain again.
  6. In a small bowl, whisk together egg whites and tomato. Return broth to pot over medium heat. Add egg mixture and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Immediately reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes (egg mixture should gradually form a crust on surface of broth). Remove crust with slotted spoon and discard.
  7. Put a coffee filter inside a sieve over a bowl. Strain broth through filter.
  8. To prepare sole, rinse fish and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper. In a pot, bring consommé to a simmer. Set a steamer basket inside pot above consommé. Arrange fish in steamer, cover and steam until fish is opaque and just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes.
  9. Meanwhile, heat canola oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add ramps and a pinch of salt and pepper and sauté until bulbs are golden, 1 to 2 minutes.
  10. To serve, spoon a little confit in serving bowls. Arrange fish pieces on top. Spoon a little consommé around fish. Garnish with ramps.

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