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Fish with White Wine Sauce

Fish with White Wine Sauce

This elegant Fish with White Wine Sauce enhances the flavors of any fish using a classic French technique called monter au beurre.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 17 minutes
Course Main
Cuisine French-ish, Western
Servings 4 servings
Calories 533 kcal

Equipment

  • large non-stick skillet
  • oven
  • Sieve

Ingredients
  

Pan seared fish

  • 4 fillets white fish skinless, boneless (I used snapper)
  • 0.5 teaspoon salt
  • 0.25 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

White wine sauce

  • 1 eschalot small, finely chopped (~1 ½ tbsp)
  • 1.25 cups white wine dry, not sweet or too woody (chardonnay is especially good)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice (sub white wine vinegar)
  • 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar (sub more lemon)
  • 0.125 teaspoon salt
  • 1 pinch pepper
  • 1 pinch white sugar
  • 1 cup thickened/heavy cream
  • 30 g unsalted butter cold, cut into 1cm / ⅓" cubes

Garnish, optional

  • 2 teaspoon finely chopped parsley (or chives)

Instructions
 

Cook fish

  • Preheat oven to 50°C/120°F. Place rack over a tray.
  • Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper.
  • Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Cook fish in two batches until golden, 2 minutes on each side, or until the internal temperature is 55°C/131°F.
  • Place fish on rack, and place in the oven to keep warm.

White wine sauce

  • Tip out excess oil from the skillet but don't wipe clean.
  • Add eschalot, white wine, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar to the pan. Bring to simmer and reduce by half (~3 minutes).
  • Add cream, simmer for 2 minutes.
  • Turn heat to low and add cold butter one cube at a time while mixing with a wooden spoon. Once all the butter is incorporated, the sauce should be thickened, satiny and beautifully glossy.
  • Strain the sauce through a sieve (discard eschalot), then pour it back into the pan.
  • Place fish back into the pan in the sauce. Spoon some sauce over the fish, leave for 30 seconds.
  • Transfer fish onto serving plates. Spoon sauce over each fish, sprinkled with parsley if desired.

Notes

Suitable for any white fish fillet suitable for pan frying, just avoid fish that dries out easily and oily fish that has a strong flavor.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 533kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 32gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 19gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 173mgSodium: 470mgPotassium: 578mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1067IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 66mgIron: 1mg
Keyword creamy sauce for fish, creamy wine sauce, white wine sauce, white wine sauce for fish
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