## Choucroute of Fish: A Culinary Journey into Alsatian Delicacy ##
Welcome to the realm of Choucroute of Fish, a dish that epitomizes the culinary heritage of Alsace, a region renowned for its rich gastronomy. This classic Alsatian dish, also known as Choucroute de Poisson, features a delectable combination of fish, sauerkraut, and an array of flavorful ingredients. As you embark on this culinary journey, let us explore the diverse recipes presented in this article, each offering a unique take on this traditional delicacy.
### Unveiling the Culinary Treasures of Choucroute of Fish ###
The recipes within this article showcase the versatility and creativity associated with Choucroute of Fish. From the traditional Alsatian recipe that honors the region's culinary roots to contemporary interpretations that incorporate modern culinary techniques, there is a recipe to suit every palate.
- **Traditional Alsatian Choucroute de Poisson:** This classic recipe forms the foundation of the Choucroute of Fish experience. It features an assortment of freshwater fish, such as carp, pike, and trout, simmered in a flavorful broth infused with white wine and juniper berries. The fish is nestled amidst a bed of sauerkraut, potatoes, and bacon, creating a harmonious blend of flavors and textures.
- **Choucroute of Fish with Riesling:** This recipe adds a touch of elegance to the traditional dish by incorporating Riesling wine into the cooking process. The Riesling imparts a delicate sweetness and acidity that complements the fish and sauerkraut beautifully.
- **Choucroute of Fish with Smoked Salmon:** This variation introduces a smoky, luxurious element to the Choucroute of Fish. Smoked salmon is added to the pot along with the other fish, infusing the broth and sauerkraut with its distinctive flavor.
- **Choucroute of Fish with Saffron:** This recipe incorporates the vibrant color and subtle aroma of saffron, adding a touch of sophistication to the dish. Saffron lends a golden hue to the broth and enhances the overall flavor profile.
- **Choucroute of Fish with Mussels:** This recipe brings together the flavors of the sea and the land. Mussels are added to the pot along with the fish, contributing their briny sweetness to the dish.
Each recipe presented in this article offers a distinct culinary experience, allowing you to explore the diverse possibilities of Choucroute of Fish. Whether you prefer the traditional Alsatian approach or are drawn to more contemporary interpretations, these recipes will guide you in creating a delicious and memorable dish.
SEAFOOD CHOUCROUTE
Bold, bracing sour beers like gueuze, kriek and lambic will slice right through a meal from aperitif to cheese, stymied only at dessert. They'll stand up to fat, juicy pork and will welcome all sorts of seafood, like clams and oysters, smoked salmon, grilled bass, and skate in a saline caper butter. You also cannot go wrong with the Alsatian sauerkraut classic, choucroute garnie. But consider making that dish a clever showcase for fresh and smoked fish, with the typical pork at a minimum. Years ago, I loved the fish choucroute at Au Crocodile in Strasbourg, France, with a dry riesling. Back then, who knew from sour beer?
Provided by Florence Fabricant
Categories seafood, main course, side dish
Time 1h
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Place bacon over medium heat in a 4-quart stovetop casserole that can go to the table. When lightly brown, remove and reserve, leaving fat. Raise the heat to high, add scallops and sear briefly on both sides. Remove. Reduce heat to low, return bacon to the pan, add leeks and garlic, and cook until softened. Stir in the apple, cook about a minute, then add the smoked trout, broken into chunks. Add beer, bring to a simmer, stir in sauerkraut and season with salt and pepper. Tuck scallops into sauerkraut. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil for potatoes. Simmer until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Cover to keep warm.
- Tuck the mussels into the sauerkraut around the edges of pot. Cut the fresh trout in 2-inch pieces and place on top of sauerkraut. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Cover and cook about 6 minutes, until mussels have opened and fresh trout is opaque. Scatter with tarragon and serve from casserole with potatoes on the side.
SALMON WITH CHOUCROUTE AND GEWüRZTRAMINER SAUCE
Steps:
- Choucroute
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring, until just wilted. Stir in the sauerkraut, stock, wine, and seasonings. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, about 15 minutes, then set aside, still covered, to keep warm.
- Gewürztraminer Sauce
- Combine the wine, vinegar, and shallots in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer gently until the liquid is reduced to 2-3 tablespoons. Gradually add butter, in small pieces, whisking constantly, until all the butter is incorporated. The sauce should be a shiny, creamy yellow. Add salt. Taste, and adjust seasonings.
- Salmon
- Season the salmon with salt and pepper and coat with the bread crumb mixture. Heat the olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. When it is very hot but not smoking, add the salmon, presentation side down. Lower the heat to medium, add the butter, and use a spatula to lift the salmon, to allow butter to run under each fillet. Cook until it is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook about 3 more minutes, until salmon is just medium-rare. Cook a little longer if you like it more done, but not long enough to dry it out.
- To Serve
- Divide the choucroute among four plates, top with a piece of salmon, and drizzle the sauce around the fish. Garnish with chives.
- Notes
- At Bayona, we use plain bread crumbs for this dish. But for a little more texture, try panko, Japanese bread crumbs (available at specialty markets and many grocery stores).
- Beurre blancs, or butter sauces, are known for breaking. Luckily it's a cinch to repair them. To fix a broken beurre blanc, skim the butter off the top and reserve the separated part of the sauce. In a small clean saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of water to a simmer and whisk in the reserved sauce. Over a very gentle heat, whisk in the butter, a bit at a time, and the reserved sauce base should pull together.
SLOW-COOKER CHOUCROUTE
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories main-dish
Time 6h10m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Stud each onion quarter with a clove. Layer the bacon, sauerkraut, garlic, onion quarters, herb sprigs, bay leaves, pork chops, kielbasa, apples, and potatoes in the slow cooker in the order listed, then pour the wine and gin over the top. Cover the cooker and set it on LOW. Cook until the pork is falling off the bones and the potatoes are fork-tender, at least 6 and up to 8 hours.
- Arrange the meats, potatoes, apples, onions, garlic, and sauerkraut on a large platter. Serve with pumpernickel rye bread, mustards, cornichons, and horseradish.
TROUT CHOUCROUTE
Provided by Ruth Cousineau
Categories Dinner Bacon Trout White Wine Cabbage Gourmet Wheat/Gluten-Free Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free
Yield Makes 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Cook bacon in a 10-inch nonreactive heavy skillet over medium-low heat, turning occasionally, until lightly browned but still flexible. Drain on paper towels.
- Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet, then cook onion with butter in skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients, except trout, and 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed and mixture is tender and lightly browned, 25 to 35 minutes.
- While sauerkraut mixture cooks, put trout, skin sides down, on a work surface. Pat fillets dry and lightly season with salt and pepper, then put a strip of bacon on each. Roll up fillets from wider end, enclosing bacon and securing each with a wooden pick.
- Arrange rolls, wider spiral sides up, on sauerkraut mixture and cover with a round of buttered parchment paper, then with a lid. Cook, covered, over medium heat until fish is just cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Discard bay leaf, juniper berries, and wooden picks. Serve trout on sauerkraut.
CHOUCROUTE DE POISSON AU BEURRE BLANC
One morning, as my editor, Judith Jones, and I were wandering around the streets of Strasbourg looking for a cell-phone store, I bumped into three young men having a smoke outside a restaurant. I saw "Crocodile" written on their chefs' jackets and asked if Emil Jung, the chef-owner and a friend of a friend, was in the restaurant. They said he was and told me just to go knock on the door to say hello. We did; three hours later, we left the restaurant having been wined and dined beautifully by him and his lovely wife, Monique. One of their Alsatian specialties is fish choucroute (sauerkraut) with heavenly beurre-blanc sauce, a dish appreciated by customers who follow the laws of kashrut. In Strasbourg, where everybody eats sauerkraut, there is even a Choucrouterie theater and restaurant built on an old sauerkraut factory. Roger Siffert, the affable director of this bilingual (Alsatian dialect and French) cabaret theater, says that they serve seven varieties of choucroute, including fish for observant Jews. "With words like pickelfleisch and shmatteh existing in both Yiddish and Alsatian," said Siffert, "people should reach out to what is similar, not separate. In Alsace we call Jews 'our Jews.' "
Yield 6 to 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan, and sauté the onion and the cabbage until the cabbage is wilted and the onion is translucent.
- Stir the sauerkraut into the onion and cabbage. Add 1 cup of the white wine, the juniper berries, 1/2 cup of the fish stock, the thyme, the bay leaf, and the freshly ground black pepper to taste. Simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed but the cabbage is still crunchy. Fish out the bay leaf, stir in the cilantro, and transfer to a flat ovenproof casserole.
- To make the beurre blanc, sauté the shallots in 1 tablespoon of the butter in a saucepan for a few minutes. Add the remaining 1/3 cup white wine, the vinegar, and the remaining 4 cups fish stock, and cook, whisking, to reduce by more than half. Then add the remaining butter, piece by piece, whisking all the time. Add the lemon juice, and salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Season the fish with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Quickly sear the fillets in a nonstick frying pan in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Place on top of the sauerkraut, and heat in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through. While the fish is baking, reheat the beurre-blanc sauce. Serve topped with the warm sauce, with steamed potatoes on the side.
CHOUCROUTE GARNI
This is a super-tasty one-pot meal with Savoy cabbage as the star. A delectable braised family meal, featuring succulent German garlic sausage
Provided by Tom Kerridge
Categories Dinner, Main course, Supper
Time 2h5m
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/ gas 3. Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large flameproof casserole dish or heavy-based pan. Fry the onions for 10-15 mins until soft. Add the wine and vinegar, along with the herbs and spices, and reduce to a glaze.
- Add the carrots, celery and garlic to the pan, mix well, then lay the wedges of cabbage on top. Snuggle the sausages and bacon between the cabbage chunks before pouring over the stock. Put the pan on the heat, bring to a simmer, then cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 1 hr 30 mins, stirring halfway through.
- Once cooked, serve in bowls with mashed potato, if you like.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 736 calories, Fat 49 grams fat, SaturatedFat 21 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 23 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 17 grams sugar, Fiber 11 grams fiber, Protein 36 grams protein, Sodium 4.6 milligram of sodium
Tips:
- For the best flavor, use fresh fish that is firm and has a mild odor.
- Select a variety of fish with different textures and flavors, such as salmon, cod, and halibut.
- Do not overcook the fish, as it will become tough and dry. Cook the fish until it is just opaque in the center.
- Use a variety of vegetables in the choucroute, such as cabbage, carrots, and potatoes.
- Season the choucroute to taste with salt, pepper, and other spices.
- Serve the choucroute with a crusty bread or rolls.
Conclusion:
Choucroute of fish is a delicious and hearty dish that is perfect for a cold winter day. It is a great way to use up leftover fish, and it is also a very affordable meal. The combination of fish, vegetables, and spices creates a flavorful and satisfying dish that is sure to please everyone at the table.
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