Sole in Wine

This is a textbook example of French fish cookery: bake sole in white wine with mushrooms, reduce the cooking liquid into a sauce, enrich it with egg yolks and cream, and glaze the whole thing under the oven’s heat. Simple technique, stunning results.

Baking the sole in Sauterne with whole mushrooms produces a flavorful poaching liquid that becomes the foundation of your sauce. The wine and fish juices combine during the 30-minute bake, creating a broth with concentrated flavor. After draining, reduce that liquid over medium heat until it’s roughly equal to the amount of wine you started with. This concentrates the flavor and evaporates the raw alcohol edge.

The egg yolk and cream mixture whisked into the reduced liquid is a classic French liaison. It thickens the sauce into something silky and rich without flour. Add it slowly and whisk constantly. If the pan is too hot, the yolks will scramble instead of thickening smoothly. The final trip back to the oven glazes the surface to a golden, glossy sheen.

Chef Tips

• Use a glass baking dish so the wine doesn’t react with metal and create off-flavors.
• Reduce the cooking liquid to the right consistency before adding the egg-cream mixture. Too thin and the sauce won’t coat the fish. Too thick and it’s gluey.
• The final glaze in the oven should be brief, just a few minutes under the broiler. Watch it constantly because it goes from golden to burnt fast.

Variations

• Use flounder or turbot in place of sole. Any delicate, flat white fish works with this technique.
• Add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard to the sauce for a sharper, more assertive flavor.
• Scatter fresh tarragon or chervil over the glazed fish just before serving for an herby finish.