A FISH THAT I LOVED LONG BEFORE TASTING IT [3/3]

Poached Mahi-Mahi fillet, Brussels Sprouts, Spinach , Mandarine, Beurre blanc



Mahi mahi is a fish that is originated from rather warm waters and, then, it is frequently cooked in reference of the countries where it is fished, à la réunionaise, à la tahitienne, à la méditerranéene or à l'antillaise, as featured in previous posts of this blog. But here, I wanted to integrate it in more "winterish" dish. Therefore, it involveInd duck bacon, duck fat, Brussels sprouts, spinach leaves, mandarines and a beurre blanc... 

Ingredients (4 servings)


  • 1 2lbs. mahi mahi fillet, skinned, trimmed, and cut in 4 "steaks" of same size
  • Brussels sprouts (about 30, small size)
  • Spinach leaves
  • 2 tasty and tart mandarines
  • Duck fat

For the the broth:

  • 1/2 onion
  • 2 or 3 strips of duck bacon
  • 1 glass of white wine
  • 1 tbsp. of cider vinegar
  • 1 big carrot
  • 1 celery stem
  • Bay leaves
  • Thyme
  • Clove

For the beurre blanc:

  • 50 g of butter
  • 1/2 glass of white wine
  • 1 shallot clove, thinly chopped
  • Capers
  • 1/2 lemon juice
  • ... and the spared mandarine juice

Recipe


  • Make a broth with all the ingredients, starting with the duck bacon and the onion to let it take a light color, then white wine, the vinegar and the rest of the ingredients, and when all those are nicely coated by the fat and the wine, add 1/4 gallon of water, put to boil, then let it simmer and infuse as long as you can so that it develops a maximum of flavors;
  • Blanch the Brussels sprouts for 4/5 minutes (depending on their size) in boiling water, then plunge them in ice water and reserve;
  • With a sharp knife, make suprêmes with the mandarines: it consists in extracting the wedges without the rind and without their skin, and reserve;
  • Put back the broth to boil, and when it does, put the fish steaks into it. When it goes back to boiling, put out of the burner and let the fish finish cooking in this hot, but non-aggressive, broth. After around 15 minutes or when the fish is cooked (use a knife to test it), take them out of the broth and put them for a few minutes on a grid to eliminate the liquid;
  • Make a beurre blanc with the listed ingredients;
  • In a pan, melt some duck fat at a medium/high temperature, and use it to heat up the Brussels sprouts while ensuring they are consistently fat-coated. Do the same thing with  the mahi mahi steak (add some duck fat if need be), and finally, "drop" (in French faire tomber) the spinach leaves to heat them without cooking them.
  • Place the spinach on the plate, topped with the Brussels sprouts and a few mandarine wedges. Place the mahi mahi steak and pour the beurre blanc, spreading the shallots and capers around...

Mmmahi Mmmahi!



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