What is it about France in the summer – oops! – I mean France in the Spring, that inspires provençal fare? Nothing conjurs up Provence to me like ripe tomatoes, salty olives, astringent lemon, grilled fish & meats, and freshly picked herbs.
This simple recipe, Poisson Provençal, is herb roasted fish with a salsa of tomatoes and olives garnished with the first baby artichokes of the season. The fish is roasted whole so that it stays nice and juicy over the grill without drying out. Included are simple instructions for preparing whole fish from beginning to end and, of course, my quirky ways of getting the job done.
Although I love reading new recipes, I love to learn technique more. There are thousands of recipes in the world and I can never remember any of them past the meal that I’ve just cooked. However, technique enables one to walk through the farmers’ markets and choose what is fresh without fear.
I sincerely hope that in my video series Paris On The Terrace, that I offer more than just a recipe, but technique in food preparation that will aid in exploration!
For recipe click on continue reading…
Technorati Tags: artichokes, baby artichokes, barbeque, fish, french, How to, how to video, Ms. Glaze, video
Poisson Provençal
for two people
Ingredients
1 firm white fish with edible skin like Pageot or Durade
4 ripe but firm tomatoes, de-seeded and chopped
10 pitted greek olives, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3 sprigs basil chopped
3 springs flat leap parsley chopped
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 whole garlic cloves with skin
4-5 T extra virgin olive oil
Fleur de sel to taste
Fresh pepper to taste
Instructions
1. De-scale, de-fin, and gut fish. Don’t forget to take out eye balls and gills too.
2. Inside the clean fish belly put the rosemary, thyme, and hand-crushed garlic. Also include stalks from the basil and parsley. Refrigerate. Preferably prepare fish an hour or two ahead of time so the herbs have some time to flavor the fish.
3. Chop tomatoes, olives, basil, and parsley. Mix in a bowl with olive oil, lemon, 2-3 big pinches of fleur de sel and fresh ground pepper. Stir and taste. If it’s a little too lemon-y add a little extra salt.
4. Create a medium hot barbecue. Once the coals die down place the whole fish on aluminum paper that is smeared with olive oil to keep the fish from sticking. grill for 3-4 minutes with lid on. To flip the fish place another sheet of oiled aluminum paper on the top of fish, press down around fish (mind the heat!), and flip the fish onto the other side. Of course you can do this with a spatula too. Cook covered for another 3-4 minutes.
5. Remove fish and fillet it. (see video)
6. Serve with provençal salsa over the top and a wedge of lemon along side. Garnish with rice or artichokes or whatever looks good at the market
I’ve often seen the instruction “discard the tomato seeds” but never obeyed it and never suffered for my disobedience, unless you count a little time spent reducing a sauce provençale. What do you think the point of it is?
Your video was very helpful especially how to handle a fish.
Thank you for good video and good instruction. 🙂
Stu – Great question about the tomato seeds! I originally had a whole bit in my video about why but I had to cut it due to the YouTube time restraints.
Tomato seeds are bitter and contain a lot of water and they will change the flavor of your sauce or salsa. However, if you want to make use of them, you can grind them with a high powered blender along with any other tomato trimmings for gazpacho.
Byunghoon – Thanks for the positive feedback 😉
One more thing about tomatoes… for salsas I normally don’t remove the skin, but if the sauce is going to be served hot I will blanch the tomato ahead of time and peel them. I don’t like to eat sauce that has stringy bits of skin in it.
Again, you can blend the seeds and the skin along with tomatoes for gazpacho if you’ve got a high powered blender that will pulverize the b’jezuz out of them.
Ah, skins, yes, definitely worth removing, escpecially for curry. As to the seeds, I agree about water but not about bitterness. When you’re making tomates provençale, do you toss out what you scoop out instead of blending it with the miettes de pain, persil, ail???
I just used a tartine to sop up the last of the juice from the filet de porc… still excellent after two and a half days. Thanks again for that…it’s in the repertoire!!!
Well, I hope someone gives you a tv show. You’ve obviously got the skills in the kitchen but also the interest in helping others cook better! Where in the world do you find time to do all this? Amazing.
LA VACHE, tes vidéos sont vraiment bien Amy. Je n’ai jamais essayer les artichauds comme ça, ça à l’air vraiment très bon et pour la sauce provençale, on peut la faire comme on veut du moment qu’on fait ça avec le coeur. Continue comme ça et je suis qu’on te verra bientôt à la tv. Bises.
Excellent. So enjoy seeing you cook and it inspires me to be a bit more adventurous as well. What a lot of work making a film is. Please know that we appreciate it.
Hey you,
I didn’t get to watch this video….didn’t come through. But I love your new series and can’t wait to watch it on a different computer.
I am getting a promotion….next week or so I will be moving to Garde Manger…. My coworkers who have been at the oyster bar for seven months are very salty! What can you do???? the Chef de Cuisine LOVES me!
Jamie– you go girl!!! Who is the Chef de Cuisine at Robachon? Btw, can you teach me how to open oysters quickly. I always crack the upper shell and end up sticking my hand.
Lilalia– Merci Bien!!!
Oui Chef – When you learn from the best you can only aspire to greatness (hee, hee!). Merci Chef.
Simon – PLEASE give me a TV show!!! I want one! Sounds like fun. I would love to actually get paid to cook. Only I don’t want to do those silly 30 minute meals or $40 a day in Europe videos. How about, how to butcher a cow or skin a racoon or something really useful?
Stu – Great suggeston! I’ll have to do that next time. BUT, I will still banter that the seeds are bitter although, very good for digestion. 😉
Ms. Glaze, this is an excellent series you have going here. Perhaps you should send a copy to The Food Channel and campaign for your own show.
Ms. Glaze, superb as usual. My only regret is that you didn’t give your fish the same “cigarette-in-the-mouth treatment” as the wild hare at Guy Savoy. I love these videos, so please keep making them. They are both entertaining and informative.
The every amazing Ms. Glaze. Say, just had a very fascinating dinner at a place called Chateaubriand, 129 Avenue Parmentier 75011. You know this place? It seems that every night there’s a completely new menu that everyone orders. It’s insane but fantastic. The chef, I understand is Basque. Many little courses. It reminded me a little bit of Hidden Kitchen. Their wine list is all natural stuff; their business card is simply their name with the telephone number and the word “reservations” in French … and Basque. I’m curious if you’ve been there.
Matthew
Well I am satisfy to you And My mother is also use tomatoes, salty olives, astringent lemon, grilled fish and meats, and freshly picked herbs in our foods.But your recipe is unique.
Tomatoes have many properties and vitamin and if you eat it frequently is sure you will see more beautiful because the tomatoes contain antioxidant that help the skin to stay young longer. In fact i read a blog some days ago and i knew all the properties of the tomatoes. That is why i talk to bases.
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