Oh hello! You gave me such a fright!
It would have been a disaster if I dropped this turbot.
Turbot is one of the grandest fish to serve and is very
popular with families like Lord and Lady Braybrooke. I have read the Queen eats it quite regularly.
Lord and Lady Braybrooke have guests for
dinner and they've asked me to serve turbot and so I've chosen one of the
most traditional of recipes - turbot à l’anglaise, or 'turbot in the English style'.
For this recipe you will need:
A turbot
Lemon
Salt
A lobster, cooked and cooled
Butter
Cayenne pepper
and some velouté sauce
First, I'm going to prepare my fish. It's already been gutted by the fishmonger
and then washed and patted dry by my scullery-maid.
I'm going to remove the fins.
Next, I'm going to rub it all over with half a lemon.
Naturally, I'm going to cook this in my turbot kettle. It's always pleasing to
use something for its specific purpose. A turbot is diamond-shaped
and so is my turbot kettle. I have heard that some people use theirs for steaming
puddings. I suppose that is because you can get more than one pudding in at once.
Now to cook the fish.
Add fresh spring water. Do not use cistern or piped water, which
may be stale.
This fish is far too expensive to be ruined.
Now add salt.
Timing is everything. Remember, it will still cook even after
you've taken it off the heat
There are many different sauces that complement this recipe. Choose one or two
that your employer enjoys the most. I've chosen a lobster sauce after speaking
with Lady Braybrooke this morning.
To my hot velouté sauce, I'm going to add the diced lobster.
And then, the pounded roe
the butter
the lemon juice
and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
This now needs to be put through a sieve,
which one of my kitchen maids can do.
Once it's nice and smooth, I shall reheat it just before it goes up to the table.
Ooh, I better check on the turbot.
Now that the fish is cooked, it needs to be served straight away on a hot plate as
it's served with a soup but eaten after it.
I've added parsley all around the outside as garnish
and a napkin will help keep the heat in.
There you are - turbot à l’anglaise!