Potato Crusted Branzino – Bruno Albouze

By Bruno Albouze · 90 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Keep the fresh fish out of its original packaging: lay it on a parchment-lined frozen tray, cover with plastic film and refrigerate over ice packs, or with a light bag of ice on top. Use within 48 hours.
2. Make clarified butter: melt the butter gently without stirring, then let it stand about 15 minutes until the milk solids settle. Pour off the clear butterfat and discard the liquid.
3. Mix the melted clarified butter with corn starch to make a butter-starch mixture. Keep refrigerated; rewarm slightly before use.
4. Cut peeled Yukon gold potatoes on a mandoline into slices no thicker than 2 mm, then cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) rounds. Soak the scraps in water if saving them for later.
5. Place the potato rounds in a saucepan, cover with tap water, bring to a light boil, then turn off the heat. Skim off the foam, drain and spread on paper towels.
6. Brush each fish fillet with the butter-starch mixture, toss the potatoes in the same mixture, then arrange them over the fillet in overlapping rows, starting with 4 at the top, to look like fish scales. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
7. Make the beurre blanc: in a small saucepan, reduce the white wine, white wine vinegar, shallots, thyme, bay leaf, parsley stems and peppercorns until almost dry. Add the heavy cream, boil and reduce by two-thirds, then strain into a clean saucepan.
8. Over low heat, whisk in the cubed cold butter a few pieces at a time, then season with salt and white pepper. Do not let it boil. If it separates, reduce 70 g of heavy cream by two-thirds in another pan and slowly whisk the broken sauce into it. Keep warm.
9. Fry the leeks: cut the light green parts into 12 cm logs, halve them, then slice into fine strips. Soak in ice water for 10 minutes, drain and pat dry. Fry in clarified butter or high smoke point oil for about 5 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels and season with salt and pepper while hot.
10. Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat and add 15 g clarified butter. Season the potato side of the fillet with salt, season the flesh with salt and pepper, then lay it in the pan potato side down. Cook for about 10 minutes until the flesh is almost completely opaque.
11. Lower the heat, add 15 g cold butter, a sprig of fresh thyme or rosemary and a couple of crushed garlic cloves. Baste the fish for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat, flip the fish and baste with the brown butter for about a minute more. Remove immediately and drain on paper towels.
12. Coat the lemon wedges in chopped parsley. Spoon the warm beurre blanc onto plates, top with the fish, and garnish with fried leeks and a lemon wedge.

Summarized from Bruno Albouze's video. Watch it for the details.

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LemonCreamPotatoHeavy creamShallotLeekSea bass