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March 2010
Fish Stew with Sorrel and Leek
Cotriade Bretonne
photo by France Ruffenach
Leek and sorrel
add an agreeably acid bite to this Breton stew of white fish,
dramatically topped with salty black mussels. Like most northern
stews, Cotriade is fortified with potatoes and made with white
fish, like cod, haddock, hake, or whiting, plus a bit of rich
fish, such as eel or mackerel. Alternatives in the United States
are bluefish, red snapper, and flounder. Arugula can take the
place of sorrel.
Serves 6
- 1 pound/450
g rich fish fillets, without skin
- 1 pound/450
g white fish fillets, without skin
- 11/2 pounds
/675 g mussels
- 1 pound/450
g sorrel or arugula
- 2
tablespoons/30 g butter
- Fried
croûtes made with 1 baguette, sliced, fried in 4
tablespoons/60 g butter, and rubbed with a cut garlic clove
Cooking liquid
- 2
tablespoons/30 g butter
- 2 onions,
chopped
- 2 leeks,
white and green parts, chopped
- 2 garlic
cloves, finely chopped
- 1 quart/1 l
fish stock
- 1 pound/450
g potatoes, quartered and thinly sliced
- 1 bouquet
garni (a tied bundle of sprigs of fresh thyme sprigs, a
dried bay leaf and sprigs of fresh parsley)
- Salt and
pepper
- 1 cup/250 ml
crème fraîche or heavy cream
- Juice of 1
lemon
Wash and dry the
fish, and cut it into 2-inch/5-cm pieces. Clean the mussels.
Strip the stems from the sorrel or arugula, wash the
leaves thoroughly, and drain them. Melt the butter in a large
saucepan over medium heat. Add the sorrel or arugula, cover, and
cook until the greens are wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the lid
and continue cooking until all the moisture has evaporated.
Sorrel will have dissolved to a purée; arugula will need to be
chopped. Fry the croûtes and set them aside.
For the cooking
liquid, melt the butter in a large flameproof casserole or soup
pot over medium heat. Add the onions, leeks, and garlic and
cook, stirring often, until soft but not brown, 5 to 8 minutes.
Add the stock, potatoes, bouquet garni, salt, and pepper and
simmer until the potatoes are partially cooked, about 5 minutes.
Add the rich fish
to the cooking liquid, pushing the pieces down into the liquid,
and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the remaining fish and simmer
until all the fish are nearly tender, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Add
the sorrel or arugula and crème fraîche, shaking the pan so they
mix into the liquid. Top with the mussels, cover and continue
simmering until the mussels open, 3 to 5 minutes.
Discard the
bouquet garni, add the lemon juice, taste, and adjust the
seasoning. Salt may not be needed, as the mussels are salty.
Serve the cotriade directly from the pot, with the croûtes in a
separate bowl. If you have guests, you may want to lift out the
cooked mussels, shell them, and put the meats back in the stew
before serving so they are easier to eat.
Excerpted from THE COUNTRY COOKING OF FRANCE
by Anne Willan, Chronicle Books, 2007.
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